Opinions

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Staying in the Closet: Five Ways you Damage Your Mental and Physical Health

  Julia Fox While a major hurdle for LGBT rights in the western hemisphere has finally been overcome in the past few years (legalization of gay marriage in both the United States and the United Kingdom), it looks less and less hopeful that same tolerance can be achieved globally. In former communist bloc countries, the period for modest LGBT freedoms was brief, and homophobia is still widespread. Homosexuality is often considered an abnormality and in some cases, prosecuted under the criminal law. These countries have a vast population of LGBT members who have lived in the closet for most of […]

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The Delicate Dance of Fighting for Equality Overseas

A recent article in The New York Times, “U.S. Support of Gay Rights in Africa May Have Done More Harm Than Good,” has prompted a great deal of discussion among those engaged in international advocacy on the human rights of LGBT people. Despite the “may have,” in the headline, the reporter seems to have concluded that U.S. engagement has indeed been harmful on balance and makes a selective, one-sided case in support of that proposition. Still, the challenge discussed in the article is real. It’s something we advocates constantly consider and navigate as we work to protect the human rights […]

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Stop Neglecting the True State of LGBT Refugees

  In December 2011, President Obama published a trailblazing memorandum vowing to apply U.S. power to create safety for LGBT people oppressed and endangered around the world. Among the key means: securing LGBT refugees’ access to the U.S. refugee system. This venerable goal is eluding us. As the president delivers his final State of the Union address tonight, the perils facing LGBT people in many countries around the world have never been so dire. Never have so many LGBT people been so viciously targeted by state and nonstate actors in so many countries. Never before have leaders outside the U.S. […]

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How Homophobia Is Hurting Our Nation’s Foster Children

This week, our nation turns to celebrate the 20th anniversary of National Adoption Month. It’s a time of year marked with an annual proclamation by our president, special events, family gatherings and mass adoption finalizations. Television and radio programs will burst with stories both heartwarming and horrifying in an effort to draw attention to the glaring need to find homes for the 400,000 children that linger, on average, for nearly two years in the foster care system. As someone who’s lectured at the university level about this system, of which I am a product, I have to admit that I’ve […]

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Campus Pride releases 2014 Top 50 List of LGBT-friendly Colleges & Universities

Campus Pride announced today the annual Campus Pride 2014 Top 50 LGBT-Friendly Colleges & Universities. The listing highlights the positive efforts to improve safety and academic life for LGBT students as well as the top institutions leading the way. “More than ever colleges today want to be viewed as LGBT-friendly and a welcoming place for all students. LGBT students and their safety impacts the recruitment efforts of the entire campus,” said Windmeyer. “Upper-level administrators are now understanding how LGBT-friendliness is key to future institutional success. This Top 50 list is proof.” This is the first year Campus Pride has released […]

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