from 17th to 19th centuriesWestern Europeans often denounced the eastern Islam for freedom, not for conservatism. The Ottoman Empire undoubtedly led the world with sexual tolerance, decriminalizing homosexuality in 1858. The legacy was erased under the pressure of colonialism and nationalism. That wasn’t the case LGBTQ+ The American liberation movement in the 1970s found a new beacon for equality.
Ten years ago, I was sitting in the office of the Islamic Council in Singapore preparing for a UN gender and rights review. Behind the legal person, one concern continued to emerge: What do Americans say? That question is not about enforcement, not about reliability. A few years later, Singapore has repealed British colonial laws that criminalize gay sex. So when President Trump stands in Saudi Arabia and declares that the US will stop.”lecture“In the world of human rights, activists like me couldn’t help but wonder. Does America need lectures on its own heritage now?
Whether that is what you want, the US has long influenced social and policy changes around the world. We saw Global surge in LGBTQ+ rights In recent years, one person’s struggle has led to another victory. But every step forward there is a counterforce, threatening a revived conservatism Revert back It took decades to build. This is not the time for the United States, particularly its leaders, to retreat or regress. America may not want to “lect” the world. But we need to remember what history sees, and moral obligations are to lead, not to fall behind.
The world celebrates its pride in June, not just by chance, in honor of the strange uprising of 1969 in the United States. The US-based LGBTQ+ movement in the 1970s promoted global causes and courage in activists around the world. Landmark US Judgment (DOMA) and Obergefellv. US rulings, such as the Hodges decision, provided foreign campaigners with legal and symbolic playbooks. American icons like Harvey Milk and Marsha P. Johnson taught generations, including themselves, and taught that dignity is worth the battle. Even American pop culture through shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race, “Safe spaces” (a term born from American behaviorism) provided courage, vision and vocabulary to strange people in countries where they still did not exist. Even today, from Selma to Stonewall, from #MeToo to #BLM, the American uprising (and more recently, national #Nokings protests) resonates far beyond its boundaries despite domestic unrest and rules of the rule of law.
But it appears that America’s current leaders have forgotten this legacy, what their predecessors have built, and the truth that when America acts, the world will see and walk.
That forgetfulness has consequences. when The US has revoked visa rights for same-sex diplomatic partners voted against United Nations Resolution When condemning the death penalty for homosexuality, countries like Russia, Indonesia and Rwanda quickly cited them as precedents. Dramatically reducing social programmingOne big beautiful invoice“Inspired by Brazilian and Hungarian laws, we follow this new one“American example”. Even the new Singaporean Prime Minister recently campaigned on the promise that gay marriages would not happen. Under his watch.
The logic is simple: if world-leading democracy can roll back rights, why can’t we?
What began when it was corrupted at the top is now spreading across corporate America. Just five years ago, companies like Google and Meta were DEI’s Global Benchmark. provided by my first employer, Google Benefits of same-sex partners Globally before Singapore abolished the Sodomy Act. At the time, local businesses were rushing to follow the lawsuit to attract talent. What once was a containment lighthouse is now dark. I have the meta now Destroyed DEI’s efforts, Pride is no longer celebrated on Google Calendarand American corporate campuses, once considered the flagship of inclusion, are defined by layoffs rather than leadership. Progress has not stalled as local activists lost their minds and the beacons have become darker.
The legacy of queer osmans has been erased from the memory of mainstream Muslims, Buried by ban and cut off by censorship. But America now reflects the same erasure. Reservations not allowed Targeting LGBTQ+ stories and critical racial theories is skyrocketing across American schools. Day is like that devil In a political punch bag. A country that once praised its strange courage now has flirted with fascism, putting it at stake not only in its rights but also its own richer and correct history in danger.
Why should Washington be concerned about how other countries treat the LGBTQ+ community? Leadership is about direction, not domination. The treaty is not enforced India The Sodomy Act will be abolished in Singapore in 2018 or 2022. However, through diplomacy and legal examples, the steady glow of our attention has helped to create space for local change. That’s how moral leadership works. Not by determining outcomes, but by promoting others to expand what is possible and act. And if America wants to keep it Its moral authorityyou need to stop that regression first and lead by example. Rather than lectures from Hegemon, the United States can provide shared, diplomatic, historic reminders among its allies.
Last June we saw an unusually sacred overlap: the Pride Moon and the Islamic Moon of Zulu Hija. As a queer MuslimsI can empathize with American conservative leaders and understand the tension between tradition and progress. These are not easy to walk. But I am led by the Quran poems to my behaviorism: “We strive for fairness. It’s close to righteousness.” America’s current stance may be useful for domestic politics. But it does not exist in a vacuum. As domestic shifts send shockwaves abroad, interests are global.
The world is watching. Now is not the time for America to retreat. It’s time to bring about fairness once again.
voice Dedicated to featuring a wide range of moving personal stories and impactful opinions from LGBTQ+ Communities and their allies. visit advocate.com/submit For more information about submission guidelines. The views expressed in the voice story belong to guest writers, columnists and editors, and do not directly represent views of Supporters or parent company, EqualPride.
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