Daniel Konicek Staff Writer
This last decade has been a benchmark year for the rights of the greater LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer) community.
The fiery debate over their rights has dominated headlines for years, and more progress has been made in short time than ever before.
After recent events it is important to take stock on how far we’ve come, but still recognize how much further there is to go.
There has been a lot of good news lately for civil rights activists. The number of states offering same-sex marriage has gone from one to sixteen, even more offering some sort of civil union, and the federal government extending limited marriage benefits is a historical first.
Only a few short years ago, soldiers were being dishonorably discharged because of their sexual preference. From the Defense of Marriage Act being overturned to Proposition 8 being ruled unconstitutional, progress has been astounding.
The good news, however, is forever outshined by the real conflicts. The 2014 winter Olympics seemed only of secondary importance in the news to the brutal restrictions Russia has been putting on homosexuality.
A recent law bans the “promotion of homosexuality to minors” something that in practice has made illegal any demonstration in favor of gay rights. Just the display of a rainbow flag, an international symbol of gay rights, has resulted in arrests.
Much of the world is still incredibly dangerous as well. Much of Africa defines homosexuality as illegal, Uganda in particular making the offense worth life in prison.
Even back in the states, laws keep coming up for debate that would allow the discrimination of individuals based on religious grounds, something that would almost entirely affect the LGBTQ community.
Progress for homosexual rights in the USA often does not help other communities, such as the transgender community, who are still harassed, attacked, and discriminated against in everyday life with shocking regularity.
Just because so much progress has been made, the danger is still real. One can celebrate success, but the discrimination has never gone away. There is still a lot of progress to be made for the LGBTQ community, and I hope to see more.
