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NOVEMBER 23, 2009


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Gay rights 101
We must do a better job of educating allies about the discrimination we face.

HOME > VIEWPOINT > EDITORIAL

Nov 30, 2007 | By: KEVIN NAFF | COMMENTS

continued...

crimes law earlier this year. The Senate attached the measure as an amendment to the defense authorization bill, which President Bush has vowed to veto.

HIV-positive foreigners are legally barred from entering the country, making the U.S. one of just 13 countries in the world, including Sudan and Saudi Arabia, to ban travel for people with the disease.

Gay Americans are barred from sponsoring their foreign partners for immigration, forcing thousands of bi-national same-sex couples to choose between love and country.

The mainstream media work hard to keep gays and lesbians in the closet. Gay, lesbian, bisexual or trans characters account for just 1.1 percent of all scripted characters on the five broadcast networks, according to GLAAD. And mainstream news outlets don’t fare much better, routinely declining to report on the sexual orientation of gay celebrities like Jodie Foster, Queen Latifah and Anderson Cooper. Even the obituaries of openly gay figures like Susan Sontag and Ismail Merchant frequently omitted any mention of their partners.

And the plight of gays around the world remains bleak. Gays in Iran face execution; Iraqi gays have been lured in chat rooms to meetings where they are beaten. Gays attempting to march in Poland and Russia have been physically attacked and arrested over the past few years. Homosexuality is outlawed in Nigeria, where gays living in the Muslim-dominated north can face the death penalty. A more recent proposed law makes it a crime to watch gay-themed TV shows or read gay literature and gays are even barred from dining together in public. India has a sodomy law that can bring a 10-year prison sentence to anyone convicted of having gay sex.

This newspaper and many others are filled with such stories each week. Yes, the gay rights movement has progressed quickly, but so much work lies ahead.

If you’re lucky enough to be welcome at your family home this holiday season, clip this out and take it with you. Help make sure gay allies understand the discrimination we face.

Indeed, there is a lot to be angry about.

COMMENTS

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willi-@hotmail.com
Lima,Peru

0

we face the same discrimination yoy are describing,here in Peru,in southamerica, too.We all live under the opression of a culture that supresses our existence.Just open any magazine,or go to the movies,where is homosexuality depicted?And when it appears it can have tragical consequences,remember the two cowboys?we must have a more active role in politics.what is obama promising to north american homosexuals? or hillary?what about politicians in my country? there's so much to do,but the first step is to raise awareness about it.I applaud your editorial.willi

Posted 12/2/07 - 7:03 AM

jeri .

0

there is a lot of discrimination against the GLBT. there are a lot of issues not addressed, but you probably haven't experienced them. there are the familial rejections, and the homeless youth. there is an entire subculture of gay minorities who were so bullied that they couldn't finish school - they don't possess a seventh grade education. many didn't have to come out even once...they could not hide that they are gay if they wanted to. they don't have the luxury of worrying about marriage equality or employment discrimination - they are too busy worrying about surviving from one day to the next. they have been beaten and scarred by society at large, and by the police that are sworn to protect them. they have been denied healthcare as they lay dying. substance abuse and suicide are often avenues of escape from the hatred that they are forced to endure. of course, this isn't the crowd that spends money in the clubs. they don't appeal to the blade's advertisers. there is a lot to be angry about, but anger isn't a solution. GLBT are real people, not abstract arguments detracting from the sanctity of marriage or attacking family values. we aren't pawns to be played in some exotic political chess game. we are human beings, frail and imperfect, but still human. the solution lies in one word, as american as apple pie. EQUALITY. it is time to stand united and scream it, if only to hear it for ourselves.

Posted 12/3/07 - 11:55 AM