Not afraid to be open-minded

I’ve been reading a lot of articles and letters to the editor and hearing all kinds of thoughts from people about the political, economic and social changes that Nunavut is rapidly going through.

With the elections for both the Nunavut Legislative Assembly and the Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. Executive, all three areas are certainly the hot topics around the dinner tables of Nunavut and in Ottawa.

I am especially concerned about the so-called “Third Party Politiking,” to paraphrase last week’s editorial in Nunatsiaq News, and that is why I decided to write this little memo to the wannabe leaders and to my fellow Nunavummiut.

I was always taught that God loved everyone from every walk of life, differing religious beliefs, color, creed and gender. Mind you, I was also taught that the Bible was written by man and we will and can differ in the interpretation of the holy book.

But I’m especially afraid of how some religious groups are literally interpreting the bible to justify their means in how the Inuit or people from all walks of life who make Nunavut their home should live in today’s society, in order to be accepted by our creator.

As a student of politics, I have read and heard of many conquering nations instilling the assimilation of the mind on the people that they conquer, in the name of their kings and queens and of their motherland’s religion.

I’m not saying that I have all the answers to what our creator intended, but I’m sure he intended for us to at least be civil about each other, even if we have a wide range of train of thought on our fellow man or women.

If my thoughts are correct, the Nunavut Human Rights Act will be the first item of contention of the next Nunavut Legislative Assembly, because some of our knowledgeable leaders are not in agreement with the gay and lesbian part of the legislation and those that don’t understand the ramification or the consequences of not including that part, will only follow and who shall pay?

I’m not going to get into the constitutional, legal or the political arguments about what this all means because, I feel that this is an emotional, philosophical and a private issue that has gone through it’s time and I for one, being a heterosexual man, am not afraid to be open minded and open our doors for our fellow Nunavummiut, who want to live in this type of arrangement, to be a part of our ever changing society.

By the way, how do we really know that homosexual relationships never existed in our Inuit tradition of our past ancestors? We only starting writing and reading since the 1950s.

Allen Maghagak
Former Chief Negotiator
Nunavut Land Claims Agreement