In Honduras You can’t discriminate by law-You Can’t marry Either or Adopt

                                                                     

 Gay pride in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. This city is known as the Murder Capital of the World and the Gay population is one of the targets. 

                                                                 

The Honduran constitution bans discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. It also prohibits same-sex couples from marrying and adopting children.

Honduras does not have a law that specifically bans hate crimes based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Advocates continue to urge the country’s lawmakers to support a law that would allow trans Hondurans to legally change their name and gender.

“The state of Honduras must guarantee the protection and the defense of human rights,” reads a statement the organizers of Thursday’s conference released. “[It must] remain independent from all religious influence in accordance to the constitution of the republic.”

Colectivo Unidad Color Rosa, a trans advocacy group in San Pedro Sula, the country’s second largest city, has met with local police officers and soldiers to make them more sensitive to LGBT-specific issues.

Rampant gang violence and drug trafficking that frequently contributes to it has prompted many to describe San Pedro Sula as “the murder capital of the world.” Gabriela Redondo, director of Colectivo Unidad Color Rosa, said during the conference that her group’s work with the authorities has had a positive impact. 

“This has helped us,” said Redondo.

Anti-trans violence remains commonplace in San Pedro Sula, despite the aforementioned efforts.

Six members of Congress earlier this year in a letter that urged the U.S. Agency for International Development to fund LGBT advocacy efforts in Central America noted a Honduran television broadcast a video showing police “brutally” beating a trans woman. Nahomy Otero, a trans woman who lives in the city, told the Irish Times in May that trans Hondurans face “torture” and other abuse from “police officers and other public security agents.”

“Honduras has a bunch of bills and inclusive bills, but they do not translate into practice,” said Romero.

Thursday’s meeting took place a day before more than 200 LGBT rights advocates from throughout the Western Hemisphere will gather in Tegucigalpa for a regional conference the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund co-organized.

washingtonblade.com 

                    God or Hell, Homosexuality Made or Born?

                                                            

Learning about HOMOSEXUALITY Answer the great question: 1[Born or made] 2[God or Homosexuality] “God or Hell. Where would you like to spend eternity?

Honduras is a good but rare example of the politicians being ahead of the populace. The reason for this, is education. In the United States and most countries in the West people have learn about the LGBT community by learning it from their families, friends, neighbors and coworkers. They showed others they were just people like them. Nothing specially good nor bad, just people like everyone else. The only difference being something that is not uncommon in other species, something sexual and something that affects no one except themselves. Once that education took place it was gay community organizations who pushed the politicians to try to protect them by passing laws against bigotry and abuses against them.The laws are there but they really haven’t work and the government on hand hand recognizes the LGBT community and in the other hand discriminates against them.

What’s going on in Honduras ?

The key words are coming out and education. This is what is missing in Honduras. You have many LGBT people and their close ones being anti gay before they realized their orientation. The interesting thing is, they didn’t quiet change their minds about gays when they realized what they were gay. They came out but their opinions of ‘gays’  did not change. They just became tolerant. Those that are gays sometimes see themselves as an aberration, a sin, something not quiet right but something that they have to tolerate because they have no choice or they don’t want to change. They believe and their families believe this is something “Malo, Un Pecado” [bad, a sin!]but What can they do if they can’t change? This is not just in Honduras but it is common in those less developed countries in Central and South America as it is in Africa and the Baltic’s and in a very small percentage even in the U.S.

The Catholic church doctrine and the new comers since the 60’s the pentecostals, the Scientology and their missionaries being sent particularly from the United States. Even small churches are sending people and paying for them to travel and live there for a few moths or a few years at the time. Living among them and teaching about salvation and not being able to improve this world for them but guaranteeing a good world after they die.

I know this first hand as I grew up in a couple of small Pentecostal Churches. Whatever church I belonged to I found they were asking for extra money to keep their own missionaries or the missionaries of sister churches in different parts of central America. Central America because you find countries that are very poor, little education and governments that don’t care if foreigners want to come in and set up their own schools. Sometimes there are no government schools at all. It is these teachings that have spread and ingrained a sense of guilt on the parents, friends and the LGBT people themselves. They will tell you “ He is my son or daughter and I have to love him but I don’t agree.” “This is my friend and I know he is but I don’t  care but at the same time I pray for him/her to change.” It is very common to hear these words where you have homophobia continuing to grow just like a bad poisonous seed.

The answer is, coming and out and education. Educating people that being gay has nothing to do with Christianity. Jesus himself never mentioned it, so how important can it be for Christianity? One has to learn the roots of homosexuality and learn this is something that is been around since the first families were formed. Gay peoples’ history. Who was gay and important? Athletes that are gay but continue to play wonderful great roles in the world.
This is what is missing from Honduras and this is the answer for Honduras and other countries like it. In the age of the computer and global information exchange, those that are LGBT most learn not just to defend themselves but to educate themselves and then to educate others. The battle is half way won with people in government in many places which now only needs the education to LGBT people and their circles. 

At the same time pressure out to go on the politicians to learn about us and to educate, just like the President of the United States and many people in commerce i.e.  The CEO of Apple and famous athletes that are out to the world. The president of the U.S. wether you politically like him or not, he has been great in explaining why we need human rights or gay rights or what ever you call it but they are rights that everyone should have and that no human deserves to be put down or abuse because of who they are. 

The LGBT population has been accused of many crazy things from inventing AIDS to causing calamities. You still hear this in the U.S. by preachers of another century.  It is not enough to wish them to go away and with them these crazy teachings but one most be able to appeal to the common sense of others now. I still hear gay people on TV on shows or the news describing themselves as having a choice in being gay not an orientation. 

The drug trade has brought a lot of violence to Honduras and the gay population is been a target of all people the police! You would think that it would be the drug cartel but instead the violence against gays is centered on the people paid to protect the community. This is a tough place to be gay. Still gays in the U.S. have been targets of the police also. What worked here was the community not just protesting at Pride and other places but becoming  visible where it counts: At home at school with people that know you. Those are the places where the acceptance most begin. No tolerance but understanding of who we are. The community there have their work cut out for them.

Adam Gonzalez, Publisher, blogger