LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Equality for All

For the Indian community, sexuality in any form is rarely discussed openly and when it comes to homosexuality, it becomes ten times harder. If you have grown up in a traditional family, chances are that you will most likely take those values with you through life, even if you migrate to a western country, like Australia. You might find yourself very uncomfortable in a lot of situations. This could be at work, university, shopping malls or train stations.

In Australia being homosexual is socially acceptable. Homosexual is the term which is used for a male who is gay, or a female who is lesbian. The broader or updated term is GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender). If you are homosexual, most of the time your family, friends and coworkers are very respectful of your choices. But this might not always be the case if you are from an Indian background. In saying that, it doesn’t mean all Indians are against the GLBT community, but we are talking about the majority. I come from a traditional Indian family and I am proud of it. Being part of that culture has taught me a lot of things. I have so much respect for my culture and tradition. I probably didn’t have very a good opinion about the GLBT community until I got to know a lot of them through work and university. Sometimes we look at homosexuals as people who have made the wrong choice, which is where we are making the mistake.

Homosexuals are absolutely normal people like us. They share the same feelings and belong to the same society as we do. They deserve the same respect as we would give to any other person of the community. Being homosexual doesn’t disqualify them from being normal citizens.

Australia is a multicultural country and the beauty of this great nation is that we are all equal. No one gets excluded based on their age, nationality, religion, gender or sexuality.

Regardless of your opinion about homosexuality, treat them equal, respect their choices, be genuine and stand up for them if you have to. We are all entitled to an opinion, but that doesn’t mean we should be disrespectful to them.

This year a poll conducted by pew research shows that 79% of Australians are in favour of same sex marriage. Homosexuals must be welcomed with dignity. Every sign of unjust discrimination should be condemned.

You don’t have to accept someone’s choices, but you do need to respect them. Don’t try to change their choices just because you don’t agree. Education should be to promote kindness and compassion.

Jot Singh Kuraby, QLD