Homosexuals Are Humans Too
Referring to the letter "Show sympathy for gays and lesbians and update the law", I would like to extend my complete and unconditional support to the author for speaking out about an issue that has been constantly ignored by Malaysians at large. The problem here lies in the fact that most Malaysians discriminate lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders (LGBTs) because they fail to understand these groups of people. LGBTs are human too, and they are born the way they are. They have rights, the right to love and the right to be accepted for who they are.
However, because of the homophobia running rampant among the citizens of our country, aided by prejudice and misinformation from certain parties, LGBTs appear to the public eye as mere criminals, although most of them have not commited a crime other than being born. They are despised by the most, just because they have a different sexual orietation compared to the rest of us. It's depressing how many people consider homosexuality a disease, but not homophobia. Add that to the fact that there are also people who promote homophobia, what exactly can the LGBTs do, but hide in fear of being an object of public scrutiny? Because of the austere laws present in our country, LGBTs are afraid to 'come out' as they prefer to avoid backlash, especially by those they love. Thus, they live in a state of denial, eventually forced to marry and live unhappily.
Even as children or teenagers, most LGBTs have discovered their true selves, but are afraid to embrace it. This is largely due to the anti-gay propaganda being spread around schools by overzealous teachers. The students in my high school were once shown a video of a gay teenager who finally realised how wrong it was and became straight. Is this what we're trying to tell our children? That there is something wrong with them and they should change the way they are, just to please the general public? If they dare to 'come out', they would most probably end up as the target of bullying and teasing among their schoolmates. Soem teachers even spend their time preaching about the negativity of homosexuality. As a result of this, gay teenagers are more likely to commit suicide than others, because they realise that they are rejected by their peers, and for some, even their family.
As a supporter of gay rights, I continuously attempt to spread awareness of homosexuality to my acquaintances, mainly through social networking and blogging. But even I can see that what I'm doing is not enough to curb the homophobia that has been long planted in the minds of most Malaysians. The first step that can be taken would be too decriminalise homosexuality, and allow LGBTs to be who they are. Thus, they need not live in fear and denial. They can fall in love and have relationships like other normal people. This will greatly improve their psychological status as they can finally be accepted by society at large as who they truly are.
Referring to the letter "Show sympathy for gays and lesbians and update the law", I would like to extend my complete and unconditional support to the author for speaking out about an issue that has been constantly ignored by Malaysians at large. The problem here lies in the fact that most Malaysians discriminate lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders (LGBTs) because they fail to understand these groups of people. LGBTs are human too, and they are born the way they are. They have rights, the right to love and the right to be accepted for who they are.
However, because of the homophobia running rampant among the citizens of our country, aided by prejudice and misinformation from certain parties, LGBTs appear to the public eye as mere criminals, although most of them have not commited a crime other than being born. They are despised by the most, just because they have a different sexual orietation compared to the rest of us. It's depressing how many people consider homosexuality a disease, but not homophobia. Add that to the fact that there are also people who promote homophobia, what exactly can the LGBTs do, but hide in fear of being an object of public scrutiny? Because of the austere laws present in our country, LGBTs are afraid to 'come out' as they prefer to avoid backlash, especially by those they love. Thus, they live in a state of denial, eventually forced to marry and live unhappily.
Even as children or teenagers, most LGBTs have discovered their true selves, but are afraid to embrace it. This is largely due to the anti-gay propaganda being spread around schools by overzealous teachers. The students in my high school were once shown a video of a gay teenager who finally realised how wrong it was and became straight. Is this what we're trying to tell our children? That there is something wrong with them and they should change the way they are, just to please the general public? If they dare to 'come out', they would most probably end up as the target of bullying and teasing among their schoolmates. Soem teachers even spend their time preaching about the negativity of homosexuality. As a result of this, gay teenagers are more likely to commit suicide than others, because they realise that they are rejected by their peers, and for some, even their family.
As a supporter of gay rights, I continuously attempt to spread awareness of homosexuality to my acquaintances, mainly through social networking and blogging. But even I can see that what I'm doing is not enough to curb the homophobia that has been long planted in the minds of most Malaysians. The first step that can be taken would be too decriminalise homosexuality, and allow LGBTs to be who they are. Thus, they need not live in fear and denial. They can fall in love and have relationships like other normal people. This will greatly improve their psychological status as they can finally be accepted by society at large as who they truly are.
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