Hello to all and welcome! This is my first ever blog. It took me a while to figure out exactly what I wanted to write about. I thought about all the things in my life that were important to me, and then I narrowed them down to what could be taken to the intercultural and international levels. So I thought what would fit more perfectly then discussing an intercultural issue with an international twist. So here it goes!
Although I am not gay or lesbian myself, I am a huge advocate of equal rights for everyone, regardless of sexuality. I think it all really started when I found out my cousin was gay. I had never really cared either way, to me everyone was just a person, I never drew lines and I didn't see differences. Needless to say, when I found out my mentality changed. I started to care and I wanted everyone to know I was fighting for what I believed was right. Luckily everyone in our family has always been supportive of my cousin's life and the choices he makes, because if they weren't, then I am sure family reunions would have been quite a bit more interesting!
Even though I cannot make everyone in the world believe as I do about the rights of gays and lesbians, what I can do is give as much information about traveling outside of the United States. Where they shouldn't go, what countries are the most accepting, basically like a safety travel agent. There are a ton of websites I have found that give all sorts of information about going internationally that I found while researching all this. Here is just the short list. I hope to be able to have time soon to go through all of them a summarize key points for everyone.
International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission: This website basically keeps up with abused based on sexuality around the world. http://www.iglhrc.org
International Gay and Lesbian Association: Associated with over 80 countries around the world, it has compiled a worldwide list of almost 400 gay and lesbian organizations. http://www.ilga.org
Lesbigay Special Interest Group of NAFSA: This website has travel resources and guidebooks for gays and lesbians. http://www.indiana.edu/~overseas/lesbigay
Those are just the main websites that I have found. More research is coming, including many student written articles about life studying abroad as a gay or lesbian student! Stay tuned!
Hello cousin! I am honored to be the first person to comment on your compelling blog!
ReplyDeleteBeing a part of a gay couple and traveling can be challenging. Honestly, the first thing that Mike and I deal with no matter where we travel, is the social assumption that we need 2 beds in the room. Society is so rooted in the male/female relationship as the "norm" that when a member of the travel community discovers we are 2 males sharing a room, they are always quick to immediately respond with a 2 double bed request. It is only after we explain that we are married that we get the "Ooooooooh, I understand" response and are immediately offered a king size bed. It would be nice to be asked and no assumptions made.
After our reservations are made, now comes the challenge of determining if we are venturing into enemy territory. We call this the “friend or foe” phase. Because society in general still views homosexuality as a deviant lifestyle, Mike and I feel it is important to scope out the city we are visting, regardless of its overall perceived attitude towards the gay community. We ask ourselves and research, “Does this location accept gays or are they at least tolerant?”; “How far does this tolerance go?”; “Are there any areas of the city that are gay-centric?”; etc. These questions are important as one can open the newspaper any day of the week and read about a new attack somewhere in the world against homosexuals, individual or group.
After either traveling internationally ourselves or having other gay friends that have done so, a general conclusion we can come to with regards to traveling abroad is that most civilized destinations are at least tolerant of the gay community, enough so that we feel it is safe to travel. Keep in mind that being safe to travel is different than feeling comfortable to travel. Many aspects must be taken into account before it can be determined how “out” a homosexual can be. Above all, the religious and spiritual beliefs of the culture visited must be taken into account as this, above all other issues, seems to define the area’s general response to homosexuals.
Long story short, if you are gay, scope out your destination and get to know the people that inhabit the area. This will determine the level of comfort that can be demonstrated on the trip. Mike and I have a dear friend of ours who is gay and he has traveled to 6 out of the 7 continents on this planet. He has traveled to many exotic places: from Paris to Egypt to India to Russia to Japan. Thus far, he has returned safely from all destinations without incident. I strongly believe that it is due to his advance research of his destination. He understands the difference in how a homosexual man can act in Amsterdam as opposed to India as opposed to Japan.