Ex-Gay Watch

“It Gets Better” is a realistic message for gay and lesbian people living in the western world, where society is increasingly accepting of sexual diversity. But in some non-western parts of the globe, survival as an LGBT person is all but impossible.

Wendy Gritter of New Direction, Canada, has filmed a message for those gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning young people for whom the message of the It Gets Better campaign isn’t realistic or helpful. That’s not to denigrate the campaign, which Wendy has supported. It is to say this:

We want to say to those who are coming to [freetobeme.com] from areas which are not gay-positive — in fact, that are in very anti-gay contexts, where this is not a conversation, where there is much discrimination and prejudice, and perhaps violence, and perhaps danger — what we want to say to you is: Be wise, be careful, but know inside your own self who you really are, and that you are cherished, you are valuable and you are loved. And know that your voice matters. There are LGBT advocates all through the world, who are working very hard for the human rights of all people, including those who are sexual minorities. Maybe someday you can add your voice to that community saying, “If we diminish anyone’s rights, we are all diminished.”

Watch the video below:

The message comes via New Direction’s Free to Be Me website, which Wendy says has experienced increased traffic from non-western countries.

This is well worth watching in it’s entirety.  LGBT rights are of course human rights, as Secretary Clinton so eloquently illustrates to the United Nations in Geneva.  There are times when we manage to get it right, and this looks like one of those times.  This speech follows the release of a memorandum by President Barack Obama “to ensure that U.S. diplomacy and foreign assistance promote and protect the human rights of LGBT persons.”

Full transcript from the State Department below:

CLINTON: Good evening, and let me express my deep honor and pleasure at being here. I want to thank Director General Tokayev and Ms. Wyden along with other ministers, ambassadors, excellencies, and UN partners. This weekend, we will celebrate Human Rights Day, the anniversary of one of the great accomplishments of the last century.

Beginning in 1947, delegates from six continents devoted themselves to drafting a declaration that would enshrine the fundamental rights and freedoms of people everywhere. In the aftermath of World War II, many nations pressed for a statement of this kind to help ensure that we would prevent future atrocities and protect the inherent humanity and dignity of all people. And so the delegates went to work. They discussed, they wrote, they revisited, revised, rewrote, for thousands of hours. And they incorporated suggestions and revisions from governments, organizations, and individuals around the world.

At three o’clock in the morning on December 10th, 1948, after nearly two years of drafting and one last long night of debate, the president of the UN General Assembly called for a vote on the final text. Forty-eight nations voted in favor; eight abstained; none dissented. And the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted. It proclaims a simple, powerful idea: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. And with the declaration, it was made clear that rights are not conferred by government; they are the birthright of all people. It does not matter what country we live in, who our leaders are, or even who we are. Because we are human, we therefore have rights. And because we have rights, governments are bound to protect them. Read more…

A BC Conservative Party leadership candidate has said in a radio interview that gays should not have “special rights” because homosexuality is a choice.

John Cummins, who recently stepped down as Conservative Member of Parliament for Delta-Richmond East to run as leader of the BCCP, told Victoria’s CFAX Radio that he’s “not a scientist, [but] some of the research tells me that there’s more of an indication that that’s a choice issue.”

According to the Times Colonist (Victoria), Cummins later told reporters, “I’m pro-life, I’m protraditional marriage, that’s my view, I’m not a scientist.” He refused to defend his views, saying they were “personal issues, private issues.”

In 1996, as an MP, Cummins voted against introducing sexual orientation under the Canadian Human Rights Act, which lists “prohibited grounds of discrimination,” including religion, race and gender.

In the run-up to the recent election, many of us here in Canada were concerned that a majority Conservative government would put power in the hands of social conservatives who want to curb the rights of gays and lesbians. In 2006, 110 out of 124 Conservative MPs (and a minority of Liberals) voted unsuccessfully to turn back the clock on same-sex marriage and “restore traditional marriage,” in a free vote called for by Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Harper, who returned to parliament with his first majority government last week, said during the election campaign he would not reopen the same-sex marriage debate. Cummins’s comments are a reminder that social conservatives — holding unscientific, religiously motivated views that can and will be used to discriminate against LGBT persons — are still a presence in Canadian politics.

Meanwhile, a new study finds that two out of three non-heterosexual kids in Canada don’t feel safe in their schools.

[This story has been updated to make a factual correction.]

The US Government’s Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission will hold a hearing on the Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill this afternoon.

Over the course of 90 minutes, the TLHRC will hear evidence and testimony on the legal and humanitarian aspects of the proposed bill, which as it stands at the moment will see the execution of practicing homosexuals, and sentences up to life imprisonment for lesser offences such as promoting and aiding homosexuality.

LGBT POV has posted an illuminating video edited by Bruce tracing the connection between certain American evangelicals and the current legislation in Uganda. It focuses on “spiritual warfare” experts George Otis, Jr, and Ed Silvoso, with prophets and “prayer warriors” such as Cindy Jacobs, and their disturbing message of Christian dominionism. There is no doubt they have directly encouraged Ugandans, including President Museveni and other powerful political figures, to impose conservative moral values in the belief that God has given them spiritual and moral authority.

Disturbing aspects revealed in the video include claims to miraculous healings from HIV and Aids, and the dangerous pushing of an abstinence-only agenda, bolstered by myths and scaremongering about condom use.

In other Uganda news, NTV reports that the Ugandan Cabinet have rejected a proposed withdrawal of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill.