What is it going to take?

Uganda's anti-gay bill is senseless discrimination and hate in it's rawest form... a proposed genocide of the LGBT community. And my question is - why aren't more people talking about it? Because it's taboo... or people feel like it doesn't affect them if they're not Ugandan or not gay? When basic human rights are so grossly threatened, it is up to the global community to stand up for our brothers and sisters who are under persecution. Gertrude asked us to look at the following articles in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:

Article 1.
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Article 3.
Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

Article 5.
No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Article 7.
All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.

Article 9.
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

Article 12.
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.

And while it is easy for some of us to point at other countries and criticize their governments, when taking a close look at our own, we can most likely all find similar violations of human rights for gays - as well as any minority group whether it be gender or race-based.

Recently, in the United States, President Obama has pushed to end the US military's "Dont' Ask, Don't Tell" policy which forbids openly gay men and women to serve in the military. He is supported by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Joint Chiefs Chairman Mike Mullen and Colin Powell - who all say that it's wrong to ask men and women to lie about who they are to defend our nation.

However there are still many senators (and Americans), like John McCain, who oppose reversing this policy. They claim that servicemen shouldn't feel uncomfortable or threatened by unwanted advances from their colleagues. I am willing to bet that more servicewomen are made uncomfortable from unwanted male colleague advances in the military than servicemen or servicewomen receive from their same-sex collegues. Which is besides the point - but interesting to note.

President Obama doesn't support gay marriage (hopefully he'll come around), but he does advocate for LGBT rights. Obama also recently went on record in condemning Uganda anti-gay bill as "odious." But what if it passes? Are we going to stand by and watch this happen? What will the US and other nations do to support the LGBT community worldwide to ensure that this bill and others like it don't pass and that violence and discrimination against gays can finally come to an end? We are all humans, we are all on this earth together and we must respect, uphold and advocate for each others' rights - like we would want our brothers and sisters to protect ours when we are violated.