Race , Class and Gender
Dignity : A Chant to The Social Conscience
Pedro Tamayo Zayas Antilla , Holguín , Cuba
For humankind — including we , the Cubans — dignity is enjoyable as right to be duly valued and protected from all forms of violence , physical or mental , and all forms of discrimination . The inalienable human rights are often ignored , such as freedom of expression , freedom of gender identity and sexual orientation , and others that are part of an ethics code to respect human dignity . If our way of seeing life is really based on respect for others and we want to grow up with a high sense of it , no one can demand respect without knowing how to respect others . It ’ s troubling the occurrence of such degrading facts like harassment , abuse and discrimination because of skin color , sexual orientation or another reason . These facts cannot simply be brushed aside without denouncing them . I recently witnessed how a group of young high school students — and some cadets and recruits — made use of their bad education , built by the revolutionary educational project , for uttering obscene words and sexual offenses against a gay nurse couple who , like them , waited for the P-7 bus ride in the Fraternity Park . The couple was scheduled to serve in a hospital at El Cerro . They were not only verbally , but also physically assaulted by students , cadets and recruits who prevented them from boarding the bus . The law enforcement agents on the spot did not act in defense of the victimized couple .
Some believe that , in addition to the lack of a public campaign against all forms of discrimination , it is necessary to draw the attention of the authorities towards the growing deterioration of social behavior , indiscipline and public disorder for all to see . The ordinary citizens consider that the actions taken for ensuring discipline and order are not enough . The challenge is to implement an educational process that goes beyond the state media propaganda on the Cubans as faithful exponents and defenders of human rights , with dignity as an appreciable and respectable input . Generally , those who act very violently , who abuse or offend LGBTI people , have a common starting point : the inherited patriarchal and macho culture , but other ideological factors also operate within the mentality the new man ´ s creation . It has not in mind that the world is evolving and nobody can be blind to the changes driven by a diverse and global world aimed to eradicate homophobia . Many of these inquisitive judges suffer from a homophobic sense and a proclivity to embrace alleged fundamentalist truths , filled with ignorance , for branding , pigeonholing and discriminating LGBTI community members . It goes to the extreme of excluding them from certain social benefits . Sexual emotion and enjoyment are part of the human repertoire and cannot be classified as politically correct or
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