Go down to the Cedar Springs strip and ask a few people what issue they think should be at the top of the gay rights agenda. You’ll get a variety of answers, like same-sex marriage rights, protection against discrimination in employment, the right to serve openly in the U.S. military, or the right to adopt children.
Go to any city in Iraq and ask the same question and, if you could find anyone willing to answer, they would be more likely to say the right to not be murdered in the streets for being gay. In fact, you might get yourself killed just for daring to ask such a question.
Attacks on LGBT people in Iraq have been in the headlines for some time now — ever since G.W. sent our military over there to liberate the country from Saddam Hussein. But such attacks are getting even more attention today since the publication yesterday of a report by Human Rights Watch. (Read a BBC article on the HWR report here.)
According to the report, hundreds of gay men have likely been targeted and murdered, since 2004, in what appears to be a coordinated campaign by militias, with the Mehdi Army militia spearheading the campaign and even the police joining in, even though homosexuality is not illegal there. Plus, there are the so-called honour killings carried out by families intent on punishing their own kin in order to avoid public shame.
According to witnesses, vigilante groups break into people’s homes, hauling off those suspected of being gay and interrogating (another word for torturing) them to get them to give up the names of other gays before killing them, then often mutilating the bodies and leaving them on trash piles. And the names of “suspected” gay men and their addresses are often posted on flyers around the cities
I am not saying that we here in this country shouldn’t continue our fight for civil rights. We most certainly do deserve equality, both socially and legally, and we won’t get that if we don’t fight for it.
But as we continue the fight here in our country for the right to legally wed our partners, to adopt children, to serve in the military, to work in discrimination-free workplaces and so on, let’s not forget that our LGBT brothers and sisters in other parts of the world are fighting, quite literally, for their very lives.
A whole “new” perspective? This began when “W” invaded Iraq, and has continued uninterrupted. But you’re right, it’s good that more people learn about it every day.
Nice commentary Tammye! I was thinking the same thing ealier today when I saw the report on CNN. We are outraged when we here about hate crimes here in the U.S. but it’s a totally different ball game in other parts of the world. On that level, we are extremely lucky.
Good point. I would prefer to leave this world the way I came into it — and that would be with my head still attached.
If you want to practically help send some $$$ the way of ‘Iraqi LGBT’ https://iraqilgbtuk.blogspot.com
They run safe houses inside Iraq as well as supporting refugees in the rest of the middle east.
Whilst the HRW report is good news for raising the profile of the pogrom, only Iraqi LGBT is actually supporting people (saving them from murder) inside the country. But funds are scarce and they consequently have to turn people away.
To find out more, read their annual report which is published on their website.
All that and you couldn’t use the word “religion” Tammye?
Muslims is a religion. Muslims are killing gays. They are killing gays because it is their religious belief that gays are “wrong.” Sound familiar?
Thousands of gay teens commit suicide each year because of the same reason – religion.
“Muslims” is not a religion. A Muslim is a follower of Islam, which is a religion. Or it can be referred to as the Moslem religion or Muslim religion.
“muslims is a religion”
i lol’d
tammye writes an insightful and smart article that brings up an issue that you’d think the whole gay community could get behind and collectively agree on, and then people like mark remind us how clueless some of us actually are
and thanks for this article tammye. it made my heart hurt. hopefully one day you’ll be writing up articles on the iraqi pride parade instead!
Thanx Paul! I know sometimes I read these stories and just shake my head. That is the extent of my reaction. I may not be able to physically help our oppressed brothers and sisters in Iraq but I can at least financially support a cause that’s helping. Thanx for the reminder 🙂
Mark, you completely missed Tammye’s point. You and your ilk are as extremist in your practice of atheism as radical Muslims are in the practice of Islam.
Tammye, thanks for the report, I was already feeling grateful today for other issues of mine that seem to be working out in my favor, this article just gives me more reason to be grateful. I have alway said, and I believe to the core of my being, that I am so,SO, grateful, that I was born and live in the United States of America.