Month: October 2017

Introduction

• For the past several decades, the world has become engaged in a conversation about homosexuality
• Individuals and activist groups have appealed to their governments around the world, demanding equal rights to love who they choose
• Within the past several years, many governments have repealed homophobic laws or created legislation protecting the rights of the LGBTQA community
• However, the world is still hostile towards people of different sexualities, regardless of the legal progress we have made
• It is still dangerous to be open about your sexuality
• The world wasn’t always this way
• Before the rise and spread of Western culture and monotheistic religions like Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, the majority of the world looked at homosexuality as a normal and natural part of life
• All of the major civilizations of the ancient world were inclusive of different sexualities
• We live over the ashes of a world that understood that love and gender are not black and white concepts
• Let’s take a trip around the world

Today: Egypt

• Human Rights Watch is an advocacy organization that brings attention to issues for the LGBTQA community
• In September 2014, 7 men were arrested for “inciting debauchery”
  • They were suspected of performing a same sex marriage
• The Egyptian government has forced those arrested for debauchery to undergo anal medical examinations, where men are “checked” to make sure they haven’t engaged in homosexual activity
• Despite there being no law banning homosexuality, people convicted of debauchery are sentenced to up to 8 years of jail time

Ancient Egypt

• Homosexuality and gender fluidity were normal parts of Egyptian life
• The gods regularly shifted gender and engaged in same sex relationships
• Horus and Seth
  • Not a romantic relationship, as they were both trying to prove the other was the “passive” member
• The god’s weren’t the only ones to accept same sex relationships
• Tombs of the pharaohs and prominent Egyptians depicted normal life, and many of them showed homosexual relationships
• Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep were servants to the Pharaoh, and were buried in a conjoined tomb

Today: China

• China decriminalized homosexuality in 1997 (“hooliganism”)
  • Removed it from the list of mental illnesses in
• CNN published an article in December of 2014 describing public sentiment towards homosexuality
  • “You only have one child so you want your child to be ‘normal’ like everybody else”
    • Xiaogang Wei, Beijing Gender Health Education Institute
• The article continues, claiming many members of the LGBTQA community get married to the opposite gender anyway, either to pretend to be straight or to produce a child
• As of 2013, Chinese clinics still offered “shock treatment” as a cure for homosexuality

Ancient China

• Confucianism was tolerant of homosexuality and same sex relationships
• According to WomenOfChina, The emperors of the Han dynasty (202 BCE – 220 CE) were often openly gay and kept male lovers throughout their rule
  • Emperors Wu and Wen were both known to be gay
  • Emperor Ai had slept with his male servant – when he got up he ripped his sleeves so as not to disturb the other man
    • “Relationship of the cut-off sleeves” stems from this story
• Galeote Pereira, “The greatest fault we do find among the Chinese is sodomy, a vice very common in the meaner sort, and nothing strange among the best”
  • The Origins and Role of Same-Sex Relations in Human Societies

Today: The Americas

• Argentina Brazil, Colombia, and Uruguay have passed legislation allowing gay marriage
• Many Latin American countries have tried legally protecting LGBTQA rights
  • However, it’s not enough
• According to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, 600 people in Latin America were killed between January 2013 and March 2014 from homophobic violence
• Joel Molero, a 19 year old Peruvian man was murdered and dismembered  in for being openly gay in November of 2012
  • According to HuffPost, information not released by the press until June of 2013
• In North America, the US and Canada have legalized gay marriage
  • Parts of Mexico allow it
• Despite legal changes, discrimination still pervades everyday life
• June 12, 2016 49 people were killed at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando
  • One of the worst shootings in our history
• Approximately 20% of hate crimes in the US in 2012 were on the basis of sexual orientation
• I’ve witnessed people harassing each other in high school for their sexuality

Tribal Americas

• Many native South American tribes included same sex relationships in daily life
• The Moche people of Peru (0 CE – 800 CE) left erotic pottery depicting same sex couples
• The Incan Empire considered both homosexuality and premarital sex normal parts of life
  • A fact the conquistadors were horrified to find out
• In “The Construction of Homosexuality,” David Greenberg discusses the commonhomosexuality of the Mayans, as described by Spanish missionaries
• Most Native American tribes were accepting of homosexuality
• Navajo tribes considered gay marriage a normal union
• “Common law marriages” applied to everyone
• “Two spirit” is a common term
  • You are blessed to have the spirit of male and female
    • LGBT tribe members often became religious leaders for that reason
• Crossdressing and androgyny were both totally acceptable

Today: Africa

• Multiple African nations have tried to claim that homosexuality is a Western concept brought by slavers and colonists to Africa
• Bisi Alimi is a Nigerian journalist – he has written about homosexuality in precolonial africa
  • He was forced to emigrate to the UK after receiving death threats for revealing his sexuality
• South Africa is the ONLY African country to legalize gay marriage
  • Homosexuality itself is still illegal in OVER 30 African countries
  • Jailing, Beatings, and occasionally the death penalty are CURRENT punishments for homosexuality

Tribal Africa

• Bisi Alimi argues against his government, reminding them that the Yoruban word “adofuro,” meaning homosexuality, has existed long before the colonial era
• The men of the Zande warrior tribe often married younger men
  • Lived in the region that is now Sudan, where being convicted of homosexuality often means the death penalty
• King Mwanga II of Uganda was well known for being bisexual – he was open in his rebellion against the Christian colonists who tried to criminalize homosexuality in Ugandan culture

Conclusion

• Egypt, China, The Americas, and Africa were only 4 of the many many regions that accepted homosexuality as a normal part of life
  • Ancient Rome, India, Russia, and all of the other hubs of culture today were inclusive of different sexualities
• As of right now, only 26 countries have legalized gay marriage
  • There are 195 countries in the world
• Hundreds of people are murdered every year for being open about their sexuality
• Despite the progress that anti-discrimination laws have made, the LGBTQA community is still in physical and emotional danger from the rest of the world
• Laws and policies will not fix the situation – we need social change to truly make a difference

• We need to go back to our roots
• Every ancient civilization was tolerant of homosexuality,including same sex relationships as normal parts of everyday life
• Gender did not have to be a black and white concept, and neither did sexuality
• When you are sick, you try to rid yourself of the disease
  • Homophobia is a disease in our global community, and we must get rid of it
• The ancients recognized the true rules of nature – love is love, regardless of gender
• Let’s take an active role in changing the world perception, and act like the ancients

Sources:

http://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-europe/roman-law-and-banning-passive-homosexuality-00832https://raseef22.com/en/culture/2017/04/12/many-faces-homosexuality-ancient-egypt/http://www.firstpeople.us/articles/the-two-spirit-people-of-indigenous-north-americans.htmlhttp://infoboxdaily.com/homosexuality-not-un-african-it-s-steeped-in-the-continent-s-ancient-culture-africa-s-gays-argue/http://blog.swaliafrica.com/the-homosexual-nature-of-africas-past/http://www.understandingprejudice.org/nativeiq/columbus.htmhttp://klarbooks.com/academic/catholic.htmlhttp://www.cnn.com/2017/02/26/americas/lgbt-rights-in-the-americas/index.htmlhttps://www.alphachihonor.org/tasks/sites/default/assets/File/Aletheia/Aletheia%20V1-1%202016/Homosexuality%20and%20Gender%20Expression%20in%20India.pdfhttp://sdgln.com/news/2015/05/05/17-reasons-why-may-17-mattershttps://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2017/apr/03/jailed-for-using-grindr-homosexuality-in-egypthttps://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/11/world/africa/gay-egyptians-surveilled-and-entrapped-are-driven-underground.htmlhttps://www.hrw.org/news/2014/09/09/egypt-7-held-alleged-homosexual-conducthttps://closetprofessor.com/2010/07/27/homosexuality-in-ancient-egypt/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/india-sexual-orientation-freedom-sexuality-fundamental-right-ruling-openly-lgbt-gay-lesbian-a7913681.htmlhttps://www.hrw.org/news/2017/06/22/european-court-condemns-russias-gay-propaganda-lawhttp://www.cnn.com/2014/11/26/world/asia/china-rainbow-flag/index.htmlhttps://thediplomat.com/2015/06/chinas-misunderstood-history-of-gay-tolerance/http://www.womenofchina.cn/womenofchina/html1/opinion/14/6777-1.htmhttp://www.oas.org/en/iachr/reports/pdfs/violencelgbtipersons.pdfhttp://www.pewforum.org/2017/08/08/gay-marriage-around-the-world-2013/http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/dan-littauer/peru-gay-man-tortured-dis_b_4399107.htmlhttps://www.internations.org/usa-expats/guide/16295-safety-security/racism-and-discrimination-in-the-us-16290/homophobia-and-hate-crimes-2https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/06/13/here-are-the-10-countries-where-homosexuality-may-be-punished-by-death-2/?utm_term=.dcd8cd00e012http://cypheravenue.com/homosexual-history-in-africa-zande-warriors/http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/gay-ugandan-king-proves-that-homosexuality-african-1434416

Introduction

• Today our society is slowly becoming more accepting of homosexuality, recognizing that it is a normal and natural thing
  • But how did the world become homophobic in the first place?
    • Was it always that way?
• Homophobia is a Judeo-Christian construct that has spread around the world with Christian expansion.

Christian Origins (Background)

• Christianity formed around the Mediterranean
• Founded on Judaic beliefs and the fulfillment of  the greatest Jewish prophecy
  • Jesus Christ is the Messiah, God incarnated in human flesh
• Teaches forgiveness and love as founding principles
  • Based on Jewish texts (10 Commandments) and Jesus’ teachings
• Also teaches that sex (for purposes besides procreation) is sinful
  • Homosexuality is strictly forbidden by God
• Emphasizes the responsibility to spread religion and “spread the good news”
  • Missionaries carry out this job by travelling to foreign countries and working with populations to “civilize” and spread Christianity
• As the church began to organize, the Catholic church developed and remained the only form of Christianity for centuries
• Soon after its formation, the Christian church was persecuted by the Romans
  • Shortly after that, the Christians took over it

Ancient Rome

• Homosexuality was totally normal
• Both gods and mortals were involved in same sex relationships
  • Statues and buildings dedicated to appreciating the body
• Jesus was infamously crucified by a Roman
• Emperor Nero persecuted early Christians, earning him the title of “AntiChrist” (666)
• Shortly afterwards, Christianity began to spread through the Roman empire
• As Christianity gained traction, more people began to condemn homosexuality
• 392 AD Christianity became the official religion of the Roman empire (pagan religions were banned)
• As the Roman empire declined, the stigma grew

Implications

• Europe became intolerant of homosexuality
  • This lasted for centuries
• The Western world was extremely Christian, and Westerners were the first to expand and colonize multiple continents
• When Western expansion began to occur, colonizers took their homophobic culture with them
• Began a transition worldwide to homophobic ideologies

Western Expansion

• In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue
  • He was a dedicated Catholic & mandated his crew remain devout
• He reached the Caribbean and was the first to interact with the natives, whom he called “Indians”
  • He and his crew immediately began the process of converting the Native Americans to Christianity
    • This included enforcing their homophobic ideology
• The voyage of the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria began a centuries long persecution of homosexuality

Early South America

• Many native South American tribes included same sex relationships in daily life
  • The Moche people left thousands of ceramic pieces depicting same-sex intercourse
• The Incan Empire considered both homosexuality and premarital sex normal parts of life
• Spanish conquistadors were horrified by these “immoral” people
  • Francisco de Toledo wrote about the Incan empire so that Christian Europe would know how “uncivilized” it was
• Conquistadors began to burn homosexuals at the stake
• Spanish settlers taught the remaining Natives to practice Catholicism

Implications

• Today’s Latin America is primarily Catholic
• Despite modern laws protecting LGBTQA rights, many people identifying as gay/lesbian/etc face extreme discrimination
  • Physical, verbal, and emotional violence
• This modern persecution is the legacy of the violent conquistador behaviors, based on a zealous, but typical for the time interpretation of Christianity

The Protestant Reformation

• In 1517, Martin Luther posted his “95 Theses” on the doors of a church
  • Began the protestant reformation
• Establishment of the Lutheran, Anglican, and Presbyterian churches, later followed by Methodist, Quaker, and Baptist
  • At the time, all of these denominations still maintained the same view of homosexuality
• As more Christian denominations formed, Europe faced the struggle of choosing an official religion
• Many Europeans decided to leave the continent so they could practice their religion freely

Early North America

• Most Native American tribes were accepting of homosexuality
• Navajo tribes considered gay marriage a normal union
• “Common law marriages” applied to everyone
• “Two spirit” is a common term
  • You are blessed to have the spirit of male and female
    • LGBT tribe members often became religious leaders for that reason
• Crossdressing and androgyny were both totally acceptable
• English settlers arrived, bringing their religion with them
• Depending on what places were colonized, the denomination of Christianity differed (Spain was Catholic, England was Anglican, the pilgrims were protestant)
  • They all held the same stance on homosexuality however
• The colonizers condemned the two spirit way of life
• Colonizers tried to teach the Navajos that same sex relationships were sinful

Implications

• Today, being a “two spirit” is not an honorable trait
• Along with the loss of land, life, and culture came the loss of acceptance of homosexuality as a normal institution
• All Americans, Native or not, have to fight to be recognized and accepted for their sexuality

PreColonial India

• India has historically been accepting of homosexuality, despite modern debates on that subject
• Until it came under British influence, beginning in 1612, homosexuality was a natural part of life
• Hindu texts depicted transgender gods and same sex relationships
• The act of kissing (especially in female same sex relationships) was actually supposed to bring people to a higher state of consciousness
• The British East India Trading Company arrived and began trade with India
  • Brought Protestant Christianity with them
• The British condemned India’s open attitude towards homosexuality and tortured those found “guilty” of being gay
  • Publically trapped between 2 wooden boards, where people passing by could harass them

Implications

• India has had a difficult time overcoming the stigma of homosexuality
• In the time since British colonization, India has tried to reject many of its Western influences
• Hinduism has still remained the most powerful religious force in India, but the Christian influences of the West still remain
• Some try to claim that homosexuality is a Western construct
  • Despite it being the opposite
• Starting the conversation has been difficult, as discussing homosexuality has been taboo
  • Result of refusal to explicitly describe homosexual “crimes” to prevent contagion

Conclusion

• The rise and expansion of Christianity caused the rise in homophobic attitudes all over the world
• Christian explorers and missionaries carried their ideologies with them to new places, where they claimed the rest of the world was acting “immorally”
• Ancient civilizations and cultures that had always included homosexual practices were forced to adopt Christian heterosexual lifestyles
• As time went on, these attitudes became commonplace, and being gay was a trait that was suppressed in millions of people
• As our world slowly becomes more accepting of homosexuality as a natural trait, it is important to acknowledge that this is not a new idea
  • It’s an ancient one

“It’s What I Do” tells of Lynsey Addario’s life as a conflict photographer – it unveils the inner workings of a woman who has seen almost every modern world conflict up close. However, the pages of her memoir do more than just detail her experiences; it tells the stories of those on the other side of her camera lens.

This image from the memoir has been seared into my memory.  This boy’s face (pg. 189, 210 ) is full of uncertainty, his brow furrowed with the weight of his surroundings.  The dirt on his lip and his bloodshot eyes reveal that this child has faced more in his short lifetime than I will ever have to; the bandages on his face a stark contrast to the brightly colored bandaids I wore on my scraped knees as a child.  This photo reminds me to fight for peace, to prevent more pictures of children like this one.

This second picture is equally penetrating to me.  These Pakistani men serving the Taliban (pg. 198, 210) look directly into the eyes of the camera, their gaze unwavering.  The young, handsome face of the man in front is unsmiling, his head resting gently against his automatic weapon.  War has forced him to become a man, and no matter which side he fights for it breaks my heart that youth all over the world are losing their innocence to violence and hatred.

My passion blog centers around discrimination and ways American college students can fight for equality.  We as young people can connect to the powerful visuals, and I will use that to further my cause.  By showing the world how people are affected by prejudice I hope to strike a chord in my peers that will encourage us to promote peace, and protect children from horrors of war.

“With each new assignment … I felt more fortunate to be an independent, educated woman.  I was thirty-one years old, and I cherished my right to choose my love, my work.  I had the privilege to travel and to walk away from hardship when it became too much to bear.  Most people on earth didn’t have an exit door to walk away from their own lives.”

As a white American woman, Lynsey Addario knows that she will never have to face the injustices that the people in her camera lens experience.  Chapter 8 of her book “It’s What I Do” opens with her expression of gratitude for the life she is able to lead, following her account of Congolese women who had been raped.

The stories of these women were the most intense part of the book for me; I do not connect to things easily, but the rejection of these women by their families brought me to tears in anger.  Lynsey tells their stories of hardship and cruelty, and through her words I could feel their anguish.  When she then contrasted the stories with her gratitude for the privileges she had been born with, it made me realize just how lucky I really am.

In my passion blog, I hope to address the conflict between privilege and discrimination the way that Lynsey Addario discusses rape in her book.  I want to shed light on the prejudice that people face without sensationalizing it, to remind those who are not targets of discrimination that it is still their responsibility to oppose it.  As a white American woman, I have privileges that many others would never dream of having, and it is up to me to use my gifts to make the world a place where equality is a reality, not a distant dream.