sexual experimentation - a rite of passage?

There's a white elephant in the room. Actually, the elephant isn't white


at all, it's mainly black, unless of course I'm colorblind. That elephant is thousands-strong and includes a lot of our Dominican young men and women.  

While our society parades itself as this happy group of heterosexuals we have a marauding, increasing number of young people who "dabble" in homosexual and bisexual lifestyle as a coming of age activity. 

I see it at activities, I hear about it from my younger family and friends. It's in their schools, churches, groups, etc. Young men and women who are secretly and not so secretly experimenting with their sexuality in an effort to "find" themselves. Since when does sex and sexual preference help you to find yourself? 

While we may never have the statistics to prove this, mainly because of the social taboos we place on sex as a society, we still need to have the fora where we can address/discuss youth sexuality. 

For too long we've allowed these discussions to be held behind closed doors and among friends, often times giving misguided or misleading information and with little or no guidance. No one to provide the basic facts and truths.

So as I write and you read, hundreds of Dominican young men and women are flirting with their sexuality. As a friend put it, "they're not exactly gay, they just prefer women for now because I know some of them who still have boyfriends" and once the experimentation is over, they will revert to their boyfriends. He was speaking about a group of young women but I'm sure it could have very well been a group of young men also and not simply because of their clothing or demeanour. Our young men are flirting with bisexuality as much as our young women. 

Is the experience worth it? Is this bisexual culture a healthy one? Is it a phase? Or is this culture something that has always been there, occurring behind closed doors? 

Is it solely due to the influence of the American media and culture that daily bombard us with images of the rainbow culture? No it isn't, Dominica already had gays, lesbians and bisexuals long before the first television was hooked up to electricity. While it is true that we have more overseas influence in this generation in comparison to past generations we can't simply lump the issue into that heap. 

Sexual experimentation long been heralded as a rite of passage for young people as they journey to adulthood but they should know that their sexual preferences shouldn't define who they are or who they want to be... 

It's one thing to experiment, it's a totally different arena when you think that the experimentation will somehow define the kind of person you will become in the future... 

How do we address this? Is there a need to address it? Who will address it? The Church? Schools? Government? Youth Council? 

One thing is for sure, our sexuality will continue having an impact on our individual and collective health as a society as we still grapple with the taboo and secrecy that exist in hypocritical Dominica. 

If we pretend it doesn't exist and we don't address the repercussions, it will just go away... Yea right, Dominica... Yea right!

open letter to DSC Board Chairman, Mr.Meade

Dear Mr. Meade:

I greet you with the utmost respect that a young person can have for an individual such as yourself in a privileged position of power, respect and influence.

First and foremost, I told myself that I wasn’t going to address this issue but that I would leave it up to the authorities to take the rightful steps to ensure that our students are protected and have a safe environment in which they can learn and develop. Secondly, I was hoping that the issue would bring youth and youth leaders to the fore and they would see it as an opportunity to champion a cause for which the entire nation needed to show concern.

My comments themselves do not stem from the original article which made several rounds on social media, talk media and/or websites but rather from a DNO article which published your thoughts on the matter. And for this reason, I must speak… to borrow a quote from a popular 2014 calypso. From the minute I read the article and your comments on the matter, my heart was pricked to respond. It is not my wish to judge your reasons for such a stance however, I must wonder about a few things:

1. What is the due diligence process established at the Dominica State College when issues of sexual misconduct arise?
2. Isn’t an initial investigation by the Chairman of the board, in this instance, and a consultation among board members necessary before a matter such as this can be “swept under the rug?”
3. Is there a code of conduct or a code of ethics established by the board as it relates to relations between school officials and students?
4. What’s the primary role of the institution as it relates to allegations of sexual misconduct? Is it the protection of students or the support to employees?
5. What effect will your personal stance, as you have yet to consult the board on the matter but having publicly addressed it in media, have on the reputation of the institution?
6. Will this issue further contribute to what most people think is the moral decay of our general population, more importantly among the youth population?

I am not saying that Dr. Peters is in any way culpable but there should be some form of internal investigations by the Board or some independent committee as this is a serious ethical issue. I also think that an investigation would go a long way in restoring Dr. Peters’ reputation if he is indeed innocent of the charges laid out against him in the initial article. A lot of people are of the impression that this is a serious matter, although they won’t publicly voice their concern, so the repercussions can be more damaging if it is addressed in an ad hoc manner.

This is even more damaging to someone who may want to come across to report some issue that they suffered for fear of it being dismissed before due process has been followed. I urge you to rethink your earlier thoughts and do the necessary as it relates to the information relayed in the original article.

I do pray that my open letter is received in the manner in which it is meant, that is, with the best intentions as it relates to both the safety of students at the Dominica State College and any other learning institution on our Nature Island, as well as the restoration of the image of institution and the persons involved in this unfortunate situation.

Respectfully yours,

 

 

Delroy Nesta Williams

Concerned Youth