All human beings are born free
Today, the 10th of December marks the International Human Rights Day [1] and it is the 63rd year since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) [2] was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris in 1948.
There are 30 articles in the UDHR divided into 4 columns as described in the second reference but the one of most particular import is Article 1.
“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”
Our humanity should come before all else
I believe this article embodies the purpose, reason and sense of our humanity regardless of culture, tradition, religion, creed, race or law – it presents an non-religious concept that draws on our empathy, our compassion, our quest for fairness and justice for ourselves and fellow human-beings.
On the 6th of December 2011, the US Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton delivered a speech at the United Nations Human Rights Programmes Headquarters in Geneva in commemoration of Human Rights Day 2011 in which she addressed the next human rights issue that the world faces today.
It pertains to the rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transsexual (LGBT) persons all around the world and in it she made five fundamental points in support of the human rights issues with regards to LGBT persons. It is essential to keep the core tenet of Article 1 in mind as you review the themes of her historic speech.
The core points about LGBT rights
Gay rights are human rights; it goes to the heart of being born free and equal in dignity and rights.
Being gay is not a Western invention, it is a human reality; there are gays everywhere in the world including in places where certain leaders and people pretend there isn’t.
Violence to other human-beings is not cultural or religious; it is criminal, it is the duty of our governments to protect first and prosecute the criminals, not the victims.
Laws that discriminate validate other kinds of discrimination; it tends to divide our humanity and gives rise to other inequalities in our societies.
Progress comes from being willing to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes; what if by some circumstance probably unimaginable to some, you found you were in that minority that is being discriminated against, where you had no rights because of who you were?
There is much I can do try and flesh out each theme that she covered but the case she made was clear; it is first about our humanity than anything that distinguishes us; the matter is global; we cannot criminalise people for who are naturally are regardless of your views of those people and if you were by happenstance of those people, what will you fight for?
The shaky ground on which we stand to condemn others
However, in concluding this piece which in some cases will probably have a deeply religious readership from some parts of the globe, I can only conclude with a comment I saw on Facebook because it goes to the core of the matter of rights, of culture, of beliefs and of our fairness to our fellow human beings.
One of the best comments against a supporter of the anti-gay bill (The Nigerian Senate passed a Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition bill recently with even more homophobic sanctions.) I've (This was on Jeremy Weate’s Facebook wall.) read today (re-quoted with permission).
"I don't need to be a homo to respect the freedom of a homo. Your biblical quotes are the same quotes handed to you by invaders as they took your relatives into slavery. You have been freed physically, but not mentally. Weren't your ancestors spiritual people before the missionaries showed up? For an African with a long history, you cling blindly to a religion that was recently handed to you. Simply put, you are a lost cause. Goodluck releasing yourself from yourself devised blindfold." Taken from Jeremy Weate's Facebook status
In all, human rights is about protecting the rights of others in order to ensure ours are protected and enshrined in law despite our differences, disagreements and disputing; the greatest goal of our human existence can only be to appreciate the best in others who we may naturally not find ourselves associating with. There are few for all sorts of reasons who have dared to reach that goal.
Sources
[1] Human Rights Day - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
[2] Universal Declaration of Human Rights - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
[3] Transcript of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's on LGBT rights
4 comments:
1) Codliveroil is a gay person (so no need to wonder if I'm a closet gay or not)
2) Thank you and thank you Jeremy.
To be honest I can conclude, that Nigeria and many other African and Caribbean nations are not democratic. They pretend at being democratic.
3) I can say by anecdotal observation with "family members" and observation of wider African society. They see nothing wrong with campaigning against discrimination when it affects them negatively directly ie making a lot of noise about "racial discrimination", but see it as perfectly acceptable to pass such vile and repressive laws, or allow crimes against sexual minorities or any other minority go to unpunished in some cases even encouraged.
To top it all many "religious Africans" feel they are somehow morally superior to the West, for supporting such a standpoint. Some see same sex relationships as the same as having sex with animals, or minors. Which it definitely isn't but, no matter how you try to present reason and logic it sails over their heads. I have become disheartened about the matter.
Maybe the passing of time might bring a realisation, that this is a very pluralistic world. We have to learn to live and let live. Get on with your own business and stop persecuting others for some spurious reasons as religion, culture or just plane wickedness.
What caused you not to follow the crowd, and not join the "hate squad"?
Hello CodLiverOil,
I guess I have written enough to indicate my particular interests but more evidently, my view of human rights has stridently been with regards to women in terms of societal and religious abuse of their fundamental rights and those of children with regards to particularly child sexual abuse.
As much as possible, I have never put my sexuality up for debate and refused to allow others make it their business because it is just not a matter for public consumption.
I have been challenged openly about it by certain Machiavellian Nigerians hoping to shut-down my forthright opinions and I have without reservation made it clear that it is not their business what I do in my bedroom and who I choose to love just as I do not question their private activities in ad hominem attacks.
In many cases, I have prevailed.
It is nice to know there is kindred spirit in the fight against the reprehensible cancer of homophobia in the Nigerian society.
Yours Akin xxx
Hi Akin
Thanks for your response. Yes, Human Rights are exactly that, Human Rights and apply to all members of the Human family (be it sexual minorities, women, children, disabled etc), some people just don't want to acknowledge that. They are selective about it, and want to deny others what they are experiencing.
Your personal affairs are your personal affairs. Everyone has a right to one. It's not my business what you decide to disclose about that. I just enjoy reading your blog.
Why would anyone want to shut-down your opinion? It is simply a case of listening and either taking it or leaving it. Trying to silence someone shouldn't even come into it. If that is their point of view they are missing, what public debate is about, an exchange of ideas. What a shame.
More power to you Akin.
Akin, thanks for a brilliant insightful piece which got me and I guess other readers of your blog thinking. Definitely Gay rights are human rights also.
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