Persecution of Homosexuals

Throughout the history of the world, homosexuality has been condemned by different religions and societies. Homosexuals have been looked at by many as the “disease” in our chicano communities. They are the reminiscence of Europe’s nineteenth century homosexual crisis, in which Europeans were withdrawn from their moral beliefs and began engaging in what some called “deviant acts.” During the holocaust homosexuals were also targeted and sent to concentration camps where they were enslaved and ultimately incinerated. Today, homosexuals are still being persecuted, they face day to day discrimination, harassment and hate crimes, in specific cases some of these acts have led to their deaths.

Homosexuality is not accepted, recognized or protected by the law of most governments. In many countries such as the United States homosexuals are deprived from their civil rights, the union of same sex marriage is not recognized by most states. The second issue at hand deals with the constant harassment homosexuals face on a daily basis. One of the most hostile environments a homosexual can experience is the constant bullying of their peers throughout middle school and high school. The psychological effects that this trauma may cause are mental and emotional distress. At times leading the victim to take their own life. Lastly, many homosexuals must deal with hate crimes. For example, their property is commonly vandalized or stolen by the people in their communities.

The persecution of homosexuals in our chicano communities should be intolerable. We must come together as a “hermandad” (brotherhood) to embrace our gay brothers and sisters. We must unite so they can have the same opportunities and rights we exercise as individuals. We can not let their sexual orientation divide our chicano communities, if we do, then our own fences will become the borderlands that divide straight from queer in our own back yards.

Although some nations have moved forward by adopting certain laws that give homosexuals a voice in their country, there is till much more to be done. The persecution of homosexuals is in a dark, lost state better known as “Coatlicue.” Many chicanos do not want to recognize that there is an issue at hand taking place. They refuse to acknowledge that their own people are being deprived from their civil rights, just as they were once deprived as immigrants. They go about in their lives shutting their eyes to the discrimination their brothers and sisters are experiencing, they seem to think that what does not hurt them will not affect them. In the essay, “La herencia de Coatlicue / The Coatlicue State,” the author makes a good point of this view when stating, “In order to escape the threat of shame or fear, one takes on a compulsive, repetitious activity as though to busy oneself, to distract oneself, to keep awareness at bay. One fixates on drinking, smoking, popping pills, acquiring friend after friend who betrays; repeating, repeating, to prevent oneself from seeing” (p. 67).

In order to bring awareness to the Chicano community we must educate ourselves about issues regarding homosexuality to unite our communities and move forward towards progress. The importance of understanding each other and respecting one’s sexual preference is of significant value if we want to live in harmony with our brothers and sisters. If we begin teaching our children that there is nothing wrong with being homosexual then they can learn to be more accepting of it. Starting off with our school systems we can engage children and teenagers in conversations that deal with homosexuality. If schools can include homosexuality awareness in their curriculum then we can begin to change the mindset of future generations. Just as Gloria Anzaldia described in her article “Border Arte: Nepantla, El Lugar de la Frontera.” She wrote “Through the centuries, a culture touches and influences another, passing on its metaphors and its gods before it dies. The new culture adopts, modifies, and enriches these images, and it, in turn, passes them on. The process is repeated until the original meaning of images are pushed into the unconscious. What surfaces are images more significant to the prevailing culture era” (p. 109,110).