Blog #1
The media tends to push its opinion on a topic with persuasive language. After reading an article on same-sex marriage and gay rights abroad (from the U.S.), it is clear that our government is strongly supportive of these rights. It is well known how radical and conservative countries such as Saudi Arabia are strongly against the notion of homosexuality, as it is clearly prohibited in their religious beliefs. However, the United States is standing strong in its notion that the universal acceptance of gay rights is an essential part of human rights. While some may perceive this as a ploy to garner the “gay vote,” President Obama spoke of his administrative policy that “vows to actively combat efforts by other nations that criminalize homosexual conduct, abuse gay men” among other crimes.
This is a typical American effort in that the United States creates a policy and then subsequently begins to enforce it beyond its country’s borders, i.e. democracy in the Middle East. However, by incorporating the acceptance of gay rights into human rights, the spread is something that can truly better the world, allowing homosexuals to live freely and open in areas not known for their acceptance. With a large step as this one, President Obama said he was not sure exactly how to get “the first step” right and where exactly that is; an effort as substantial as this one is not an overnight task and not one that can be completed passively. Even with the great enthusiasm from Secretary of State Clinton’s speech, it was also made clear that ties with these nations will not risked in order for the gay rights campaign.
Blog #2
As I started off with my first post, I mentioned how media pushes its agenda and opinions through the specific language it uses. Through my research I came across this article regarding the 2008 Gay Softball series and simply glanced through it, not believing that a representation of media would be found in this story. However, the controversy was in the fact that two of the competitors were disqualified to appearing to be heterosexual despite coming in and openly saying they were bisexual. The reason for this article coming up last week is due to the face that these men, who won second place, were actually given the prize they were denied at the time. While the sport element of this story is essentially irrelevant, the part discussing the disqualification is noteworthy.
To have segregation of this kind within the gay community is quite counterproductive. While the integrity of the competition was the reason for the dismissal, the notion of not allowing bisexuals to play in this competition defeats all the aims of spreading gay rights, as mentioned within my first post. Secretary of State Clinton made a statement that will be heavily scrutinized by many however, not by the LGBT community. But this community has to stay strong and close knit for there are too many people not only critical but hateful of their mere existence. Instances such as this one show the fractional component of having this community based on diverse sexual orientation. I was glad to see that the organization decided to revoke its decision and accept them as eligible competitors. The money, trophy or anything related to the event does not matter in the grand scheme of things; to have fractions in a community already under a microscope will undo any of the good works and efforts all members have put in developing this community.
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