Homophobia at its worse
South Africa’s apartheid army forced white lesbian and gay soldiers to undergo sex change operations in the 1970’s and 80’s. They also submitted many to chemical castration and electric shock. That has all changed now as of December 1st 2006 South Africa made history by becoming the fifth country in the world to legalize same sex marriages. Back in 1872 it was a crime to partake in the crime of sodomy, this was defined as oral or anal sex between two men. 1957 saw that men were not allowed to conduct any erotic behaviour if there were more than two people present. The first time same sex relationships between men were legalised was in 1994 but the female same sex relationships still remains illegal. But has the homophobic minority changed its ways? It is still reported that lesbians in the smaller towns are raped to cure their sexual orientation, including a number of students and even some murders. Some blame the government of turning a blind eye. The gay or effeminate white soldiers some only 16 or 17 years olds were subject to much abuse, from rape to being tied to trees and having black shoes polish rubbed into their genitals. Commanders would order these young men to ‘circle jerk’ or drop their pants and ‘commit indecent acts’ with each other. Others were beaten to make men of them or raped. Talk about double standards, they were allowed to rape the young men themselves but the young men were condemned for being gay. Many were sent to psychiatric hospitals only to find themselves being subjected to electric shock treatments and being made to take drugs that were banned by international treaties. These men were tortured by the medical doctors and the military doctors, their only way to have prevented this was to be handed over to South African police. The boys were kept on large doses of valium and many were chemically castrated without their consent, some had the testicular tissue from straight men implanted other were forced to have sex changes. Women thought to be butch lesbians who had volunteered for the military were also forced to have sex changes and they to went through the days on end of tortures. The long term physical and psychological damage left with these service men and women was some times so bad that even after years of therapy some could no longer live with the feelings of abuse and committed suicide. I don’t pretend to understand how one human being can feel that they are better than another and judge them by their own standards and actions. Homophobia still exists and gay and lesbian children are still beaten and given electric shock treatment all over the world. There will always be god preaching people that are still going to be homophobic and those with views like the South African military, nothing will change.
