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US Foreign Policy on Gay Rights Sparks Debate
Living now in relative freedom and security in New York City, artist and filmmaker Alexander Kargaltsev remembers the harassment1 and violence he suffered as a gay man in his native Russia.
“I went to the demonstration2 like gay pride, an attempt of gay pride because it did not happen. And a few people were arrested and I was beaten by police and I was left laying down bleeding," he said.
U.S. officials view anti-gay violence as human rights violations3 and granted Kargaltsev and a number of refugees asylum4 based on the persecution5 they faced for their sexual identity.
The United States is also using diplomacy6 and aid to support gay rights. Journalist Michael Lavers, with the gay newspaper the Washington Blade, recently participated in a U.S. government-sponsored workshop in Colombia, where he talked to gay and lesbian activists7 about how to use the media to hold officials accountable.
“This is not to say the situation in the United States is perfect. We certainly have our own issues with discrimination and so forth8, but folks outside the United States, at least the folks I have spoken to in Colombia and in other places around the world, really look to the United States almost as an example of how to do things right," he said.
President Obama was in Senegal when the U.S. Supreme10 Court expanded gay marriage rights. In Senegal and 38 countries in Africa homosexuality is a crime, and in some countries it is punishable by death. The president spoke9 out in favor of same sex marriage.
“We believe in basic fairness, and what I think yesterday’s ruling signifies is one more step towards ensuring that those basic principles apply to everybody," he said.
Senegalese President Macky Sall said his Muslim majority country would not change its laws.
Opponents of same sex marriage in America are also critical of U.S. foreign policy supporting same sex marriage, which is not legal in many U.S. states. Thomas Peters is with the National Organization for Marriage.
“We do not believe that redefining is the path toward equality. When you redefine marriage you actually create inequality in society. And so, on the one hand we can absolutely support gay rights to not be persecuted11 for their orientation12 or for their lifestyle, but we also can stand up for marriage, which is what we do," he said.
Human-rights groups agree that protecting free speech and combating hate violence should be a priority for U.S. foreign policy, but they say supporting equal rights also means supporting the right for same-sex couples to marry.
1 harassment | |
n.骚扰,扰乱,烦恼,烦乱 | |
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2 demonstration | |
n.表明,示范,论证,示威 | |
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3 violations | |
违反( violation的名词复数 ); 冒犯; 违反(行为、事例); 强奸 | |
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4 asylum | |
n.避难所,庇护所,避难 | |
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5 persecution | |
n. 迫害,烦扰 | |
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6 diplomacy | |
n.外交;外交手腕,交际手腕 | |
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7 activists | |
n.(政治活动的)积极分子,活动家( activist的名词复数 ) | |
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8 forth | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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9 spoke | |
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说 | |
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10 supreme | |
adj.极度的,最重要的;至高的,最高的 | |
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11 persecuted | |
(尤指宗教或政治信仰的)迫害(~sb. for sth.)( persecute的过去式和过去分词 ); 烦扰,困扰或骚扰某人 | |
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12 orientation | |
n.方向,目标;熟悉,适应,情况介绍 | |
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