There was something vulnerable, almost fragile, about the men who gathered in the capital to protest against LGTB rights. Some wore their baseball caps backwards, like teens in old Hollywood films. Others had gone wild with the hair styling gel, as a fashion statement. They looked sweet and insecure – not like people who would intimidate others for the crime of loving the “wrong” person. But the problem with irrational extremists is precisely that: they don’t have a standard look. And they’re not necessarily who we think they are. 

Judgmental extremism has always fascinated social scientists, mainly because it goes against human nature. Inclusiveness and compassion is what we’re biologically programmed for – rejection is a forced reaction. No one could survive without the protection of the flock in the early days of our species so, for evolutionary reasons, rejection is one of the few emotions that results in real physical pain according to brain scans. Studies say that non-opioid painkillers can alleviate the pain we get from rejection – that is how unnatural it is.  Anyone who issues death threats for the crime of love is a basically biological misfit. Is it surprising, then, that love is the main message of all world religions?

But no one becomes a homophobe in a vacuum. The ingredients for baking an irrational extremist – the kind of person who would threaten to mutilate someone for being gay – is personal experience of corruption, marginalisation and grievances, research highlighted by the Center for Strategic & International Studies shows. So if we see an increase in worldviews that are intolerant and inhumane, it might say more about the direction the Mauritian society is taking than about the confused people behind them. If we address the underlying issues – unemployment, nepotism, corruption and brain drain – we might have a more realistic chance at battling irrational opinions like homophobia, racism and communalism. 

Mauritians deserve better than this. We don’t deserve being one of the few places left in the world where it isn’t possible for heterosexuals and homosexuals to walk in a parade together, hand in hand with the person we love. Even the extremists who might wake up one day wondering why they let ignorance and hatred ruin their youth deserve better. 

To all of you who gave couples panic attacks on Saturday for being who they are, and who threatened to kill homosexual journalists: we forgive you even if you’re not sorry. Society is letting you down as well. 

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