Uniting (belatedly) for GLBT human rights
I got an e-mail from the 27th Comrade today, berating me for taking this long to post my contribution to Bloggers Unite for Human Rights.
The truth is, in trying to find a single, compelling example of the violation of the human rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people on which to focus, I've been overwhelmed. I could revisit Martin Ssempa's anti-homosexuality rally or write about the lesbian football player who was murdered in South Africa earlier this month. I could talk about the discrimination British gay, lesbian and bisexual people feel they face or the parliamentarian in Israel who blamed gays for earthquakes. Today the president of Gambia "declared war" on the country's homosexuals, comparing them to "drug dealers, thieves and other criminals."
It's depressingly easy to find stories of discrimination against GLBT people. I don't — can't — understand how some find it acceptable to deny GLBT people the basic rights of humanity. I don't understand how some believe that being gay means that you are not longer human. It doesn't make sense to me, any more than rape or child abuse or decades of war.
So instead of focusing on the multitude of ways in which GLBT people have been denied their rights, which hasn't yet helped me to understand, I want to share several organizations that are fighting for them, including those of the estimated 500,000 gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people in Uganda. These organizations offer education, advocacy and support for the GLBT community worldwide:
The truth is, in trying to find a single, compelling example of the violation of the human rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people on which to focus, I've been overwhelmed. I could revisit Martin Ssempa's anti-homosexuality rally or write about the lesbian football player who was murdered in South Africa earlier this month. I could talk about the discrimination British gay, lesbian and bisexual people feel they face or the parliamentarian in Israel who blamed gays for earthquakes. Today the president of Gambia "declared war" on the country's homosexuals, comparing them to "drug dealers, thieves and other criminals."
It's depressingly easy to find stories of discrimination against GLBT people. I don't — can't — understand how some find it acceptable to deny GLBT people the basic rights of humanity. I don't understand how some believe that being gay means that you are not longer human. It doesn't make sense to me, any more than rape or child abuse or decades of war.
So instead of focusing on the multitude of ways in which GLBT people have been denied their rights, which hasn't yet helped me to understand, I want to share several organizations that are fighting for them, including those of the estimated 500,000 gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people in Uganda. These organizations offer education, advocacy and support for the GLBT community worldwide:
- International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission
- OUTfront, Amnesty's GLBT advocacy arm
- Human Rights Education Association's list of the rights at stake for GLBT people
- The International Day Against Homophobia (May 17th)
- Sexual Minorities Uganda
Labels: GLBT, human rights