UWI Defends Decision To Fire Professor

KINGSTON, Jamaica CMC – In the face of mounting opposition, the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona Campus, is seeking to defend its decision to fire Professor Brendan Bain as Director of the Regional Coordinating Unit of the Caribbean HIV/Training (CHART) Network.

The move by the University follows concerns by gay rights groups across the region, regarding testimony by Bain two years ago in a high-profile case in Belize.

According to UWI’s Vice Chancellor Professor E. Nigel Harris, the decision to relieve Bain of his duties, was not about the university caving into pressure from influential and powerful gay rights lobby groups. He also said that it is not an issue about Professor Bain’s academic freedom.

“But if he were a member of the academic community this would have no impact on his academic standing. This is not about his rights to give testimony, it is not about his rights as a Christian, it is not about the views that he might hold, this is about someone having a position in a programme which the university has been contracted to manage and really losing the confidence of the people in an important sector that the programme must reach,” Harris said.

The Vice Chancellor also defended UWI’s position on academic freedom, as it relates to the publication of research findings which appear to be in conflict with the position of interest groups.

“The analogy this one gives is this  – you’re leading a group, the CHART group, the purpose of which is to reach communities that have HIV/AIDS and in fact attempting to stop the epidemic of HIV/AIDS. A central tenant of persons working with HIV/AIDS is that stigmatization, discrimination and by extension the criminalization of men having sex with men is contrary to the fight against HIV/AIDS, so that is indeed the position,” the Vice Chancellor said.

In support of Professor Bain, early Wednesday, a small group of protesters gathered in front of  the regional headquarters of  UWI’s Mona Campus, to protest against his dismissal.

The protestors wore black and taped their mouths shut. The masking tape over their mouths read – “freedom of expression”.

“We have been called alarmist in the past, with this agenda you are not allowed to descent and once you decent you are punished, we have been saying that for years,” said Shirley Richards, one of the protestors. She said the small protest was an early indication of opposition to the University’s decision, and that there was more to come.

The National AIDS Committee (NAC) is also seeking to clarify issues surrounding its call for and support of the removal of Bain.

Chairman of the Committee, Vivian Gray, said the group has no issue with the content of Professor Bain’s report to the Court in Belize as there is nothing in the report which is contrary to or offensive to the work of the National AIDS Committee.

He however noted that what the NAC views as a conflict of interest is the Professor testifying on behalf of church groups which are opposed to the removal of a law similar to the Buggery Law in Jamaica.

“Professor Bain in his capacity as manager for a project which is working to remove those barriers joined the opposition that says the law in question is not barrier when in fact he is being paid to assist in moving barriers. So that is what the National Aids committee and all the civil society groups have a problem with,” he said.
In his report, Professor Bain told the court that homosexual men were at higher risk of contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.

It said a supportive environment is needed at the community and governmental levels to enable high risk groups to access and practice safe sex.

The NAC says it rejects any assertion that its objection is in relation to Professor Bain’s right to express himself or to give contrary opinions.

And Professor of Public Health, Epidemiology and HIV Aids at the University of the West Indies, Dr. Peter Figueroa says Bain’s testimony and viewpoint is a minority among HIV experts.

Figueroa is also agreeing with the stance taken by the University to remove the Professor as Director of CHART.

He says the University came to the decision after months of consultation on the matter.