I was browsing YouTube, like I do every night before bed, and I came across a video titled "Top 10 Most Homophobic Countries in the World". So, letting my curiosity get the best of me, I clicked on it. Throughout the whole video, I was in shock. I didn't know how ignorant I was to what was happening to the LGBT community around the world until watching this video. Let me give you a run down of what I saw.
Being Gay in Other Countries
See how the LGBT community is treated around the world VS the U.S
Just imagine walking down the street holding the persons hand, whom you love so so much, and getting abused recklessly by a group of homophobes. This may seem far-fetched, but it is a reality in some countries. Dive into how bad the LGBT community has it in these countries verses what we deal with in the US.
The video showed different countries where members of the LGBT community were not just tormented by citizens, but also by police and the government. In 2013, Russia passed a law that prohibited any form of homosexual propaganda. The law bans public demonstration, LGBT rights groups, and any form of entertainment with a homosexual character in the story line. Gay men in Russia are targeted by groups who send members to pretend to be gay guys, when they find out that the other guy is gay, they humiliate them in front of a camera. If you think that's bad, that was just number 9 on the list. Jamaica was number 7.. Men found guilty of having gay sex can be imprisoned for up to 10 years. In 2004, a Jamaican gay rights activist Brian Williamson was stabbed to death in a merciless hate crime.
List of Countries where Being Gay is Illegal
- Algeria
- Angola
- Botswana
- Kenya
- Nigeria
- Morocco
- Libya
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
- Afghanistan
- Iran
- Iraq
- Pakistan
- Saudi Arabia
- And around 60 more!
Most Homophobic Country in the World!
Lets move on to number 1 on the list, which was Afghanistan. This one really did bring me to tears. Homosexuality is completely shunned in Afghanistan and punishment is usually a sentence to death. It is LEGAL for a parent to murder their own children if they are found to be gay. Many parents force their kids to get sex changes so it seems that they are heterosexual.
The thought of this really amazes me. How could a parent murder their own children because of who they love? And the fact that I was this ignorant to what was happening to the LGBT community around the world really surprises me..
The Whole Point of this Post
The whole point of this post isn't to make feel bad or angry, that's not my intention. What I want people to realize is that sexuality is a beautiful thing and is something we tend to take for granted. These people in these countries are scared that they will be killed if they come out.. Don't be ashamed of your sexuality, you live in a country that, for the most part, accepts your sexuality. Your sexuality shouldn't be hidden, embrace it.
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katiem2Oct 22, 2018