The subject of same-sex marriage has once again been in the forefront of Constitutional Reform discussions, as the Ministry of Home Affairs continues to host town hall meetings across the island. At one such meeting on Thursday October 7th, at the Immanuel Methodist Church, Blowing Point, Pastor Philip Gumbs spoke passionately against same-sex marriage.
Minister of Home Affairs, the Honourable Kenneth Hodge, was the moderator of the meeting, and his Permanent Secretary, Dr. Aidan Harrigan, was the facilitator – as it has been at all other such meetings in the current series.
Pastor Gumbs, one of Anguilla’s local clergymen, is a prominent community activist on many national issues. He is also Chairman of the Anguilla Evangelical Association, and a longstanding pastor of the Church of God (Holiness) for some 35 years.
He spoke extensively on same-sex relationships: “I speak as a citizen of Anguilla, as Pastor of the Church of God (Holiness), and as Chairman of the Anguilla Evangelical Association which works in close collaboration with the Anguilla Christian Council. I refer to Section 16 which speaks to the right to marry.
“In 2019 a UK four-person delegation came to Anguilla to discuss constitutional affairs. We met with them for a couple days in discussion on this issue of same-sex marriage in the conference room of the Government Building. This meeting was followed by a public consultation meeting at our Church. Members of the public spoke out very strongly on their views as to what marriage should be. I do remember that the senior member of the delegation became emotionally intense. He said that if there is no choice for same-sex marriage, then Anguilla would have to consider taking a route towards independence. I thought for a moment that with the British’s incredible ability to be diplomatic, (enough to sell ice to Eskimos) that [its] representative had lost his sense of calm. But he spoke his mind.
“There are aspects of the constitution that refer to the term ‘sexual orientation’. This term is sprinkled throughout the constitution, and we have some concern about that. But the provision for marriage to include the union of gay individuals is driven by the belief that gay men and lesbian women are born that way. That is the battle-flag. ‘How can you discriminate when we are born that way?’ they would ask. But science has finally arrived at a point where it has been discovered that there is no gay gene — despite the efforts of brilliant gay scientists to prove otherwise.
“In 2019, the most comprehensive study on the genetic basis for sexual orientation came up with the conclusion that it is effectively impossible to predict an individual’s sexual behaviour from their genome. This is according to a documentary produced by the BBC, on August 29th 2019. In it Dr. David Curtis, Honourary Professor at UCL Genetic Institute University College in London, states: ‘This study clearly shows that there is no such thing as a gay gene. There is no genetic variation in the population which has any substantial effect on sexual orientation.’
“The argument that one can be born gay is therefore null and void,” Pastor Gumbs declared. “As a consequence, gay activists are now saying, ‘So what! We may not be born gay, but we are gay by choice; we are proud to be gay.’ Sadly enough, there are persons who haven’t caught up to reality, and they still believe that people are born gay, just as much as there are those who believe that the earth is flat.
“Since, scientifically, same-sex lovers are not born gay, and since their lifestyle is a choice, then those who champion for two men or two women to be married, how can they oppose seven gay or seven lesbian people who desires to be married? According to them same-sex activists love is love. So, how can they be so hateful as to tell seven people that their love for one another is invalid, while in the case of two men or two women their love is valid? Whoever is proud to champion two men or two women to marry one another cannot prevent polyamory — relationships of multiple lovers.”
He said that Sweden seems to be the laboratory in which much of the world’s modern immorality is incubated, and that the law there allows two half-brothers and two half-sisters to marry one another. “This is based upon the premise that they love one another,” the pastor said.
Pastor Gumbs went on: “There are people in Anguilla who would say, ‘you have no right in people’s bedroom. But we do have a right to stand against what is immoral in the bedroom. For example, just as we have a right to denounce a father sleeping with his daughter, and we have a right to denounce a mother sleeping with her daughter, we do have a right to object to what goes on in a bedroom between persons of the same sexual orientation. These things affect all of us.
“I clearly remember one instance there in that meeting in the Government Building conference room, when one of the UK delegates said contemplatively, ‘You know what? I think we can arrive at a compromise we can fix this.’ Now I come to see what is in the constitution’s proposed amendments on the issue. It does no say anything about civil unions or gay couples. It just says marriage is between two people. Now, obviously, that could mean any two people, whether two women, two men, or a man and a woman.” “That is too plain” he said. “The UK’s proposed compromise is like setting the trap right in front of the monkey, and we are certainly not monkeys.”
The Pastor continued to argue extensively on the side of retaining marriage as it is in the existing law: “We are saying to keep marriage as it is,” he said. “There is no scientific basis for a change. People are not born gay. It is a simple choice that they make.”
He went on to explain that in the gay activists’ agenda there is now a New Age plot where they are targeting children into believing that they are free to be any gender – and that the principles of male or female do not really matter. Children can become what gender or sex they choose to be.
“We know that from the moment we allow the constitution to provide for so-called gay or lesbian marriage,” he said, “then it will also mean that the schools will have to eventually teach graphic lessons on masturbation and ‘rimming’ (oral stimulation of the anus with the mouth).” He noted that these things are being taught in the UK today under the guise of sex education.
The Pastor also made the point that: “If we allow a change of the definition of marriage in our constitution, and allow for gay marriage, it comes with a lot of other things including a lack of parental rights where well-meaning parents would have it difficult to object to their children’s indoctrination and this kind of sex education.
“So we are saying we are not going down that route. We don’t want it. If England wants to force it on us, that is different. They forced slavery upon us and we became victims; but if we sign on to this in our constitution, then we are idiots. We are too enlightened, and we are too caring for that.”
