A 39-year-old man and his 23-year-old cousin were on Tuesday thrown into jail for incest. Newman Moyo and Progress Mlalazi of Qhubekani Village in Filabusi pleaded guilty to charges of having sexual intercourse within a prohibited degree of relationship or incest when they appeared before Filabusi resident magistrate Shillah Nazombe.
First cousins, usually heterosexual couples, have the freedom to marry in much of the world, including some states in the US. It is quite common in some cultures. This is so absurd that these two are being prosecuted.
The magistrate convicted them before sentencing Moyo, who is married, to 12 months in jail. Four months were suspended for five years on condition of good behaviour.
Assuming Moyo was cheating rather than in an open or polyamorous or dead marriage, it still shouldn't be a criminal matter.
Mlalazi was given an eight- month jail term of which two months were suspended for five years. The remaining six months were suspended on condition she performs 210 hours of community service at Sidzibe Clinic.
Did Moyo's spouse turn them in? We don't know for sure. We only know this...
On August 7, Moyo and Mlalazi’s grandfather, Sunboy Moyo suspected that Progress was pregnant. He interrogated her and she revealed that she had been impregnated by Moyo.
I don't know why this is a criminal matter.
![Non-Monogamy Diagram [I:FV]](http://www.obsidianfields.com/lj/nonmonogamy2.5.1.gif){kind=link}
LOL, I'm curious, where you getting all these articles? You have new one up like everyday xD.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I feel so bad for people that get put in jail loving in groups or loving someone in their family.
I mean like I have mentioned, gays used to be imprisoned in jails. I wonder what happened to them o.o What a sad waste of a life to be rotting in jail....It's just not fair :(
It makes me wonder what I can do.....I feel so bad knowing that I'm lukcy that I'm not attracted to or in love with a family member. I feel bad knowing that I'm able to see and enjoy what the world has to offer, while others, are unfortunately stuck in a jail, through no fault of their own and through a prejudice system.
My English class is having to read this book called Oedipus Rex. When the students were told that the main character married their mother...there were quite a few bigoted murmurs...but I was surprised because I didn't hear anything that bad. No one even blurted out how "wrong" it was this time. But then again we have a pretty awesome teacher who didn't really take a position on it.
But anyhow, I imagine, the more we read into it, some uncalled for comments may spring up, to which I feel necessary to defend incestuous couples. It's hard though, let me tell you. Standing up for something that 99% people don't agree with can be utterly nerve wracking, and if you don't make a good argument...yur toast!
Got any tips? It makes me nervous sitting in that class not knowing if someone is going to make a prejudice statement and then I have to get mentally ready to put forth an argument...V_V
I have my sources.
ReplyDeleteI used to be quite familiar with Oedipus Rex and now that I am familiar with Genetic Sexual Attraction, I think the story could fit into the GSA framework. If I recall correctly, he didn’t know her as his mother until someone else told him. He had been attracted enough to this older woman to marry her.
You might want to bring up Genetic Sexual Attraction, and also studies that show many people tend to be attracted to people who look somewhat like them. Usually, other factors come in to play that cause someone to NOT be attracted to someone with whom they were raised, leading to the “yuck” response some people have at the idea; they don’t want to have sex with their mother, and they assume everybody has to feel the same way. But you can point out that there are people who have a “yuck” response to the idea of interracial relationships, relationships where there is a large age difference, gay sex (and some gays or lesbians are disgusted by the thought of heterosexual sex), and their own parents having sex with each other (even though that is how most of them got here in the fist place!). But some people, for whatever reasons, find themselves attracted to a close relative; you don’t, but you can see that someone who has a consensual relationship and isn’t harming anyone doesn’t deserve to have other people always telling them it is gross.
If they say something like, “It’s just wrong,” ask them why. Give them an example that takes out the whole “mutant babies” nonsense before it even starts, like two siblings in their 30s; either they are the same sex or the male has had a vasectomy, so there’s no chance of a baby and they are close in age and this isn’t coercion. If they are both unattached, why should it be anyone else’s business what they do in private? If the person comes back with “it’s sick” or some religious argument, then say, “That’s why YOU would not want to do it; that doesn’t mean someone else shouldn’t.” If they point out that it is illegal, point out that it isn’t illegal in Rhode Island and other states. Does that mean it is okay in Rhode Island (or in other countries that don’t have laws against it)? Is same-sex marriage okay in New York where it is legal, but not okay in Utah?
You probably won’t be able to change a bigoted mind, but the other people listening will see that you make sense and “It’s just sick!” doesn’t make sense, and perhaps they will have more sympathy for this… and perhaps, someone listening will be someone who is, or has been involved in a consanguinamorous relationship, and they’ll feel better that someone stood up for them.
If they accuse you of having incestuous feelings, point out that plenty of people who advocated for decriminalizing homosexuality and now support same-sex marriage are heterosexual.
Explain what your position is, like I do: an adult should be free to share love, sex, residence, and marriage with ANY consenting adults.
Thanks for the info! Gotta keep my cool mainly... :)
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