From Wrongs to Gay Rights: Cruelty and Change for LGBT People in an Uncertain World
3/5
()
About this ebook
In a world where 76+ countries still have laws against homosexuality, a same-sex kiss can lead to a prison sentence or even death. In those countries, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people face arrest for loving the wrong people. Here, in their own words, activists tell what's going on.
LGBT activists in Cameroon, Uganda, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Zimbabwe tell what's going on in countries where homosexuality is illegal:
>A man sentenced to prison for sending an amorous text.
>A transgender woman who needs anonymous health care.
>An archbishop who wonders: Dildos for AIDS widows?
>A gay priest who struggles with his own homophobia.
>Gay rights groups under attack from police and mobs.
>The exuberance of Uganda's first Pride Parade.
Many chapters of this book appeared first in the "Erasing 76 Crimes" blog, which exposes the human toll of anti-LGBT laws. Proceeds from the sale of the book will be used to support the blog as well as the work of activists seeking a better life for sexual minorities worldwide.
Related to From Wrongs to Gay Rights
Related ebooks
Capital Punishment Justice at Work Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSame-Sex Marriage in the Americas: Policy Innovation for Same-Sex Relationships Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSame Sex, Different Politics: Success and Failure in the Struggles over Gay Rights Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Power and Principle: The Politics of International Criminal Courts Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMombasa Raha, My Foot: Mombasa Raha, My Foot, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsConstructing Borders/Crossing Boundaries: Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLaw Studies An Introduction Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNo One's Son: The remarkable true story of a defiant African boy and his bold quest for freedom Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStart Here: A Road Map to Reducing Mass Incarceration Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBlood-Soaked Soil: From Early Life in Communist Yugoslavia to the First Months of War Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5City Kids: Transforming Racial Baggage Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Puzzle of Non-Western Democracy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAfrica: A Beginner's Guide Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Abusive Endings: Separation and Divorce Violence against Women Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCriminal Justice: Pros and Cons Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPrisoner #12973 Thoughts and Reflections from Prison by George Martorano Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBeyond Criminology: Taking Harm Seriously Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Refuge New Zealand: A Nation's Response to Refugees and Asylum Seekers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTalkative Polity: Radio, Domination, and Citizenship in Uganda Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGod, People and Power in Malawi: Democratization in Theological Perspective Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGlobal Terrorism & Property Vandalization (Boko Haram Terrorists) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFrom Human Trafficking to Human Rights: Reframing Contemporary Slavery Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Guilty People Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Forgotten Men: Serving a Life without Parole Sentence Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRun Free Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDouble Teenage Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Jack-Roller: A Delinquent Boy's Own Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Research Work On Human Trafficking Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGay on God's Campus: Mobilizing for LGBT Equality at Christian Colleges and Universities Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Politics of Rape: Sexual Atrocity, Propaganda Wars, and the Restoration Stage Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Christianity For You
Decluttering at the Speed of Life: Winning Your Never-Ending Battle with Stuff Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Four Loves Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Screwtape Letters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Boundaries Updated and Expanded Edition: When to Say Yes, How to Say No To Take Control of Your Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Law of Connection: Lesson 10 from The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good Boundaries and Goodbyes: Loving Others Without Losing the Best of Who You Are Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Changes That Heal: Four Practical Steps to a Happier, Healthier You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Book of Enoch Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mere Christianity Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are so You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Becoming Free Indeed: My Story of Disentangling Faith from Fear Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Lead When You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Good Girl's Guide to Great Sex: Creating a Marriage That's Both Holy and Hot Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Winning the War in Your Mind: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Unoffendable: How Just One Change Can Make All of Life Better (updated with two new chapters) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wild at Heart Expanded Edition: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Story: The Bible as One Continuing Story of God and His People Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Grief Observed Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5NIV, Holy Bible Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for From Wrongs to Gay Rights
1 rating0 reviews
Book preview
From Wrongs to Gay Rights - Colin Stewart
Miss Gay pageant winner Thapelo Makutle, was killed in South Africa in 2012, apparently because of sexual orientation.
Victories, setbacks, close calls:
2012 in review
By COLIN STEWART
The idea that people should be thrown in jail for loving the wrong people fell out of favor last year in a few countries, even as the battle for basic human rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people raged from Singapore to Moscow and from sub-Saharan Africa to the Caribbean.
During the year, advocates of LGBT rights achieved some victories, suffered some setbacks, and narrowly avoided a few potentially heart-wrenching defeats.
Among people of faith who joined the fray, the loudest voices spoke of condemnation for LGBT people, not love, often bolstered by a stubborn insistence that people can choose whom they will be attracted to sexually. In contrast, religious leaders who emphasize the commandment to love your neighbor were often distracted by other issues, or their calls for reconciliation were drowned out.
For many people in the Americas and Western Europe, disputes over distant countries’ anti-homosexuality laws were overshadowed by joy or worries about the growing acceptance of same-sex marriage, which is now legal in 11 countries, in parts of Mexico and Brazil, and in nine states in the United States.
Also in the background were repeated instances of unpunished murders of LGBT people and the ongoing spread of HIV infection among gay men who are typically denied health services in the 76-plus countries with laws against homosexual activity.
PROGRESS
During 2012, India and Malawi — two of those 76-plus countries — took steps to repeal or suspend enforcement of their discriminatory laws. Another four countries moved in that direction.
In India, the supreme court let stand a lower-court ruling that overturned a British colonial-era law providing life sentences for homosexual activity.
A similar court proceeding was under way in Singapore.
In Africa, Malawi suspended enforcement of a British-originated law providing 14-year prison sentences for homosexual acts.
In early 2013 in South America, Guyana was in the midst of a formal governmental evaluation of whether to repeal the law calling for life sentences for male-male sex acts.
In the Caribbean, the government in Trinidad and Tobago was pushing to outlaw discrimination against LGBT people, including repeal of the anti-LGBT law that allowed for prison sentences of up to 25 years for sexual activity.
In Europe, a court case was under way that sought to overturn a law calling for five-year prison sentences for male-male sexual activity in Northern Cyprus, which is overseen by Turkey. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is the only part of Europe with a law against homosexual behavior, including continental border-straddling Turkey itself.
SETBACKS
The prime minister of Jamaica called for parliamentary action to repeal a law providing for 10-year prison sentences for men who have sex with men, but she backed off when it became clear that a majority of the current parliament would vote against any such a change.
In Russia, where a law against same-sex activity was dropped in 1993, anti-homosexuality forces launched two new offensives.
Ten regional governments in Russia, including St. Petersburg, enacted laws banning homosexual propaganda
where children might be present. A proposal to extend that ban nationwide was put forward in 2012 and approved overwhelmingly in January 2013 in a first reading by the lower house of the Russian parliament, or Duma. It was sent for further study by a parliamentary committee.
In practice, such laws could prohibit any public discussion of homosexuality or advocacy of gay rights, depending on how local courts rule. Gay-friendly entertainers Madonna and Lady Gaga both ran afoul of those laws when they advocated equal rights during concerts in St. Petersburg.
In the Ukraine parliament, a similar proposal won preliminary approval in October. Similar bans were adopted in several cities in Moldava and were proposed by not enacted in Latvia, Lithuania and Hungary.
A further offensive by anti-homosexuality activists was a Russian-backed resolution at the U.N. Human Rights Council in support of traditional values,
which can be used to deny human rights to women and to LGBT people.
The council adopted the resolution by a vote of 25-15, in part because its wording was appealing — it called for a study of how to apply traditional values while promoting and protecting human rights and upholding human dignity.
In practice, the promotion of traditional values
often endangers human rights. Russian authorities said they were defending traditional values when they prohibited gay pride marches in Moscow for 100 years and put the band Pussy Riot on trial for protesting in a Moscow cathedral.
ON THE BRINK
Early in 2013, three countries with anti-gay laws were poised to enact even more repressive measures.
Politicians advocating an anti-homosexuality agenda in Zimbabwe, Nigeria and Uganda were preparing to complete action on measures that they pushed in 2012.
In Zimbabwe, gay sex was already punishable by a prison sentence of up to one year, but anti-LGBT politicians didn’t think that was enough, so they added anti-gay language to the country’s proposed new constitution. The new document included provisions from the ruling Zanu PF party that condemned both homosexual behavior and same-sex marriage. A nationwide referendum on the proposed new constitution was planned for the spring.
In Nigeria, anti-gay politicians were also pushing for tougher laws. They were not satisfied with the 14-year prison sentences for homosexual activity that were already on the books outside the northern region where sharia law allows for execution of homosexuals.
A bill approved in preliminary forms by both houses of the Nigerian legislature would make same-sex marriage punishable by 14 years in prison for the couple and 10 years in prison for anyone who helped with the ceremony. The bill would also ban gay-rights organizations and provide a 10-year prison sentence for any public display of same-sex affection. Unless opponents of the law could mount an effective campaign against it, supporters predicted that a final version of the bill would pass early in 2013, after which President Goodluck Jonathan would either sign it or veto it.
In Uganda, 2012 saw the return of the world’s most notorious anti-gay legislation, the Kill the Gays
bill, which earned that label in 2009 because it would have imposed the death sentence on gays who repeatedly failed to remain celibate. The bill would outlaw LGBT support groups and would require parents, teachers, doctors and priests to report to police any suspected homosexual child-ren, students, patients and parishioners.
Anti-LGBT politicians and conservative religious leaders pushed hard for passage of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, even though Uganda already had a harsh law, largely unenforced, that provided life sentences for homosexual activity.
More than a million people responded to the revival of the Uganda bill by signing online petitions against it. Former Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa was among those calling for its defeat, but some other influential religious leaders who opposed the bill in the past mostly kept their opinions to themselves. In contrast to 2009, when the Vatican announced its opposition to the bill, the Pope focused on opposing same-sex marriage. In contrast to 2009, when best-selling author/preacher Rick Warren made a video calling for the bill’s defeat, Warren only expressed his opposition in a 102-character message on Twitter.
The 2012 session of the Ugandan parliament ended with no action on the bill, but support for it remained strong. Most observers predicted that it would pass in 2013.
ONGOING REPRESSION
Separate from these legislative battles about gay rights, LGBT people in many nations face ongoing repression.
In Saudi Arabia, religious police continue their crackdown on homosexuals. A total of people 260 people were arrested and punished for homosexuality in a one-year period, according to one Saudi newspaper. Because media freedom is so limited there, the accuracy of that account cannot be verified.
In Iraq, since the departure of American troops, conservative militias have targeted sexual minorities. At least dozens, and perhaps hundreds, of LGBT people have been reported killed by militia in recent years without interference from police, and sometimes with police assistance.
In the central African nation of Cameroon, officials did not respond to a plea a dozen international human rights groups, including the United Nations human rights office, that they stop arresting and imprisoning people for being, or even just seeming, lesbian or gay. At the end of 2012, about eight people were incarcerated because of Cameroon’s anti-homosexuality law and many more were awaiting trials that could lead to imprisonment.
In Iran, same-sex relationships are punishable by death, but sex-change surgeries are relatively easy to obtain and are covered by health insurance. As a result, people in Iran undergo more such surgeries than in any other country except Thailand. Estimates of the number of transgender Iranians range from 15,000 to 150,000.
Will 2013 be any better than 2012?Will there be fewer violations of LGBT people’s human rights, fewer laws prohibiting specific types of love, fewer arrests, fewer imprisonments, fewer murders?
Conceivably. But for any of that to happen, many people would need a change of heart. Many politicians would need to protect minorities rather than oppress them. And many religious people would need to love their neighbors more and judge their neighbors less.
tmp_1cab9b6ececa66987cfe916de238a724_lKlEzg_html_27c6a122.jpgCountries where homosexuality is illegal
78+ countries with anti-homosexuality laws
Laws against homosexual activity are on the books in at least 78 countries.
The total is 82 if you include political entities such as Gaza/Palestine, the Turkish-controlled northern portion of Cyprus, and Indonesia, where two large provinces outlaw homosexual acts.
For the St. Paul's Foundation for International Reconciliation, which seeks the repeal of those laws, the number is 76, because its Spirit of 76 Worldwide program supports LGBT activists in many of those countries.
The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association, or ILGA, lists the following 78 (plus 4) countries with criminal laws against sexual activity by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex people:
Europe
Northern Cyprus
Africa
Algeria
Angola
Benin
Botswana
Burundi
Cameroon
Comoros
Egypt
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Gambia
Ghana
Guinea
Kenya
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Malawi (enforcement suspended)
Mauritania
Mauritius
Morocco
Mozambique
Namibia
Nigeria
Sao Tome
Asia and the Middle East
Afghanistan
Bangladesh