Equality of human rights in the civilized world unfortunately is still a controversial issue. This equality is enshrined in the constitution in many well developed countries, but in some other countries, human rights are primarily dictated by religion. Despite this, there are still categories of people whose rights are severely violated. After all, what is equality? Equality is the ability to be a full member of society, a citizen of the country, regardless of your political and religious views or belonging to any minority. Equal rights we need for a fulfilling life. Without human rights, we cannot fully develop and realize our human qualities, intelligence and abilities, and meet spiritual needs. Unfortunately, the huge number of citizens rejected by their compatriots because of their differences from the common standards is very great. First of all I am talking about gays. Paradoxically the fact that there are still countries that claim to have a leading role on the world stage, in which a large number of smart and gifted homosexual people cannot survive due to severe human rights violations. I believe that gay people should be treated equally as citizens in all nations.
Equality of citizens is the first sign of a healthy and highly developed society. Modernity teaches us the flexibility and loyalty to people with other values. The presence of the Internet in the lives of most people on the planet pulls down the Iron Curtain. The information blockade could not exist anymore. The world learned about other values professed in neighboring countries, about their cultures and how differently we can refer to the same things. These facts were surprising and shocking to people at first, and then forced them to reflect on the timeless question of all acceptance, and the right to the existence of differing views about life.
Even in the Ten Commandments of Christianity, it says that we have to respect and accept our neighbor as ourselves. However, there are still a number of countries where same-sex relationships are pursued by the police, church, or worse, it is punishable by law. This problem is even more dramatic when you consider that an educated community is already a well-known fact that homosexuality is not a deviation in the mental development of man. According to Sigmund Freud, all people are born bisexual, and homosexuality or heterosexuality is a consequence of early childhood development. In 1947 in one of his letters Freud says, "Homosexuality, of course, is not an advantage, but it is not something to be ashamed of, no vice, no degradation, it cannot be classified as a disease. It is a variation of the sexual function, the cause of which is a certain delay in development" (Freud, p 787).
I want to note: this fact has been recognized by the scientific community in the middle of the last century. In all of Europe and in all 50 states of the United States of America gay rights were equalized with the rights of other citizens.
In 121 countries included in the United Nations (it is sixty three percent of all countries), same-sex relationships were decriminalized a long time ago. However, in the economically and culturally advanced country such as Russia, legislators are still convinced of the opposite. Thus Russia stood on the same row with many countries in Africa and Asia, where death penalty for gay people still exist under the Criminal Code or Sharia law.
I thought that we lived in the twenty-first century, where the human personality and the fact that man creates, rather than destroys is valued above all else. So why is the government still concerned about the sexual orientation of citizens? They cannot stop the modern plague of terrorism, but a huge amount of effort and money are thrown on the legislative approval and compliance with the implementation of the law on prohibition of gay propaganda among minors.
History has a huge number of great musicians, composers, dancers, actors, artists, designers, poets who have made an outstanding contribution to world culture being gay. Socrates, Alexander the Great, Leonardo da Vinci, Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Oscar Wilde, Freddie Mercury, Rudolf Nureyev, Elton John. This range is endless. Who is willing to challenge their genius? Haven't these people proven with their success, that sexual orientation does not affect the quality of the individual? Have they not refuted the notion that gays should be isolated from society and punished as criminals?
The other side of this problem lies in the fact that for gay people's lives in Russia there is always a double standard. They have to keep a "face" to the public. In fact, this is not the person, but the mask, a disfigured grimace of obscurity.
These people are doomed to endless lies at work, in the family, among friends and acquaintances because everywhere they are faced with a global disapproval of this "disease". The country is ready to lock you up for advocating "non-traditional family values." Who can tell us what are these notorious family values?
The older generations of the family will shake their heads with regret and sympathize with your "disease", and in the worst case, the parents or grandparents simply renounce a gay offspring as a disgrace to the family and stop all possible communication, pretending that they never had these shameful children and grandchildren.
The colleagues in the best case will forever discuss and condemn you behind your back, and in the worst case, you just lose your job. A great number of employers simply do not want to resist public pressure. Therefore, if you are gay and you are working as a teacher, then you just get fired, to avoid "possible problems with the parents of students" and nobody cares about the fact that you were a very talented teacher.
Many people's lives just break because of those double standards. In fact, the society puts you in front of a monstrous choice between the "standard" model of life in which you will be infinitely miserable and dishonest to yourself, and life as a social outcast without a job, friends and family, but remaining true to your orientation.
Who then can answer the question for what purpose is all this struggle? Why are these people's lives ruined? Broken fate of those who did not commit crimes against humanity, but on the other hand, lived and live honestly, respecting human and state laws!
I believe that the United Nations as an organization which adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 should monitor compliance of this declaration. If the case Obergefell v. Hodges led to a change in US federal law, then the effect of all countries included in the United Nations can facilitate the lives of thousands of gays in Russia. I understand of course, it requires some time before the society will begin accepting gay unions the same as heterosexual relationships, but the legal recognition of marriage equality as a fundamental right of a citizen is a huge step forward. Many happy gay families could buy a home, adopt children, and live, not just survive.
The main difficulty of such problems is our silence. When people around the world will begin to speak openly about the need to recognize the equal rights of all people, regardless of their political views, religion or sexual orientation; then only all together we can really prove that we are a modern and civilized human society. This is the only way that we can avoid hatred, and unnecessary and merciless wars. When people will not need to prove to the rest of society their right to exist for their views on life, they will stop fighting because the despair puts weapons in their hands. Only then we can truly teach our children to think with flexibility, all the acceptance of and respect towards others. Then the world can live in peace, rather than a constant struggle.
