Hello Jacien, SaintPlazma, NicholasJohn16 and whom I might have addressed in some way,
1st let me explain, that I read NicholasJohn16´s "we are protected" as a basically thing, not relater only to the US. There is, what I can read in the press coverage really a bigger coverage of police, trying to protect pride marches and be it just as a "show of force".
Quote by Jacien
I believe Nick was simply trying to highlight the support we do have in countries across the world. Bringing up countries that are still behind on LGBT acceptance is not only beside the point he was trying to make, it ignores devalues the tremendous strides we've made as a world-wide LGBT community.
This is not the case in many other "civilized" country in Europe. I can start counting with my fingers and my hand is soon not enough. Poland, Ukraine, Tschechoslowakia, Italy, Lithuania, (turkey, Russia) ... all countries with a very conservative religious (catholic) background.
Talking about conservative: I guess, this is also the problem with many states in the US. I have absolute no clue, how under the protection of "free speech" law, a priest after the Orlando mass killing can tell in a service, that this it gods will and it is okay to kill homosexuals.
If that Baptist priest is serious about the laws ordered by moses, than he also should look at the commandments given even as a higher milestone. One of them states: You shall NOT kill. It is just illogical, as Spock would say.
Me, being no longer a 16 year old and had to struggle with my coming out am very glad, what the LGBT community fought for and of which me and the "next generation" can benefit of. We are now in a situation, where being gay or different isn´t that weird anymore.
In Germany, it was even illegal up to the year 1994, with the so called §175 in it's Criminal Code and got get you into jail. Obviously not a great outlook to live, if you discover as young person, that this might apply to you and you would have to fear the police.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paragraph_175Nowadays there is something like a registered civil partnership which same sex couples can register for - at saxony ironically at the vehicle registration office and not at the civil registery when the law was introduced ... :dry:
Germany doesn´t have a full gay marriage system, because the chancellor Merkel has a gut feeling about it - and again its the "Christian Democratic Party who is in charge of politics and fears less votes in an upcoming election. Another great example, why politics don´t work out as they should when logical reasoning comes to mind. Germany doesn´t have the case with church marriages, who are not binding. Only civil registered marriages count before the law. So, it should be easy to enable a "states marriage" easily under the reason, that two people want to take care for each other ...
And for other security on the streets or at prides: of course the police is attending and protecting the big pride at Cologne or Berlin. They are not so much protest marches but more like a big carnival of colours.
Weapons: It´s hardly possible to own a gun or rifle - only people who are in the category "high risk" are allowed to own and carry the weapon at its body. Other professions like hunters or hobbyist shooters can own only a limited amount of weapones, are NOT allowed to carry them in public but only transport them with a lock to the shooting ground. Ammonition is kept seperatly. (unfortunalty this still enables some to do amok shooting as like as in the UK.)
As far as I understood the weapon laws in the UK, they are even more restrict. I handed over my sports weapon for getting it destroyed over to the police ...
Weapon of Mass destruction should not be in the possession of anyone - in optimal circumstances not even the government. And the Bobbys are not walking around with a weapon in its belt. (another case in Germany - every cop has a handgun, in special circumstances a light machine gun).
I asked myself: could a Massaker as it happened in Orlando happen in Germany or in my city? The answer is yes.
1.) It´s way to easy to get access (behind the train station ...) to drugs, passports, weapons ...
2.) The laws of an society have a major influence at the mood and mindset of people. If religions or even state laws enable discrimination for various reasons, it is highly likely, that such incidents happen.
3.) I´m in an age, where I thought I don´t need to show my gay side in public s it is accepted and being gay/bi/whatever is only one part of my personality - surely not the most important part. But society obviously needs still to make the connection to: He´s gay, but he´s so normal.
Of course I am normal - because being LGBT is and should be ...
4.) I never understood the 2nd amendment as an US outsider, but again it lacks logic. If I would be living in the wide wilderness of the US, it might be a good feeling of being able to defend against animals. But a single shot gun should be enough for that - i don´t want to go to war with a semi-automatic rifle as used in the military. And sorry - if I would be in a city, why would I carry a gun at my body? I would expect others not to draw it in my vicinity, why should I do it? And not trusting their own government? Hello? That really sounds paranoide. I guess, you folks in the US are proud of having a democratic society, don´t you?
5.) The LGBT peer-group shall not make the mistake of blaming other minorities like muslims (there are also LGBT muslims and most who are refugees do not only flee the war, but also the changes in their society.
... and finally I am glad, that the LGBT and gun control topic is finally up in the US. It´s just so sad, that 50 lost their lives, the same got heavily injured and lots more of their friends and LGBT peers psychologically traumatised.
Let us be vigilant against hate.
Nicolas-James
