Lisa Hanna’s bold call to our humanity

Fr Sean Major-Campbell

So, Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.

Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!” Genesis 39:6-7

LISA HANNA’S timely call for the redefinition of rape under Jamaican law is a long overdue exercise for the work of equality and justice. While the arguments and conversations must continue, the ills of injustice and inequality must cease.

The law, as it stands, treats the sexual violation of a daughter as being of much more serious concern than the sexual violation of a son! We have this problem because our law concerning rape is yet to be made gender-neutral. A gender-neutral approach to the law would ensure that men and women, boys and girls, are treated with the same remedy under the law, in the event of sexual violence.

It is not surprising that a few questions have come regarding Miss Hanna’s bold call for the necessary adjustment to the law. “How can you be a Christian and support Hanna’s call? Where in the Bible does it say that a man can rape a man?”

Hanna’s call does not require support based on one’s status as a Christian. It is a call to our humanity. Let us consider that men and boys are deserving of equal protection under the law. Let us acknowledge that men in Jamaica who have suffered from sexual violence have lived with some debilitating effects of sexual assault and violence. It is ever so painful to see young men suffering from depression, intimacy issues, anxiety, self-hatred, suicidal thoughts, anger and violent behaviour, all consistent with their having lived with the burden of being sexually violated.

In the Bible we see Joseph, who was respectfully employed by Potiphar. However, Potiphar’s wife, in her lust after Joseph, decided to use the power dynamic to lure Joseph to meet her demands. She was the woman of the house. She was Potiphar’s wife. She had the capacity to give orders with an expectation of obedience to her requests.

Joseph, the victim of sexual harassment, remained strong. In Genesis 39:10, “And though she spoke to Joseph, day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.” Potiphar’s wife escalated her plan and devised a scheme where her lie landed Joseph in prison.

In 2024, there are many Josephs who are survivors of sexual harassment and rape, whether by women or other men. Note that nothing about rape is love. Rape is always informed by the politics of power. There is always a power imbalance. That is why there are ethical considerations to be engaged where an employer, a parent, custodian, teacher, pastor, politician, counsellor, and all in positions of influence and power must be subjected to levels of accountability, given their potential to do harm to those under their authority.

We now know that women and girls are not the only victims of sexual violence. Men are, too. Rape is sometimes preceded by substance abuse by the perpetrators of the violation. In Genesis 19:32, Lot’s daughters devised a scheme: “Let’s get our father to drink wine and then sleep with him and preserve our family line through our father.” We quickly read such stories without pausing to explore what that might sound like in modern times. In Genesis 19:33, “That night they got their father to drink wine, and the older daughter went in and slept with him. He was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up.” The other daughter repeated the exploitation of their father the following night. Again, “He was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up.” If two men got a woman drunk prior to non-consensual sex in 2024, what would we call it?

The world of the Bible had all kinds of different dynamics informing the patriarchal understanding of gender issues. Women were often quickly and wrongly judged as deceivers, while men were often quickly and wrongly stereotyped as aggressors. This is why Joseph was so easily a victim of lies. A handsome, well-built, strong, sexy African-Hebrew could not argue his way out of an accusation of attempted rape. Potiphar’s elegant, petite, innocent and defenseless wife must have been speaking the truth.

In 2024, any self-respecting civilisation ought of necessity to facilitate equal protection of men and boys under inclusive laws which facilitate equity, equal rights, and justice. Acknowledging rape as gender-neutral will be a step in the right direction, regarding just laws for all. While responsible legislators are at this, they must also ensure that laws concerning rape are also object-neutral and orifice-neutral. May we have a heart for the equal protection of all men and women, and all boys and girls, under Jamaican law.

LET US PRAY

Almighty God, give a heart of compassion to those who make laws. Grant healing to suffering men and boys who now struggle with silent screams, unheard laments, indignity and shame after experiencing the torture of sexual violence. May your Church be an agent of healing for the broken, and Jamaica a place where there is justice and truth and peace for all. Amen.

Fr Sean Major-Campbell is an Anglican priest and advocate for human dignity and human rights. Send feedback to seanmajorcampbell@yahoo.com or columns@gleanerjm.com.