From: NewNowNext
While there’s still much to do for the LGBT community in America, the fight for equality has gone global: With obstacles facing our brothers and sisters around the world, some courageous advocates have stepped up to fight for liberty and justice in their homeland—risking jobs, safety and, sometimes, their very lives.
We honor seven incredible activists improving the lives of LGBT people everywhere from Armenia to Uganda.
They’re on our radar, and need to be on yours, too.
Khader Abu Seif
Israel
As a Palestinian, Khader Abu Seif is fighting for acceptance from two worlds: He is shunned by his fellow Arabs for being gay and discriminated against by the Israeli government for being Palestinian.
“I need to fight in front of my community. We have LGBT in our community. It is a new discussion happening now,” he told NNN over Skype. “I want a lot of Arab teenage boys and girls to feel comfortable to be whoever they are.”
But Abu Seif, the subject of the documentary Orientated, is not just fighting for LGBT rights in Palestine—he also fights for Palestinian acceptance in Israel. “Not all of us are terrorists. We just want to be equal like everyone,” he says. “When there is tension, living as a Palestinian can be difficult. I had to be careful what language I speak in public. Every time you are in the bus and you talk in Arabic everybody looks up.”
At the same time, he wants the media to start portraying positive stories of gay Arabs, in hopes of sparking change: “I want to be a positive role model so people can say, “If he can make it, than so can I.” I want to be loyal to my roots. Listen, I am gay and we are going to talk about. I am Palestinian and we need to talk about it.”
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