Hinsegin dagar í Reykjavík - Aug 2015, Page 56

The United States and Iceland: The
right to love, to live, and to be accepted
for who we really are.
Message from U.S. Ambassador Robert Cushman Barber to the people
of Iceland and all visitors to Reykjavik Gay Pride 2015:
I am delighted to extend
my greetings to all
the participants in the
Reykjavik Pride Festival.
Having arrived in Iceland at
the start of this year, I was
very pleased to see that Iceland is a place where the civil rights of
the LGBT community are honored and even to the point that in a
recent survey, Iceland ranked number one as the happiest place to
live for gay people. Iceland is an inspiration when LGBT people are
struggling in many countries throughout of the world.
In the United States, while the situation is far from perfect,
measurable progress is being made. On June 26th this year, the
Supreme Court ruled that same sex marriage was a fundamental
constitutional right. In the majority opinion, Justice Anthony
Kennedy said, “The nature of injustice is that we may not always
see it in our own times. The generations that wrote and ratified
the Bill of Rights and the Fourteenth Amendment did not presume
to know the extent of freedom in all of its dimensions, and so they
entrusted to future generations a charter protecting the right of
all persons to enjoy liberty as we learn its meaning.” In issuing its
decision, the Supreme Court made the United States the fifteenth
nation to recognize the legality of same sex marriage. Iceland
was one of the first of these when Althingi passed its same sex
marriage legislation in 2010. We hope that more nations will
follow the example of Iceland, the United States, and other nations
to keep this movement going. Marriage is the most profound of
unions and an example of the highest ideals of love, devotion,
fidelity, sacrifice, and family. Marriage is about becoming greater
than one can be by oneself.
The status of LGBT issues has recently taken a turn for the
worse in many countries around the world, and it is saddening
to hear stories of persecution, imprisonment, and deaths due
to discrimination based on sexual orientation. Some countries
have even enacted laws that criminalize homosexuality, a type
of legislation that was abolished in Iceland many years ago. Last
year, in remarks on the release of the annual country human
rights report, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said, “These laws
contribute to a global trend of rising violence and discrimination
against LGBT persons and their supporters, and they are an affront
to every reasonable conscience, and the United States will continue
to stand with our LGBT brothers and sisters as we stand up for
freedom, for justice, for equal rights for all people around the
world.” LGBT rights are human rights and it is important that we
stand united to end the discrimination.
Human rights issues are never a private matter of nations, and it
is important to stand up and give a voice to those who are being
discriminated against. This is true whether the discrimination
is due to gender, sexual orientation, race, age, religion, or
disability. Protecting universal human rights is at the core of
U.S. foreign policy, and we are committed to advancing human
rights for all. Therefore, we are proud to help promote human
rights in multiple ways in this year’s Reykjavik Pride, not only by
sponsoring activities for LGBT families, marching in the parade,
and contributing to the program magazine, but also by covering
the cost of enabling people with disabilities to participate in the
celebration and highlight their human rights in the process.
Reykjavik Pride is about human rights for all humans, and it is
important to continue that struggle on all fronts.
It is wonderful to see the active international role Icelanders have
taken in raising awareness and helping the fight for human rights
around the world. The international community is at its strongest
when it rises up and takes a united stand.
We will always need active people who are willing to stand up
and be a voice, otherwise change might never come. The acts of
compassion or defiance by ordinary people speaking out against
injustices that have been unaddressed for too long can make
a massive difference. Their actions help us see each other’s
humanity despite whatever differences we might have.
The cause of human rights should have no boundaries as we all
share this world and should be concerned about what is happening
around the globe. Advocating for human rights isn’t about saying
“I’m perfect, and you should be perfect like me.” It is about
aspiring to universal standards, which is something we should all
do. One doesn’t have to be perfect to support human rights, but
we all need to engage in good faith and put the effort into making
our own governments more perfect.
We see it as our duty as Americans, to stand with our Icelandic
friends, and some are proud to march in this year’s parade in
support of LGBT communities around the world. We march for
human rights, for the right to love, to live, and to be accepted for
who we really are.
“Through struggle and setback, we see a common trajectory toward a more free and just
society. But we are also reminded that we are not truly equal until every person is afforded the
same rights and opportunities -- that when one of us experiences discrimination, it affects all
of us -- and that our journey is not complete until our lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender
(LGBT) brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law.”
U.S. President Barack Obama, May 29, 2015.
Presidential Proclamation -- LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL,
AND TRANSGENDER PRIDE MONTH
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