SELECTIVE GOLDEN RULE: HOMOSEXUALS ARE LESS HUMAN?

The idea of the golden rule was indoctrinated into our little brains since childhood: "Always treat others the way you want yourself to be treated." We grew up on the playground trying to abide by that notion, and for the most part it worked, save for the times when you called Timmy a meathead at lunch. Things shouldn't change right? People should be following this rule; the United Nations even developed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in order to make sure that countries don't break the golden rule.

Everything should all be fine, but it's not. Articles five, six, and seven of the Declaration of Human Rights explicitly delineate that everyone has the right to be recognized as a human and thus is entitled to equal protection under the law. Furthermore, every human shall not be subjected to torture or inhumane treatment. This is all fine and dandy. However, in the United States, many of these rights as outlined are infringed upon or even excluded to homosexuals.

There is no biological evidence that homosexuals are not people — they have two eyes, ten fingers, and all of the other physical attributes that are characteristics of humans. They even pay taxes and hold normal jobs. But apparently, they are not human enough to have equal protection and rights under the law. Their marriages are not even recognized in certain states, for crying out loud! As of right now there are only eight or so states that recognize same sex marriage.

What happened in California was the most shameful. The overturning of such a crucial human rights amendment via Proposition 8 due to religious and Puritanical reasons is just disgusting. So where does this instance tie into the whole scheme of things? The blatant refusal to recognize marriages by homosexuals, even though heterosexual marriages are recognized by the law is a direct infringement on articles six and seven. Article six: "Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law." Article seven: "All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law."

Homosexuals are not safe from discrimination when it comes to joining the armed forces on the grounds that they lower morale and are a hindrance. Fact: a national poll conducted in May 2005 by the Boston Globe showed 79% of participants having nothing against openly gay people from serving in the military, thus disproving the aforementioned notion. The one thing that is once again proven is the blatant homophobia that is ever so present in American society.

Oh, wait there's more. The government's half-hearted attempt at equal human rights is exemplified by its "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. In brief, homosexuals can now join the armed forces, but they cannot display or openly state that they are homosexual. The fact that homosexuals are prohibited to even state their sexual orientation which is an intrinsic part of their being is a denial of article six once again. The homosexual hazings that occur on military bases against homosexuals as such as the case of dog handler Joseph Rocha is a direct violation of article five: "No one shall be subjected to torture of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment."

So why, if there are so many instances of human rights violations in the United States, hasn't any other nation called us out on it? The United States has called every other nation out, from Sudan to Burma, but why hasn't anyone done the same? Is it because the United States is too big to get caught? I asked this question a few weeks ago to Karin Ryan, director of the Carter Center's Human Rights Program to try to sort this conundrum out. In essence — I didn't get much of an answer. She basically said that this was an internal problem and that the United States was such a progressive nation that as time goes on, the problem of discrimination against homosexuals would fix itself.

Really now? Is the United States such a progressive nation that there is still integration between the church and state — a practice that dates back to the first century? Are we such a progressive nation that we haven't had a woman president? Are we such a progressive nation that we deny the golden rule to homosexuals that are still people nonetheless?

A Gain - Greece