When I was a child, I always thought the world was a magical
place. I learnt in some countries there were people who lived in
tribes and had fantastic dress codes and mystical medicines. I
heard that in Australia you could dive into the sea and explore the
beauty of coral reefs and come face to face with sharks. I saw that
when the sun and the rain combined a rainbow would form and the
colours would unite as one glorious banner. The world seemed a
brilliant, most magical and positive place to be. Then I grew
up.
I always knew that the world was one place filled with billions of
different people from hundreds of different countries with
thousands of different opinions on millions of different subjects
(you do the maths) and, as a kid, I appreciated the fact that our
difference would ultimately unite us, or so I thought. There seems
to be a trend throughout history to be intolerant of difference, no
matter the context; someone's country of origin, their religion,
the colour of their skin, their gender and their sexuality. The
latter has certainly caused a stir in recent years, so much so that
the Ugandan government have a special Christmas gift for their
people; the proposed passing of their Anti-homosexuality Bill.
The bill is, well, less than an easy read; alleged gay and lesbian
people can be imprisoned for life. Parents are expected to 'out'
their children to the authorities, landlords can be sent to jail
for housing 'suspected' homosexuals and even doctors, religious
leaders and professionals can be punished or fear their reputation
being ruined for working with groups that help LGBT people. Seems
fair I guess, I mean if your private life is offending people you
don't know, then you would obviously expect a lifetime spent in
jail as a fair punishment, right?
Of course, Uganda is not the only country to have a less than
friendly approach to gays. Nigeria has a similar bill that it is
hoping to pass, however they too have recently dropped the death
penalty clause. Although homosexuality is illegal in 37 African
countries, let's not forget this is happening all over the world;
Russia has banned gay pride marches for 100 years as well as
introducing a rather draconian law to impose a fine of up to the
equivalent of £1,000 for "public actions aimed at propaganda of
sodomy, lesbianism, bisexuality, and transgenderism among minors."
Maybe if someone had given me a leaflet on being straight when I
was young I would be in a 'conventional' marriage by now…?
In 1961, John Lennon asked us to "Imagine all the people living
life in peace" and, sadly, this is something our world is still
striving for. Love is an emotion that is unprejudiced; it's a raw
and electric passion that all humans hold within themselves. Hate
on the other hand is a feeling of intense dislike that comes from
our own fear or something that we have inherited from the tainted
views of others. Hate is infectious, like panic; it spreads like
wildfire and destroys. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
states that "All are equal before the law and are entitled without
any discrimination to equal protection of the law" but when the law
actively discriminates against certain peoples then hate manifests
and becomes the norm; if the law says it's OK to do something then
most people accept this.
As I write there are women and men around the world asking for our
help. We don't know these people and we won't ever meet them, but
we could change their lives. Across oceans and countries, thousands
of miles between us and them, we are united by love and a want for
freedom. An online signature is as much as we can do, but it could
speak volumes.
I'm not the only one out there who would like to see intolerance
eliminated. It won't happen today or tomorrow, it won't happen next
year and probably not in my lifetime, but what we do now could, one
day, change history. Like John Lennon, I may be a dreamer but I'm
not the only one.
When I was a kid, I used to look at the stars and dream of the
world outside my window. We all see the same stars and though we
may not all be the same maybe, one day, we'll all be united in
difference.
Sign the petition against the Ugandan bill here
