In her story at the United Nations Women website, Helen Tavares says that "Being LGBT means fighting against prejudice and violence every day" (UN Women, 2018). Helen, president of the LGBT Association of Santiago, Cape Verde, tells of her experiences and how being LGBT is illegal and a source of prejudice and discrimination in the African Island. In her earlier school days, she realized that she was different from other girls and tended towards masculinity. Hellen realized that heterosexual relationships were not working for her due to inherent inequalities and opted for an LGBT partner. Her story reflects a lack of acceptance of gender non-conforming individuals in society. She advocates for self-acceptance and respect for the rights of LGBT, as expressed in the global sustainable goals number five, seeking the realization of gender equality.
Helen's experiences mirror the plight of many genderqueer persons hailing from the 75 countries where LGBT relationships are illegal. She cannot live in Cape Verde because LGBT relationships are illegalized (UN Women, 2018). The story highlights how sexuality is used for discrimination of individuals identifying as LGBT even in countries that profess respect of human rights. This reflects how legal systems have institutionalized cultural values, practices, and beliefs on sex. While these may mean nothing for most genders, they deny the LGBT rights to relationships, which are central characteristics of human society. Sex is an essential part of that human societies, whether for procreation or psychological reasons. Secondly, Helen's daily experiences of violence, discrimination, and stigmatization reflect how some societies unreceptive sexual liberties, especially where being sexually different is viewed as a curse or sin. The discrimination may provide grounds for physical, sexual, and other abuses. It could also be the reason to deny them employment opportunities due to prejudices and sexual stereotypes that many uneducated individuals hold against LGBTQ.
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Most of the issues in this example fall within the framework of what has been studied in the course contents. While the course contents begin with an anecdote of how sex and sexuality have been used to rationalize physical and sexual abuses even in the developed countries, Helen's story portrays a similar situation in the developing countries where LGBT relationships are outlawed, and the society takes the opportunity to discriminate and stigmatize non-gender-conforming individuals (Rubin, 1984) . It reflects the historically established intolerance to different relationships apart from straight and how despite the ratification of human rights laws by many governments, the same is not accorded to minority gender and sexual relationships. While developed countries the premise for such discrimination on health risks, the developing countries attach it to cultural integrity. In both cases, the law does not distinguish between consensual and coercive behavior or rape, classifying LGBT relationships as a sex offense. These exemplify the course contents.
However, the story gives a gleam of sexuality and sex issues in developing countries, which suggests a similar or worse situation where minority relationships are outlawed. It is also a story of daily prejudice and discrimination, showing how such relationships are impacted by cultural views and its power in influencing legal institutions against such sex relationships. Helen's views show how deep the cultural views have infiltrated the formal systems of law resulting in 'legal' violation of minority rights. However, change is inevitable if discourse on sexual liberties and sexual minority rights continues and if more people will open up about their sexuality. It is only then that society will begin to accept, recognize and accommodate sexual differences in law.
References
Rubin, G. (1984). Thinking sex: Notes for a radical theory of the politics of sexuality. Social perspectives in Lesbian and Gay Studies; A reader , 100-133.
UN Women. (2018, November 15). Desde mi perspectiva: “Ser LGBT significa luchar contra los prejuicios Y la violencia todos los dias” . ONU Mujeres. https://www.unwomen.org/es/news/stories/2018/11/from-where-i-stand-helen-tavares
