The reprehensible and probably illegal order by President Trump banning people from Muslim countries from coming to the U.S. is a reminder that Trump needs to be taken literally as well as seriously, no matter how much Peter Thiel argues to the contrary. Candidate Trump promised to ban Muslim immigration and so he has.
The ostensible reason for the ban is to protect against terrorist attacks, an argument that makes no sense because it simply further inflames intergroup tensions, already running high. The real reason of course is simple prejudice. Breitbart head Steve Bannon was apparently the fine hand behind the order, and Bannon is all about keeping America a white, Christian nation. (And really Christian–the Trump administration’s statement commemorating Holocaust Remembrance Day intentionally did not even mention Jews.)
The right wing (led by Breitbart) will argue that we should be standing with Trump because of all the terrible things that happen to LGBTQ people in Muslim countries (at least ones that lack Trump golf courses). In fact, buried in the executive order is this devious, divisive line: “The United States should not admit those who engage in acts of bigotry or hatred…or those who would oppress Americans of any race, gender, or sexual orientation.”
But the people the U.S. is keeping out are victims too.
How about we take this to the next level?
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More to the point, the decision is based on fear of a group. And if anyone knows about that, we should.
In fact, we were targets of a previous travel ban, vicious in its own right and animated by the same kind of hatred. In 1987, Jesse Helms, probably the most homophobic Senator in U.S. history, introduced legislation that banned anyone with HIV from entering the country or seeking to move here without getting special permission. The Reagan administration was all too happy to add HIV to the list of reasons to block someone from entering the country long after it was proven without a doubt that HIV is not casually transmitted.
At the time of the ban, HIV was considered a disease of gay men. In essence, the U.S. was declaring that gay men were not welcome in the U.S. The ban remained in effect until 2010, when then-President Obama finally repealed it. The ban was the reason why international AIDS conferences could not be held in the U.S., since activists from other countries could not travel here to attend a meeting. It also separated families, couples, and deprived HIV-positive people the fundamental right to travel and associate openly.
Even when it comes to national security, prejudice can outweigh the national interest. In 2002, the military purged a number of translators for being gay, including six trained in Arabic. At the time, there was a critical shortage of personnel skilled in Arabic, but the government decided that homophobia counted more than the nation’s security needs.
Whatever the outcome of the current crisis, the fact that it happened at all is a blot on our history. What is frightening is that it may not be the only blot we can expect over the next four years. What is shameful is how few in Trump’s own party are willing to stand up to him, even though many Republican leaders like Paul Ryan had condemned the Muslim ban when Trump first floated it. Even Mike Pence said he opposed it.
Now of course, Trump is president, so most congressional Republicans are happy to fall in line to get their agenda passed. They’ll defer to the top dog, even it if means that they become his fire plug.
Photo credit: HRC
ChrisK
Great choices. Stand up for a group that wants you dead vs oppose a ban that’s wrong.
Hussain-TheCanadian
None in my family and friends want me dead; maybe it’s a good idea not to lump 23% of the world population into one basket.
Besides, why isn’t Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Gulf States on this ban list?
Heywood Jablowme
Hussain – yes, yes, yes, we all appreciate that you’re a nominal Muslim who doesn’t take seriously all the crazy sh!t in the Quran. Good for you!
ChrisK
Please. Were not talking about Canada. This is about the middle east where they hate you and want you dead. Not just a few of them too. Most of them.
Hussain-TheCanadian
@Heywood – Chris seems to think the Trump ban has something to do with Islam, it doesn’t. It has to do with politics, that’s why I asked why isn’t Saudi Arabia (and Egypt, Pakistan, Jordan) aren’t on the list?
After all, 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi, the head of the operation, Muhammad Ata, is Egyptian – Most of the Suicide bombers in Iraq and Syria are Saudi – Osama Bin Laden is Saudi, and his right hand man, Ayman Alzawahiri is Egyptian.
Most of the funding going to Al-Qaeda and ISIS is coming from the Gulf Fiefdoms – So you tell me, if this ban has anything to do with terrorism, would it not be logical to ban those countries?
Hussain-TheCanadian
@Chris – Most Muslims (globally) don’t live in the Middle East…just an FYI – I also have family in Iraq and Kuwait that I visit, none of them have shown murderous intent towards me.
Maybe you need to travel a little.
Heywood Jablowme
@Hussain: I don’t disagree about Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Egypt & Jordan. There is the (slightly!) conspiratorial theory that it’s about which countries Trump has business interests in. Possible!
Or maybe it’s population: Pakistan and Egypt have enormous populations (189 million and 82 million), so it’s just easier to pick on the more obscure little war-torn hellholes on the list.
Hussain-TheCanadian
@Heywood – I hear you; I think the ban is politically motivated – I also find it weird that he has Iraq and Iran on the list. Iraq is an American ally, and a country invaded and broken by the US government. Also there are less than 5000 Iraqi green card holders, so I really don’t understand how this list was put together.
Heywood Jablowme
@Hussain – Agree. But I notice a contradiction in what you’re saying.
(a) First you complain that Chris K sees all Muslims as the same (“lump” them all “into one basket”).
(b) Then you complain (or pretend to complain) that the U.S. government is NOT treating all Muslim COUNTRIES the same.
Are you really that concerned about (b)? We can agree about certain countries. But there’s no logical reason why Somalia and Syria must be treated in exactly the same way as, say, Egypt. That’s silly.
Hussain-TheCanadian
@Heywood – I’m not questioning why isn’t Trump lumping all Muslim countries together, I’m just asking why isnt he targeting countries that produce terrorism on all levels (rhetoric, religious cover, and the young men who end up blowing themselves up) – That’s all im saying – his choice of nations is bizarre to say the least. I don’t want all Muslim countries or all people within the mentioned countries above banned – I’m just making an observation that concludes that he, along with his entire administration really dont give a hoot about terrorism.
antgalva
ohh Hussain Trump will likely place those other countries on this list as you and the dishonest media has been asking why not them. Trump will most likely turn around and say “you know what you are right” and ban all the other countries you talked about then you will be like WTF why did he do that, well because the media was calling for it LOL. Remember how President Trump got the media to report on him so much so that he did not have to take out any advertisement on TV and spend millions on top of millions of dollars like other candidates did.
moonie
Maybe after they stop executing gay people. Pffft.
ChrisK
Yeah, the article is basically saying “the enemy of my enemy should be my friend”. Well, f*ck that.
dwes09
Most of the wold is intelligent enough to separate the government of a country (and the country’s small %age of dolts) from the majority of its people. Thus most of the Muslim majority countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq etc.) like both Americans in general and american culture. Iranians LOVE Americans. Just as it is a tiny group of people here (some literally HERE as you can see from the comments) who are filled with xenophobic hatred, so too is the case in those countries. We should not base our policies on unjustified fear, hatred and stupidity. And we as gay people should be especially sensitive to that.
Xzamilloh
wholeheartedly agree with this article. Islam is a draconian religion that should have been stamped in the desert from whence it came, just like Christianity and Judaism, but this is draconian what Trump is doing. And how is it protecting America? Why isn’t Saudi Arabia and Pakistan on this list? Is it because quite a few of these “Muslim” countries have business ties? At the same time, I can’t name one Muslim-majority country where it would be safe to be gay… and I’m an atheist, so spare me the tired ass “But Christians, too”… I agree with you. I’d still rather live here with the crazy Christians than over there with the crazy Muslims.
At the same time, Syria and Iraq I don’t have that much of a problem with, only because their systems are so massively flawed, so they cannot do a proper job of vetting their own people, which is why it has been so easy for extremists to blend in with actual victims escaping those war torn areas. I think the problem is — as I have stated before — is that we have two extreme sides calling the shots. The extreme right who thinking eradicating all Muslims from America will keep us safe, and the extreme left who refuse to admit that there are problems with Islam that make it so easy to galvanize seemingly ready people into committing horrible atrocities. Culture? Religion? Both? Other things?
Heywood Jablowme
I attended the 2012 international HIV conference in Washington DC which was informative, exciting and yes, long overdue. But let’s not exaggerate the 1987-2010 HIV travel ban. It didn’t have MUCH practical effect; I never heard of any country stamping “HIV+” on anyone’s passport, and of course U.S. border officers couldn’t tell who had it or not. The practical effect in the real world was… hardly anything. Hundreds of thousands of HIV+ visitors saw the U.S. back then without incident.
IDoNotHaveToAgreeWithYou
Oh we share experiences? I don’t recall gays killing a bunch of them. So no. Screw this cult of barbarians.
oaklandmachine
As a lot of people have mentioned, the attitude and law towards homosexuality in these countries is often barbaric and hateful. What I’m not sure some have considered is that a lot of the people that are leaving these countries as refugees may well be leaving BECAUSE of those attitudes and law. They may actually BE gay and fleeing persecution. Surely, the answer is not to ban every citizen from those countries. And just because some may not have compassion for me doesn’t mean I can’t have compassion for them. It’s also the principal of the matter. What if the ban extends to other non-christian religions (geographically speaking)? This will be used as a precedent if we let it stand.
dwes09
A large percentage of the regressives that post here cannot draw distinctions very well. They lump together all those who are members of groups demonized by the far right. It is a wonder that they do not disparage themselves for being gay men (though we do have Brian, who not too long ago stated that gay men do not have sex, they only “imitate real sex”, that can only be had by heterosexuals).
The notion that there are gay Muslims possibly seeking asylum is apocryphal to them. They assume all lgbt folks are thrown off roofs as soon as they reach puberty. In places like Yemen, Somalia, and a few others the lives of gay people are very much in danger. In areas where Daesh and other jihadist/islamist groups remain in control the lives of gay people are very much in danger. But you can bet that Trump, Pence, Bannon, and all the rest of them don’t give a shit.
But in the big cities in Iran and Afghanistan and Pakistan there are lots of gay folks on Grindr, Scruff and Daddyhunt (they seem to have a thing fro older guys so i hear from them surprisingly often), there are gay social clubs and meeting places in cities, and there is no universal death penalty for homosexuality in Muslim countries. Gay people, at least in the big cities in some of these countries are no more in danger than they were in the USA only 50-60 years ago. And just like here, gay people from the small towns and rural areas come to the big cities to escape the higher level of dangers there. The gay folks seeking asylum are often activists who have upset the authorities or those from the hinterlands whose families seek to “preserve their honor”.
Ogre Magi
If only we didn’t need their damned oil
Black Pegasus
I would rather drink bleach than “stand with” a bigoted Muslim. Hell to the naw!
Xzamilloh
+1
I’d rather deep throat Donald Trump while staring in his eyes the whole time.
sydboy007
Personally I’m happier to take persecuted Christians and Yazidis from the middle east. Too many of them have been targeted by the same Muslims you want to rescue.
Better to provide funding and security for camps near the countries the refugees are fleeing, so it’s easier for them to return home.
How many Muslim refugees are anti gay? How many think women should have less rights than men? Should we allow them to kill apostates? What about an honour killing instead? Do we need those kinds of regressive attitudes in our societies?
If the choice is the risk of Muslim refugees turning on us, not taking any refugees, or allowing just Christian and other persecuted minorities in the middle east, I’ll take the last two options. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iran, the UAE can work together on taking in Muslim refugees. Oh wait, they’re not interested in helping the uhmma when they have a far more compatible society.
Dave in Northridge
I guess I’m comforted to learn that the Queerty-reading community is no less bigoted than the American community at large. If you don’t see the common humanity in everyone, I probably don’t want to have anything to do with you in real life.
dean089
It’s a pity no one cared about the refugees when Obama was creating them. Trump’s actions are foolish, but all the countries on his list are countries that the U.S. bombed in 2016. They don’t hate us ‘for our freedom,’ they hate us because we’ve been over there bombing them for the last 30 years. And when we’re not doing the bombing we’re supplying funds and weapons to Al Qaeda in Syria, Obama’s so-called “moderates,” so that they can do the bombing for us. Of course, that was 2016. Now it’s 2017 and Democrats are back to being anti-war.
mhoffman953
Why does the gay community always want to support these people? After the Orlando shootings there were gays saying “end Islamophobia”, but shouldn’t it have been muslims holding signs saying to “end homophobia”?
There are 10 countries in the world where being gay is punishable by death and all 10 are muslim majority countries. Their culture is backwards to ours. We should be working on helping them improve their own home country and creating safe zones while at the same time creating extreme vetting procedures of these people to make sure they share American views and value our culture and our people.
A loose immigration policy will turn us into Germany or France which have had numerous terror attacks and had citizens brutally gunned down, blown up, or mowed down by trucks.
Shannon1981
I stand with ALL people under attack from this authoritarian administration. And make no mistake – that is what it is. Trump has elevated a literal Nazi to the National Security Council, while downgrading the positions of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Director of National Intelligence. Terrifying as hell.
mhoffman953
Who is under attack? Every past President (Obama, Bush, Clinton, Bush, Carter, etc) have put temporary bans on groups of people from migrating here.
Did you stand with Syria when Obama dropped bombs on children? Did you stand with Afghanistan when Obama accidentally blew up a hospital? Sounds like lots of virtue signaling in your comments.
And I never knew Steve Bannon was a “literal Nazi”. You shouldn’t use the word literal if you don’t literally mean it. Someone can’t be a nazi when most of the writers for their previous publication were actually jewish.
GayEGO
With all of the protests going on it should not be hard to see Trump as a clueless, theatrical performer who only wants to win. I see some are saying that Trump is doing what he said he would do, but they don’t mention that he failed to make Mexico pay for the wall! Wait until he starts his hoopla against the LGBTs.
MediaGuy
Somewhere on the deep web or black web or whatever it’s called is a site called “watchpeopledie” (watch people die) and besides seeing videos of beautiful (hot) young guys getting their heads blown off for being gay, you can see how the loving Muslims throw gay people off of roofs, and then the people don’t even die and are writhing in agony on the ground. This just makes me want to welcome with open arms the scum from these 7th century sh*ithole countries and it makes me wonder just why a gay person is so stupid that they want to stand with the people who hate them. It is just abject stupidity, or it is abject liberalism. It’s just enraging that my community cannot just understand they are making fools of themselves by embracing people who “literal Nazi’s”. Stupid. STUPID.
jhon_siders
Well lets face it Gays have never flown planes into buildings shot up a office or ran over people with trucks . I have read both the bible and Koran end to end both are very violent . My doctor is Muslim I asked his opinion about all of this He says there are radicals of every religion out here some will act out more than others . A good point in WW2 the Japanese were willing to give there lives flying planes into ships there belief was that strong and they were doing the right thing for honor same with the Muslim faith they get a great reward in the after life . Draw your own conclusions .
Holloway
Wait a second…. wasn’t it a Muslim fanatic who murdered dozens of us in an Orlando Club? Isn’t it Muslims who routinely call us degenerate and a symptom of the decadence of the West?
We already have to deal with the Evangelical crowd. Why should we add homophobic Muslims?