Meilin Tsao
World Lit Honors 6
Ms. Bennett
Africa’s LGBT Community: Rise to Happiness
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” This line from the Declaration of Independence explicitly states that all men are created equal. Yet, many conflicts of equality such as gender and sexuality have caused heated debates in the United States. These debates are also discussed in other countries, especially in Africa. 79% of countries in Africa currently have laws criminalizing same sex relationships and those part of the LGBT community.
Thirty seven states in the U.S. have legalized LGBT marriage, the exact number of countries in Africa that have criminalizing punishments against the LGBT community. The differentiation laws against the LGBT community range from country to country but none of them are good. Some nations are extremely radical for example, “Four countries—Mauritania, Nigeria, Somalia and Sudan—allow for the death penalty against LGBT people in parts or in all of the country” (Time Magazine). Not as horrifying but still quite appalling, “Under current law in the tiny West African country, gay people charged with having sex can go to jail for up to 14 years” (NBC News). Most countries in Africa are not nearly as radical as those previously stated but, “Only one country, South Africa, grants full marriage equality to LGBT citizens” (Time Magazine).
Countries in relations with Africa and equal rights organizations around the world are trying to help the many African nations realize that LGBT rights are basic human rights, that these people deserve equality no matter their sex identification. Ty Cobb, the Human Rights Campaign’s director of global engagement, stated, “When a bill advances that deprives LGBT people of their basic human rights, the Obama Administration should conduct a full diplomatic review of the United States’ relationship with those countries. The U.S. government cannot move forward with business as usual when LGBT people are threatened with harassment, imprisonment, or even death because of who they are or whom they love” (NBC News). This statement definitely influenced the US government because at the US-African summit, a meeting between US and African diplomats at the white house, President Barack Obama brought up African LGBT rights. Besides just spreading the word to the government, there are many organizations making an impacting difference. For example the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commision took part in an “international coalition that successfully challenged the passage of a bill in Nigeria that would have made participation in a gay and lesbian organization illegal” (IGLHRC.org). World-wide organizations and other countries are attempting to help in Africa, but it is a slow process and they are taking it one country at a time.
Organizations and certain governments tied with Africa are truly making a difference just by rebelling against bills and laws. But these organizations need more support, and they need our liberating and free-spirited minds to help them make LGBT rights equal in not just one of the 47 African countries, but all of them.
Bibliography
"Africa." IGLHRC: International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2015.
"Africa." IGLHRC: International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2015.
Margolin, Emma. "Another African Nation to Enact Anti-gay Law." Msnbc.com. NBC News Digital, 15 Oct. 2014. Web. 08 Mar. 2015
Dias, Elizabeth. "Obama Urged to Address LGBT Rights in Africa." Time. Time, 29 July 2014. Web. 08 Mar. 2015.
"Declaration of Independence." National Archives and Records Administration. National Archives and Records Administration, n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2015.
It is so appalling that there is a death penalty for any LGBT person in some parts of Africa. The treatment of LGBT rights in Africa is so different than in the USA, where the majority of people demand equal rights for everyone regardless of their sexual orientation. I wonder what make African countries so against LGBT marriage and if there is any sign of improvement in the future.
ReplyDeleteThis is so sad to me... to think that so many people in the world are victimized solely because of their orientation, which is something that you are born with and not a choice. Would the world tolerate this kind of discrimination if it was based on height? My question is I wonder when the USA will start using money as a leverage to prevent discrimination.
ReplyDeleteI really like the quotes you used because they show the harsh unfair punishments to these acts that really should be a persons right. I am a supporter of the LGBT community, and I know some states in America still don't accept it, but I just find it so astonishing that in Africa they are so much less tolerant. Is there a reason Africa is so much more intolerant of these people than the US?
ReplyDeleteI found it really shocking that only South Africa has granted full marriage equality to LGBT citizens, and how some countries even allow the death penalty for people who are LGBT. The same struggle for rights such as gay marriage is reflected in the United States. Do you think that stigmatization is a part of what delays more laws for equal rights?
ReplyDelete