There are a lot of things about this country that are not so good for gays and lesbians. When anti-gay zealots rallied in Raleigh in early March and the international press picked up on the inflated numbers it became particularly embarrassing to read comments from gays and lesbians in Canada.
“Haven’t they got anything better to do down there?” Wrote one Toronto resident. “It just goes to show the American South is as bigoted as it ever was,” wrote another reader from Montreal.
Now, we know the numbers were much smaller and half the crowd wasn’t even of voter age. Still, the very fact that our own LGBT brothers and sisters would make such broad generalizations without any additionalresearch was disappointing.
But I think it’s important to put things in to perspective. The shame or embarrassment you or I may feel over an issue like that, or the fact that 27 states have amended their constitution to prevent same-sex marriage or that our government is being manipulated by anti-gay forces pales when compared to the wholesale slaughter of LGBT individuals that goes on in backwards countries around the globe.
Don’t get me wrong — I’m not saying our complaints aren’t valid. I’m just saying when you’re feeling down about where we are, think about life if you lived in one of these places:
Egypt: Egyptian officials claim that homosexuality is not illegal, but rights groups have documented hundreds of cases in which gay men were arrested and tortured. Men are subjected to abusive anal examinations.
India: Violation of India’s sodomy law is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The sodomy law is often used to harass and detain AIDS prevention workers and gays.
Iran: Intercourse between men is punishable by death and homosexual acts that do not involve intercourse are punishable by 100 lashes. Since the establishment of an Islamic government it is estimated thousands of gays and lesbians have been slaughtered.
Iraq: Since the invasion by American forces ultra-orthodox Shia militia routinely round up and assassinate gays and lesbians freely, without intervention from Iraqi police forces or American military. According to reports from gay Iraqis who have escaped the region, most that have remained behind are afraid to leave their homes.
Jamaica: Jamaica is among the least gay-friendly countries in the western hemisphere. The one LGBT organization that exists there — JFLAG — posts on its website this notice: “Due to the potential for violent retribution, we cannot publish the exact location of our office.” Laws against homosexuality are actively enforced bringing the wrath of the conservative government on offenders. But worse is the riptide of homophobia that is rampant at the local police and civilian level. Beatings, murders, torture, slashings of gays — or those suspected of being gay — are not uncommon.
Nigeria: Homosexuality is outlawed under Nigerian and Muslim law. In northern states under Muslim law the punishment can be death; in the civil penal code homosexuality can carry up to a 14-year prison sentence. Recently enacted laws ban gay marriage and prohibit gays from from publicly associating or protesting the government. Newspapers that publish information about gays and lesbians and religious groups that allow same-sex unions are also subject to prosecution. Those who violate the law can be sentenced to five years in prison.
Saudi Arabia: Many gays who are convicted of homosexuality are flogged with 2,000 lashings. Other gay men have been beheaded in public squares for consensual homosexual sex.
Uganda: In 2005 the government of Uganda approved a constitutional amendment banning marriage rights for gays. Consensual homosexual sex can be punished by life in prison.
David Moore Editor
Want more Editor's Note? Click here for an archived listing.
<
