Homophobia and anti-gay
discrimination are a serious global threat. Today, countries such as Pakistan,
Tanzania, and even Singapore, criminalize homosexuality and can legally imprison
homosexuals for their entire lives. In the Commonwealth of Africa, homophobic
discrimination is thriving through British colonial anti-gay laws passed in the
19th century. However, in the 2011 article “Elton John tells world
leaders: stop anti-gay discrimination”, author Oliver Wright writes about Elton
John’s support for an international gay-rights group, called Kaleidoscope, that
plans to combat these laws and end homophobic prejudice on a global scale. The
homophobic discrimination described in Wright’s article exemplifies Theo Van
Der Meer’s concept of a “shame culture” and further perpetuates Barbara Smith’s
constructed misconception of homosexual oppression as a political concern.
In “Gay bashing— a rite of
passage?”, author Theo Van Der Meer highlights the reality of gay violence in
the 21st century. Though Van Der Meer’s research took place in
Holland, the principal of homophobic violence is universal and is described in
Oliver Wright’s Independent article. In the article, Bisi Alimi, the first Nigerian
to come out on national television, states that “As a result of coming out I
was attacked, tied up and beaten in my own home in Lagos”. Relating Alimi’s
experience to Van Der Meer’s research, I would describe the Nigerian culture as
a “shame culture”. Defined by an “unequal distribution of honor” and the maintaining
of social inequalities, I believe that Nigerians preserve a hierarchy in which
homosexuals are on the bottom. Just as the Dutch described homosexuals to be on
the bottom rung of the social ladder in Van Der Meer’s piece, the Nigerian’s
equate homosexuals to criminals on the lowest rung of the society. This
criminalization is significant because it justifies violence and prejudice
against gays and lesbians among the African culture. Until this discrimination
is put to an end, the LGBTQ community will continue to suffer from brutal oppression
and validated beatings.
In “Homophobia: Why Bring it Up?”,
Barbara Smith passionately discusses the destructive effects of homosexual
oppression. She also describes four misconceptions that she finds to be
particularly damaging to the gay and lesbian community. Her first
misconception, “Lesbian and gay male oppression is not as serious as other
oppressions. It is not a political matter, but a private concern” can be
directly related to Wright’s article because of the “political” implication. Though
every country has its own homosexual laws and policies, lesbian and gay
oppression is undoubtedly a political issue more than just a private concern.
An example of modern day discriminatory oppression is the active encouragement
from Commonwealth states to persecute homosexual behavior. The anti-gay laws,
described in the Independent news article, justify life imprisonment for
outwardly identifying oneself as gay in many African countries. Implementing
political pressure, Kaleidoscope plans to combat these laws and fight
for their revocation. Evidently, gay and lesbian oppression is an
internationally political issue.
Homosexuality is not a crime and
should not be punishable by law. Oliver Wright’s article brings forth the
unfamiliar issues of discrimination that take place in the world today. Elton
John’s name is included in the title of the article to raise awareness of the
apparent subjugation of gays in these Commonwealth countries. Whether we choose
to ignore the unjust practices of these “shame cultures” or support them, legalized
homosexual oppression is a modern day problem, and is very much a political
issue.
Article Used:
“Elton John tells world leaders: stop anti-gay
discrimination” Oliver Wright 09/12/2011
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/elton-john-tells-world-leaders-stop-antigay-discrimination-2353158.html
Readings Used:
Van Der Meer, Theo “Bashing a Rite of Passage?” in Culture,
Health and Sexuality, Vol. 5 No. 2
Smith, Barbara “Homophobia: Why Bring it Up?” from ¨The
Lesbian and Gay Studies Reader. Ed Henry Ablelove et al Ne York &
London: Routledge 1993
In Theo Van Der Meer’s article Gay Bashing- A Rite of Passage?, Van Der Meer states that in “some of the major cities in Holland with a majority of Arab population, gay/lesbian residents were being subjected to harassment.” The reason for why I am bringing this up is that half of the population of Nigeria are Muslims, and as we know, the Muslims are not very tolerant and or accepting of they gay and lesbian community. Since Bisi Alimi lives in a muslim community and he publicly came out, it is therefore not unreasonable that he was beat by the people in his neighborhood. Barbara Smith claims in her article that gay and lesbian oppression is a private concern when in reality it is not, which as you state it is not since people are imprisoned just because they identify as gay. History has shown us that it is unjust and amoral to seclude, discriminate, imprison and kill people who are of different religion, race, class and gender. I agree with you that homosexual oppression is a modern day political problem, but we must get rid of it or else we as a people who lived in the twenty-first century, could go down in history as those who allowed the imprisonment and discrimination of the gay and lesbian community.
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