COMMENT: Anti-Gay debates in Uganda lack an informed scientific dimension

Homosexuality is Normal: Revisiting Anti-Gay Debates in Uganda

COMMENT | NNANDA KIZITO SSERUWAGI | Over the years, Uganda has witnessed intense and contentious debates about homosexuality. There is no level of society that these debates have not affected. From schools to homes, workplaces, and universities, homosexuality has been a part of all public discourse. However, most of these discussions are deeply rooted in cultural biases, religious bigotry, and shallow dogmatic discussions around legal, political, and public health dimensions. What is lacking is an informed scientific dimension to the debate.

To buy space for more important and never-held scientific discussions on homosexuality, I will not reiterate the mundane arguments raised by ignorant and homophobic Ugandans who defend the criminalization of homosexuality.

The argument that is closest to a scientific claim made by homophobic Ugandans in defense of homophobia is usually that homosexuality is against the order of nature or is unnatural, for that matter. Ironically, this is the furthest they can stray from scientific truth.

Firstly, nature is not purposeful. No intentional design is followed by natural processes to achieve a specific goal. Instead, nature operates through random processes that follow the mechanisms of evolution and natural selection. However, these processes also do not have a predetermined goal. Rather, they are driven and shaped by purposeless, random genetic variations or mutations and the pressures inflicted by the vagaries of environmental changes.

It is easy to see how purposeless nature is when we observe the errors and imperfections it often produces, which are widespread in the environment. Everywhere you look, you can see the work of genetic mutations, producing varied results even in related people. Some people can be tall, others short; some dark-skinned, others lighter. Some people are born lame, some are born blind, and some have medical complications—all determined by random genetic mutations.

By observing the human body alone, we can find an endless list of vestigial organs, which are basically parts of the body that no longer serve their original function and are therefore neither necessary nor useful. If nature were perfect and purposeful, it would not provide such organs.

For example, humans have an appendix, an organ that is prone to infection, and many people have to undergo surgical operations to remove it from the body. This organ plays no role and serves no digestive purpose whatsoever in the body, yet nature provides it. Humans have wisdom teeth, which are so unnecessary that sometimes they even lack space in the human jaw and have to be removed. Males have nipples, which serve no function since men do not breastfeed. Humans have body hair, which does not serve the thermoregulatory function it serves in other mammals. The list of unnecessary body parts is endless. There are also countless examples of dysfunctional and poorly designed features in nature, including the human eye, which many wrongly assume to be a perfect organ. Therefore, we cannot say that nature has a purpose in how it operates.

Now, let’s turn to the issue of homosexuality more specifically. Homophobes argue that homosexuals choose it as a lifestyle choice—a sort of cool behavior that some young people are paid money to adopt. If this were the case, more than 1,500 animals practice homosexuality. I wonder who pays them for it.

Homosexuality has a biological basis, and it is natural for homosexuals to experience sexual attraction in ways that heterosexuals don’t. Sexual orientation is determined by biochemical reactions in the body, i.e., hormones. Hormones influence the brain’s development and shape sexual orientation by organizing the fetus’ neural circuits as it forms in the womb.

When a woman is pregnant, her body, through the placenta, and the fetus itself produce sex hormones. The development of the fetus’ brain is shaped by its exposure to these hormones, i.e., testosterone and estrogen. They are responsible for influencing the development of our internal and external sexual/reproductive characteristics.

For men to become masculine and get inclined towards heterosexual orientation, the male fetus’ brain is exposed to higher levels of testosterone, whereas on the other hand, females become feminine and get predisposed towards male sexual attraction by having the female fetus exposed to lower levels of testosterone during this critical stage of fetal development.

However, sometimes, there can be variations that lead to homosexual orientation. These occur when, for instance, a female has higher-than-usual testosterone levels or the level of testosterone in a male is lower than typical or usual. This predisposes the woman or man to same-sex attraction.

With the necessary distinctions, the same process can be used to explain bisexuality or attraction to both sexes. When the male fetus is exposed to levels of testosterone not too high enough to become straight or too low to become gay, they are predisposed to become bisexual. Similarly, when a female fetus is exposed to levels of testosterone not too high to become a lesbian but not too low to be clearly heterosexual, they are predisposed to develop attraction to both men and women. This is the delicate balance that determines sexual orientation. It is not about lifestyle choices.

Without developing curiosity for this somewhat complex but still understandable scientific explanation for homosexuality, our society will most likely remain plagued by chauvinistic homophobia.

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The writer is a Ugandan