What are we doing about GBLT persecution?
This is something I have been debating ever since the Uganda genocide law was proposed (and, to the people trying to distract from the evils of that law - yes it IS genocide. Just because GBLT people are the target or because it’s being justified by the religion you share doesn’t make it any less genocidal) and is only strengthened by the horrendous sentence of 14 years hard labour for Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga who tried to marry. 14 years of hard labour because they loved each other.
In response the world’s nations have… tutted under their breath, declared how disappointed they are. And then continued as normal. Most nations reacted much the same to Uganda, I think only Sweden actually threatened any kind of consequences.
And I have to wonder, how much commitment to LGBT rights we actually have, as nations, as charities, as people? When LGBTs can be executed just for being, when we can be thrown in prison for over a decade for loving, when our existence is a crime punishable by death or the next thing to it - and we just carry on business as normal? Maybe spend a second to give a rueful shake of our head and say how so terrible it is. Then… move on? Is that it? I mean, really? Is that our stance on these crimes? Is this the extent of how angry, how outraged, how disgusted we are?
Because it seems pretty weak. It seems pretty empty. It seems pretty indifferent, seems like just a damn token gesture. It doesn’t matter, but we have to say the words. It’s not important, but we have to cover ourselves.
And that’s not a good feeling at all. Not only does it make me despair of the international community, nations et al actually giving a damn or doing something about the suffering, death and even massacres of GBLT people (and my expectations of these are pretty low already, especially given how quick people are to minimise GBLT persecution around the world) and it also angers and concerns me thinking about just how much the powers that be in our countries and international bodies actually give a damn about the persecution of GBLT people.
It worries me and it worries me more that I don’t know what the answer is. After all, international aid prevents millions from starving in these nations - even if their governments, churches and even themselves are bigots who would be happy to see me and other GBLT people imprisoned or killed - I can’t condone withdrawing what already minimal help the third world receives. But at the same time it galls greatly to think that my tax and charity money is going to help people who don’t see me as a full human being.
I wonder how bad things need to be for GBLT people before the international community brings up any consequences at all? And since we have countries where GBLTs can be openly tortured and killed for simply existing… well, the only answer I can think is that it CANNOT get bad enough to force the world’s nations to care - to force just about ANY of the world’s nations to care, let alone for them to care collectively. The utter worst treatment of GBLT people imaginable is tolerable, acceptable, not worth getting upset about and most certainly not worth acting on. Our existence can be seen as criminal, as sinful, as reason for torture and execution - and we get a disapproving head shake, the tutting under the breath, the rote recitations of disapproval and then, their cover well established, it’s back to business as usual.
We do not see sanctions for the abuse of GBLTs. There’s never any talk of UN intervention. There is no withdrawal of aid. There are no trade consequences. There are no diplomatic consequences. Nations who threaten to withdraw their ambassadors for the slightist little tiff, will not even consider it in response to genocide against GBLT people. Charities and NGOs do not withdraw from a grossly homophobic and transphobic nation. Supra-national unions like the Commonwealth will do no more than express disapproval over homophobic and transphobia. No matter how severe, no matter how brutal - no matter if the persecution amounts to outright genocide, nothing is done and, usually, nothing is even said.
And that is a chilling indication of how much our lives are worth.