Usually my posts are of more personal perspective- feature articles if you like. Today I've decided to do a post more news related. Usually I try avoid news related articles- seeing as the content can be rather saddening and uninspiring and instead I try keep content as positive as possible. Today's post will be no less enlightening than any before- perhaps you might learn a thing or two. I find that the more you educate yourself on topics such as these- the easier it becomes to educate others.
Recently, gay-related incidents have been the center of attention internationally. In the past month:
In America: A ban on same-sex marriage was approved in North Carolina when Amendment 1 was voted for by more than 60% of the state.
In Russia: Laws were passed in the city of St. Petersburg, banning any “public activities promoting sodomy, lesbianism, bisexuality and transgender identity", with similar laws being passed in other regions of Russia too.
In Iran: Four men have been sentenced to hang (death penalty) for partaking in homosexual activities.
In South Africa: A proposal was made by The House of Traditional Leaders to remove the term "sexual orientation" from the South African constitution. (The proposal was overturned).
In Zimbabwe: The Minister of Local Government, Public Works and Urban Development urged traditional leaders to seize land owned by gay and lesbian citizens.
With 78 countries that still criminalise same-sex sexual acts and stories as above unfolding on a weekly basis- there still has never been a better time to come out. By that I mean that even though there is all this saddening news unfolding- the world is generally more accepting of homosexuality than ever before. Albeit slow- there is progression regarding acceptance of sexuality. For example- the American president, Barack Obama, came forward and verbalized his support for gay marriage- the first ever to do so. Famous actor- Will Smith and popular rapper- JayZ followed suit mentioning their support of both gay marriage and Barack Obama. In Malawi, the new reigning president has promised to overturn the ban on homosexual acts- Malawi being one of many African countries where homosexuality is illegal. In Havana, Cuba, Mariela Castro (daughter of the Cuban president Raul Castro) mentioned her fathers backing of equal rights for gays and lesbians. In England- British Prime Minister David Cameron has also expressed his support of the LGBT community.
Today it might seem like society hasn't made much progression- but
perhaps in a years time that 78 figure will be a 75. Maybe majority of
America will have marriage equality- setting off a chain
reaction...Australia. United Kingdom. France! Lastly- that death
penalty for homosexuality may be erased from our world. Regardless whether it happens in a year or not- Imagine it... It has to start somewhere. (There's a little activism in all of us)
Final Thought:
There is still a need for improvement regarding the position the homosexual occupies in present-day society. BUT this doesn't necessarily mean that the position we occupy is inert. Most importantly we have to support one-another as a community. It's inevitable that with greater support the world will slowly start to shows its true colors. I personally look forward to this day!
Oh! One last thought- if
the American president supports gay marriage- then you certainly
shouldn't be ashamed of your sexuality...
For more information regarding gay rights visit this Wikipedia page
My thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of the four Iranian men that have been named as: Saadat Arefi, Vahid Akbari, Javid Akbari and Houshmand Akbari.
The Righteous Gay will not be held accountable should you chose to visit any external links provided- proceed at own risk.
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