Esa's Notebook

Western countries have made significant progress in promoting equality. Key achievements include gender equality in working life, the rights of LGBTQ+ and ethnic minorities and persons with disabilities and equal healthcare. In particular, there is still work to be done on discrimination and racism, the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, accessibility for persons with disabilities, socio-economic disparities and equality in education.

Over the past 10 years, the status of the LGBTQ+ community has improved significantly in many areas of the Western world. Same-sex marriage has become possible in many Western countries.  Anti-discrimination legislation has been introduced in many countries. The visibility of the LGBTQ+ community in media and popular culture has grown. Many countries have adopted policies that promote equality in the LGBTQ+ community at work. These achievements are important steps towards a more equal society. One might ask, is the world ready yet?

Pride events in recent years have highlighted the rights of minorities in the LGBTQ+ community, such as transgender people. In addition, this year the political agenda for Palestine has been added with the slogan Gays for Palestine.  But… an important area of work has been completely overlooked.

Gay communities would have a lot of work to do to combat discrimination against gays in the Islamic world. You don’t hear about it at any demonstrations and nobody dares to say anything about it.  Now that the rights of homosexuals in the West have largely been obtained, it is time to move on to the next serious issues – such as Islam. Gays for Palestine may be an important agenda, but it is even more important to address discrimination and persecution of gays in Islamic countries. Homosexuality is still a crime in 68 countries and is punishable by death in Nigeria, Somalia, Sudan, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. 

10 years ago, there was a drawing on the sheet of the Stockholm Pride parade depicting gay men in Iran behind bars. Since then, this has not been seen anywhere. There is systematic persecution of homosexuals in Islamic countries. We can be proud of our own achievements in terms of fundamental rights, but we must not forget those who have no rights at all.