The Year of Protest

Posted on by kailynmiller

With the chanting “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” spreading from Ferguson to the rest of the world, students in Hong Kong standing for democracy with umbrellas, and a movie revolution inspiring a real life one in Taiwan, 2014 has been the year of the protest.

LGBT rights were center stage during protests of the 2014 Winter Olympics held in Sochi, Russia at the beginning of the year. President Putin had passed laws banning “homosexual propaganda” which were protested by Russians and visiting athletes alike.

Greece Olympics Sochi Flame Protest

Protests continued in Gaza strop as numbers of unarmed Palestinians continue to be killed by the Israel army in the ongoing fight to have their own land. This year saw growing support from people around the world as rallies were held in London, France, Chicago, New York and many other cities.

University procedures surrounding rape and sexual assault were brought into question as a senior, Emma Sulkowicz, at Columbia University brought her mattress to class and led to mattresses being dragged out on campuses across the nation in protest of how American university handle sexual assault cases.

The blockbuster third installment in the Hunger Games series was banned in Thailand out of fear of it encouraging revolution. This did not stop the three finger salute from the movie from being a symbol of the movement. The students that are a part of the movement hope to change the government to a democracy.

With the FIFA World Cup in Brazil this past year there were protests at the matches about how the government of Brazil treats its people, particularly the natives and poor.

There continue to be protests in Mexico City following the kidnapping of over 43 Mexican students by the police working for a drug cartel. Graves continue to found outside Iguala where the students were from.

Dubbed the “Umbrella Revolution” students in Hong Kong shut down highways a movement for democracy despite the violence and tear gassing they have faced from the police. The movement was shut down by the police earlier today after two months in the streets, but the protesters say they will return.

Racism in the police sparked protests across the United States and the globe after the deaths Mike Brown, Erin Garner and other black men who were killed while unarmed by white people officers. The movement was started in 2012 with the killing of Trayvon Martin and remains prominent as multiple black men have been killed by the police in the past few months.

Clearly the world has many problems, but people are wiling to do what it takes to create a world in which they want. The remarkable thing about the protests of this year is the solidarity of people from all places and walks of life. Social Media has been able to connect groups, share tips and let the world know what is happening even if the mainstream media isn’t. So here is to the people fighting for their rights in 2014 and hopefully a better year in 2015.

Liberty in North Korea

Posted on by kailynmiller

North Korea has never been known for its respect for human rights. A complete dictatorship with an oppresive regime and extreme isolationist tendencies, it typically doesn’t even register on most people’s radars. Its a black whole of human rights. Back in October of this year though Yeonmi Park spoke at the One Young World Summit in Dublin. This video is of her amazing and heart-wrenching speech where she spoke about what it was like for her to live in North Korea before she escaped when she was 13 years old. She speaks about the total control the government has over what its citizens do, see, hear and even think. She also speaks about the unbelievably strict punishments for the simplest of “misbehavior” where watching a movie means death and a wrong thought means three generations of your family go to jail. A strong young woman, Park uses her speech as a call to action for people to help those who are escaping North Korea. These people have faced enough as is in North Korea without the horrible mistreatment they face as they seek refuge in other countries. While the global community can do little about the workings within North Korea other than war, which the rest of the world would like avoid with North Korea.

An organization that helps North Koreans escape to a safe country and become resettled is Liberty in North Korea which helps North Koreans escape free of charge and will help them adjust to a new life outside of the control of the dictator.

Staying on Track

Posted on by kailynmiller

In my last post I posted a photo of what has become the motto and hashtag for the protests about the racism of police brutality, “Black Lives Matter.” In reference to this phrase and the way it has been used I would like to take a moment to talk about derailing conversations. Since the hashtag became trending, there has been a backlash of people saying it should be #AllLivesMatter. Yes, all lives do matter, but to change the message that is trying to be sent and to even try to claim that it is racist to say black lives instead of all is derailing the conversation about something that is specific to people of color. Police brutality has shown itself to have a racist bias and that the fear of being killed by a police officer is not something white people in America need to be too concerned about. To switch it to “all” is to gloss over the issues that certain groups have and echoes what happened with #NotAllMen after #YesAllWomen. Issues specific to certain groups cannot be erased for the convenience of those who are not oppressed or feel left out. The “colorblind” approach ignores the problems that need to be solved as well as the identities of many. So it is important for those of us who are white allies to know, this isn’t about us and #BLACKLIVESMATTER

Screenshot (33)

Where is the Justice?

Posted on by kailynmiller

Tonight the jury in Ferguson has decided that Darren Wilson will not be indicted on the murder of Michael Brown, an unarmed 18 year old teen. This shows how our justice system does not care to protect black lives. They did not find the officer who shot him repeatedly needing to taken to trial. In cases of accidental death in car deaths there is still a charge of manslaughter but apparently officers are above the law.

It has been 108 days since the killing of Michael Brown on August 8th and as protests have continued in Ferguson and around the world because the shooting of an unarmed black man by a white police officer is not an isolated incident. When 2 black men are killed by the police each week there is no way to deny the link of race to the case. Since Michael Brown was murder in the street, Darren Wilson has been on paid leave, given half a million dollars and been married while Michael will not have any of that. Wilson has been on paid leave for murder when Michael should be in his first year of college studying for his finals instead of being dead from a trigger happy cop.

Protests will continue with the announcement of the jury’s decision. KKK members and Neo-Nazis have gathered in support of Wilson and Holocaust survivors and civil rights activists have fought for justice for Michael Brown because our justice system should not just be for the white and its time for real equality.

Transgender Day of Remembrance

Posted on by kailynmiller

Today marks the fifteenth annual Transgender Day of Remembrance. This event is observed every year in memorial of those who have dies since the previous November due to transphobia and hate crimes. In the past year 226 lives have been lost in due to hate for being who they are. The life expectancy of trans people is only 30 to 32 years old due to them being at the highest risk of being murdered of any groups and highest risk of being victim to police violence. 2-3% of the population is estimated to be transgender yet they make up 20% of all murders and over 40% of police violence. The murder rate for trans individuals in 1 in 12. This should not be the case.

We should not have to add hundreds each year to those who have been lost to useless hatred for people existing. Transgender people have to deal with so many struggles beyond their own body dysphoria that should not be a person. How another person identities themselves and presents themselves is none of your business. But people don’t seem to be able understand this because transgender people are more likely to be thrown out, homeless or in poverty than cissex people.

Trans individuals face more hate than any other group. Over 90% of them have faced harassment for their gender and presentation.  This has lead them to have a high suicide rate with 40% of them having attempted suicide at some point. This is 26 times higher than the national average.  There are simple ways to be a trans ally. Respecting a persons identity and pronouns is important as well as standing up for people who are being mistreated. Remember that misgendering a person is an act of hate. 

This Transgender Day of Remembrance I urge everyone to remember and honor those who have been lost to transphobic hate crimes and to stand with those who continue to battle because no one should face violence for who they are. Many cities are holding vigil throughout the world and reading the names of those whose have been lost in the past year to transphobic hate and violence. Hopefully someday trans people will be able to live without fear of others’ hatred and there will be no more names to be read on this day.

Dignity in Disease

Posted on by kailynmiller

Ebola has gotten a lot media recently as the United States has had its first cases of the disease. This disease is highly infectious, though not incredibly contagious. It has been incredibly deadly in West African nations where there is not the same level of sanitation and hygiene as in developed nations. Ebola cases are fatal almost 90% of the time. Thousands have died in the countries of Sierra Leon, Liberia, and Guinea. Developed nations are actually at very little risk of having an outbreak that has been seen in western Africa, yet this hasn’t stopped widespread panic in the United States.

Americans are not viewed favorably around the world and our reaction to Ebola has not helped our case. Most other countries see the United States response as what it is: ridiculous. Fear only serves to spread misinformation and panic. Recently, the panic caused by the Ebola scare has caused a Maine woman to be quarantined despite not having the disease. Actually, she tested negative for the disease twice. Still, Kaci Hickox was isolated and is now suing under the claim that her human rights were violated. Fear and misinformation places a major part in her argument because the only reason for her quarantine was her working in west Africa with Ebola patients, not based on the actual possibility of her passing the disease on.

The connection of Ebola outbreak to West Africa has caused an emergence of racism in the United States as well. In New York City, two African boys were bullied and beaten while “Ebola” was chanted at them. These 11 and 13-year-old boys were beaten by classmates because of their country of origin. Panic as a nation causes fear of outsiders and acts of violence even among children, while adults call for a banning all flights from affected areas. Children are learning the panic that adults and the media are perpetrating.

Ebola is a devastating disease which has ruined and ended the lives of many and continues to be a global health issue. This being said, today is Halloween. While it is common for people to try to come up with new, up to the moment, and frankly, controversial costumes, I urge people to avoid dressing up in a costume tonight that has anything to do with the Ebola outbreak. This includes Ebola hazard suits and the disturbing sexy Ebola costumes that have been seen online. People lives are at risk and it is not for us to make fun of or make light of and it just adds to the panicked atmosphere surrounding the disease in the United States.. Respect those who are dying or have died and do not go out in an Ebola related costume.

First Comes Love

Posted on by kailynmiller

In the United States there has been a widespread movement to fight for marriage equality. Recently, the Supreme Court declined to hear appeals in which lower courts legalized marriage between people of the same gender. This is an crucial step which served as a final approval for five states that were debating the issue and is predicated to be key in similar movements in 6 other states.

The push for marriage equality has been an ongoing attempt to change the social norms and expectations of the heteronormative world that we live in. In 2013, there was an initiative on Facebook to change profile pictures to red versions of the human rights campaign logo. It was to show support for marriage equality in face of the United States Supreme Court upcoming decision on Prop 8. Many of LGBT movements have been to raise awareness of support such as the profile pictures, Straight but Not Narrow, and NOH8. One of the better known ones targeted towards LGBT youth has been the It Gets Better campaign.

These grassroots movements seem to be having their desired effect. In 1996, only 27% percent of Americans were found to support same-sex marriage according to the Gallup poll. This number is up to a 55% as of May 2014. This change in public opinion is now having a affect on the legislation. In the United States, there is now marriage equality in 32 states and in the District of Columbia.

More and more Americans are realizing that you cannot discriminate against a group of people and still call yourself the land of the free. Same-sex marriage is one small step to furthering the lgbt rights movement in the United States.

Love around the World

Posted on by kailynmiller

As the United States and western Europe move forward on marriage equality, a large number  of countries still criminalize homosexuality. International rights laws surrounding gender and sexual minorities were brought into the spotlight during the 2012 Sochi Olympics. Russia created a law that banned “the propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations” to minors.  This created fines for individuals and NGOs that range from $150 for an individual to $30,000 for NGOs. Additionally, foreigners can be detained in prison for 15 days and deported from Russia. It is illegal to show support for non-heterosexual couples or say that is normal and pride parades have been banned in Moscow for the next 100 years.

Russia’s laws very clearly breaks the rights laid out in the Universal Declaration for Human Rights by eliminating the freedom of speech given in the preamble as well as the discrimination against the LGBTQ community at large. The issues in Russia are just the tip of the iceberg in regards to human rights violations against the LGBTQ internationally. Currently, over 70 countries have laws that call for the imprisonment of people based on their sexual orientation. Of these countries, five of them (and parts of two others) call for the death sentence for people found to be gay.

(note: map accurate up to December 2013)

While there have been some threats of cutting aid and boycotting events there has been little international action against these laws. Overall, decisions are left up to the nations in question, and the threats of the international community to change the laws are viewed as overstepping the sovereignty of the nation.  This position has not caused much change though. South Africa is the only African nation with marriage equality and has non-discrimination laws, yet there is little action to reprimand and punish men who rape lesbian in an attempt to “fix” their sexual orientation. Each week there around 10 cases of these “corrective” rapes in Cape Town alone. The overall homophobic attitude in the police force makes many women decide not to pursue the case because of how they are treated. Some of the action that nations have made include demonstrations. Notably was Putin’s visits to the Netherlands where the city protests the Russian “propaganda” laws. The city donned itself rainbows and held protests to show its disagreement with Russian policy.

There needs to be more international effort to overturn anti-homosexuality laws. The current method has not been effective as people are still being killed for who they are. It should not be allowed for nations to blatantly abusing their citizens human rights.

Seeking Comfort

Posted on by kailynmiller

Some human rights are never addressed for years after they happen. Victims were devastated and silenced and the perpetrators want to bury their misdeeds so they cannot be held responsible. In the early 1990’s though, one of these atrocities was to light almost 50 years after the abuse. In World War II, Japanese and other Eastern and Southern Asian women were forced to perform sexual acts for the Japanese military. These “comfort women” as they were called were kept in unsanitary conditions, forced into sexual slavery, and often left unable to bear children. Most of the more than 200,000 women were younger than 20 years old and some were as young as 12 typically kidnapped from their own homes. They were starved, beaten and raped by 10 to 100 men a day. Some estimate only 25 to 30% of the women who went to the “comfort stations” survived them. Now these women are old and dying off quickly, but before the last one of them is gone they want an apology from the Japanese government that state that what happened was the fault of the Japanese government.

The sexual slavery that took place during World War II particularly in the Pacific Sphere has been erased from history. The women were silenced by the expectations of their society which caused shame and blame on themselves for what happened. This is in addition to the governments attempts to bury the tortures they committed. Today the elderly survivors of the “comfort stations” want the Japanese government to own up to what they did. The government has given insincere remarks in the past and claims what was done was necessary and that Japan is being unfairly targeted for their use of human trafficking in war. This is not enough especially for the survivors whose suffering is still being ignored and downplayed.

They are asking for an official apology and the funds allotted to them to come from the government. Currently, the compensation given to the women who are still alive comes from a private fund and this is part of the  government way of distancing themselves. It is time to for the Japanese government to take responsibility for what they did. It is time for them to apology for the inhumane treatment of their women during World War II before it is too late.

War and the Unthinkable

Posted on by kailynmiller

The version of war that we grow up hearing in war is simple. One side against another, usually good versus evil. War is something waged against another nation’s military not its civilians. In actuality, war little resembles the black and white view of the world that was taught in my grade room schools. War is not neatly contained to battle fields so it does not affect civilians. In fact, attacking the groups that are often considered “off-limits” is one of the oldest tactics of war there is. Wartime rape is systematic and meant has emotional and physical abuse. Its prevalence is not affected at all by it being illegal in international law. The United Nations Security Council recognizes wartime rape as well as any sexual assault during war to be a war crime.

Rape is used in a variety of ways during war. Over the last century, it has been come to be viewed as a tactic of war rather than a spoil or outcome of men’s isolation from women. Women are seen as the care takers and center of communities. They are targeted in an attempt to destroy that center. There is a particular focus on trying to impregnate the women to try and “corrupt” their bloodline with that of the attacker. This these cases it is an attempt of ethnic cleansing and falls under the category of genocide. Sometimes a soldier’s family and loved ones will be raped in front of them in attempts to break their spirit. Additionally, this issue cannot be dismissed as something happening to others and as not our issue. This is a worldwide issue.

No matter what reason an attacker has or side of a war a woman is on; rape is wrong. Governmental militaries are to blame as much as insurgents because it coming from all sides. Such a horrible violation of human rights has become a part of war to the point it is considered a tactic and not the horrendous crime it is. It is important for the global community to stand with the victims of war crimes and help them the best they can after what they have gone through. It is also important that these crimes are taken to the International Court for the war crimes they are.