Headlines:
| Prosecute "down low" men – Falconer |
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| Friday, 26 June 2009 | |
 Opposition Senator Sandrea Falconer wants
the new Sexual Offences Bill to address the problem of gay men who have sex
with women while parading as heterosexual.Ms. Falconer told the Senate Friday that these so called "down low" men ought to be punished under law. "I have very little regard for men who practice same sex activities undercover while engaging in heterosexual relationships. I believe those men, when found out, should be eligible for prosecution under Section 4, sub-section 4-B of this bill. It states, "Consent shall not be deemed to exist where that apparent agreement to sexual intercourse is obtained by false and fraudulent representation as to the nature of the act or the identity of the offender," said Miss Falconer. "Down low" is American slang which refers to men who secretly have sex with other men, while maintaining public relationships with women. The Opposition Senator, who is also the People's National Party's Spokesperson on Gender Affairs, also raised concern about what she called the glaring lack of proper facilities to help women who are raped. Define the sex organs  Picture courtesy of the Gleaner. Hyacinth Bennett made the proposal in the Upper House Friday morning while contributing to debate on the Sexual Offences Bill. "I would urge that in these modern times, care be taken to state that the sexual organs of the vagina and the penis be clearly stated as the natural sex organs as defined at birth. The sex organs should not include any surgically constructed sex organs under circumstances such as where a person underwent a sex change," she said. Senator Bennett added that it is not inconceivable that a man can change his sex through surgery and claim the legal right to have sexual intercourse with another man. She also said parts of the bill run the risk of giving in to the homosexual lobby by legalising consensual sex between two men. |