Today is International Human Rights Day and while gay teens remain four times more likely to attempt suicide than their straight peers, hate crime is rising across the globe (especially in the UK and Germany) and only 12 countries include LGBT people in their hate crimes laws, we are making progress.
A doctor in Iraq who was imprisoned just for writing a story about homosexuality was released today. In Iowa, the Supreme Court is deliberating on the issue of gay-marriage. The New York Police Department is hunting down the killer of Jose Sucuzhanay, a victim of a hate-crime assault this weekend.
A New Jersey commission has told the state that civil unions are not fair and equal and recommending that the legislature adopt gay marriage. And in Riverside, California gays and lesbians have taken the day off to go to one of the places that voted overwhelmingly for Prop. 8 to help clean-up a local park.
All of this is happening right now, today. Is it enough? No, but it’s progress. To honor and celebrate the day and to remind us that the only way we’ve come so far is to be visible, to refuse to be silenced, we hope you’ll check out this awesome video, set to the words of Harvey Milk.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Kevin
Actual Action? Love it!
This is exactly what we should be doing with our energies.
seitan-on-a-stick
Awesome! Better than Will-i-am on Obama. It makes one want to donate to the Trevor Project or the Victory Fund……………or should I just give my money to a spoilt gay white Hockey team?
tallskin
Um, not wishing to be a British chauvenist, but I am not sure where you got your facts from, to state with such certainty that “hate crime is rising across the globe, (especially in the UK and Germany) !!! WHATTHEFUCK? That is not the impression I get and I live here in the UK, in central London. And none of my friends are aware of any increase in anti-gay hate crimes.
We have our problems just like anywhere else, there is the occasional attack, but there have NOT been any in the last month or so, as far as I am aware. The most recent was that poor kid in liverpool.
And as is so often the case in these anti-gay attacks it is usually carried out by immigrant youth, usually blacks and muslims, but with the odd sprinkling also of indigenous white youth.
I am also rather puzzled by Queerty’s not reporting of today’s proposal to the United Nations Declaration calling for the global decriminalisation of homosexuality. (you did have some rather pitiful reference buried away in a report of the catholic church’s objection to this)
It will be tabled in the General Assembly today, Wednesday, by France with the backing of all 27 member states of the European Union; plus non-EU European nations such as Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, Ukraine, Andorra, Liechtenstein, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia, Ukraine, Armenia and Macedonia. Russia and Turkey are not signing.
The call for the decriminalisation of same-sex relationships also has the support of the Latin American states of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, Uruguay – but not, notably, Columbia, Peru, Guyana or Venezuela.
Only three African nations–Gabon, Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau–are endorsing the declaration so far. South Africa has not signed up. No Caribbean nation has offered its support (not even Cuba). Although New Zealand is committed to the declaration, Australia is not. Nor is the United States. But Canada is a sponsor.
No country in the Middle East, apart from Israel, endorses the declaration, and in Asia only Japan has agreed to approve it. China and India are silent on where they stand.
The USA refuses to participate.
I am surprised and rather horrified that there is not even a fucking mention of this in Queerty, considering how important it is, and how historical.
But then I guess you really don’t give a fuck about the rest of the planet, eh?
http://www.edgeboston.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=&sc2=news&sc3=&id=84406
Japhy Grant
@tallskin: Fair question. The stat is from the Human Rights First’s 2008 Hate Crimes Statistics Report, which reports that it “draw[s] particular attention … to the rising levels of hate crimes in Germany
and the United Kingdom—countries where governments have mounted signifi-
cant efforts to combat the problem in recent years.”
http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/discrimination/pages.aspx?id=157
nick ward
HELLO,
Got to say that I found that video absolutely inspiring but I was wondering if there was a link to it (other than to embed it) so that I might send it round to all my friends on facebook and remind them that there is still a fight to be fought and that it is still worth fighting?
Thanks!
Nick Ward
(Edinburgh, UK)
Dick Mills
Harvey was so far ahead of his time, and his words are as inspirational and salient today as they ever were.
ndhapple
Would it be possible to upload that wonderful video to youtube? It would allow for people to embed it on their facebooks, myspaces, etc.
It’s fantastic.
Charles J. Mueller
Hearing Harvey’s voice, after so many, many years reduced me to tears. It brought back to mind the many wonderful conversations he and I had in my shop in New York City before he moved to San Francisco.
Harvey was a man with a heart who cared about his fellow gay man. He was to the gay civil-rights movement what M.L. King was to the black civil-rights movement.
In my heart, he will never be forgotten.
sal
i agree and all but sometimes when im depressed and look to my fellow gays for a reassuring voice some of them their response can b VERY cold.i wonder if we follow the example of mr milk in the way we interact with our fellow gays???
RCLOY
I cried. The world need more people like Mr Harvey Milk.
Cody
Amazing. The US’S…
Gerard Koskovich
For those interested in learning more about Harvey Milk and the context of 20th-century LGBT history, the GLBT Historical Society has opened a new temporary museum at Castro and 18th streets in San Francisco.
The exhibition includes a section on the emergence of LGBT electoral politics. Among the artifacts displayed are reflections of triumph and tragedy: The powder-blue pen that Harvey Milk gave Mayor George Moscone to sign San Francisco’s gay-rights ordinance in 1978, as well as the suit that Harvey Milk was wearing when he was assassinated.
The exhibition will be open through October 2009. For more information, visit http://www.glbthistory.org. And for photos of the gallery, visit http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=73905&l=f75ae&id=688819866.[img]http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1722872&l=4b278&id=688819866[/img]
Dave O'Brien
@nick ward: You can link to the video at http://www.causecast.org/videos/2980-got-hope-harvey-milk
Gwen
here it is on youtube. Send it to everyone you know, it is inspiring.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pvfexvihri8