June 16, 2011Dear Sir,Congratulations to Dr. Philip Brownell for his excellent column in your paper (June 14, 2011) on Homophobia. He writes, “Homophobia is simply the fear of homosexuality or homosexual people. It’s a feeling. A person can be unsure of his or her own sexual preference but unable to work through that; thus, this person fights against the homosexuals “out there” as the best defence against the homosexual he or she fears might be lurking “in there”. That’s the classic sense of homophobia, but the fear of homosexuals can simply be that it’s too strange, too threatening to the structure of what seems normal. It can also mean that homosexuality represents all that is wrong in the cultural wars between those who believe in God and those who don’t, between those who want the church to thrive and those who want the church out of their lives in every way possible. To me God gave government in an expression of common grace so that people can live equitably and in peace.This is the function of government, so that everyone is treated equally under the law. At present the human rights of homosexuals can be ignored with impurity. Unlike Britain and the USA for instance, under the present law in Bermuda a homosexual can be denied a job for which he is qualified. This is denial of his human rights. Considering the prejudice some people have toward homosexuality, I doubt that anyone would choose this lifestyle. Many people understand that it is a genetic disorder. But whether this is so or not, everyone must be treated equally under the law, or none of us can be sure of our human rights.ELIZABETH M. KITSON JP