It is easy to forget that LBGT rights, or rather lack of rights, is a common issue in all modern countries. Countries such as those in Europe have modernized more than even the U.S. when it comes to the LBGT community. However I was interested to read about how Israel, a middle eastern country, handles these issues. Although Israel is part of the middle east, it is very different from countries such as Saudi Arabia and Iraq- therefore I wasn't too surprised that the Israelis did offer rights to the LBGT community.
This past summer I worked for the Anti-Defemation League. One of my tasks as an intern was to read bills and legislation regarding hate crimes. A lot of hate crimes are committed against the LBGT community. Because this legal aspect interested me, on one of the websites, Jerusalem Open House, I decided to read about the LGBT Bill of Rights in Jerusalem. Firstly, I was surprised about a lot of the rights that do not already exist. Currently, the Israeli hate crime legislation does not specifically list LBGT, unlike the codes in certain states of the US do. Ohio has a similar code to that of Jerusalem- it does not protect against crimes motivated by a victim's sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. So I guess it looks like Jerusalem, a holy city, is just as progressive as Ohio, a state that has elected Obama twice. However, I was glad to read that there is a large number of people in Jerusalem that are pushing for more LBGT rights.
Like many other of my classmates stated, I was surprised that we would cover a topic such as LBGT rights in a class focusing on Jerusalem. I guess I keep forgetting that there is more to Israel than just conflict and more to Jerusalem than just religion.
Wow! The point about Ohio really took me off guard. I know the US is not the most progressive country when it comes to LGBTQ issues, but it's sad to think that acts as awful as hate crimes against these minorities are not illegal. Especially after Yonathan spoke about "selling gay tourism" and acting more progressive in the face substantial oppression, I can see how Ohio is doing a similar thing. I always see articles as Columbus as a particularly gay mid-west city. It really shows we have a long way to go.
ReplyDeleteI was also really surprised to read in your post that Ohio doesn't have specific laws against hate crimes motivated by sexual orientation. I had just assumed that all states in the US had this covered and similar to what Chandni said I have heard a lot about Columbus having a large and politically active gay community which is interesting since Ohio apparently has a ways to go on some of its laws.
ReplyDelete