Homosexuality vs. Human Rights

Dear President, Macky Sall,

On June 27, 2013, you spoke with President Barak Obama on the issue of homosexuality and human rights. However, the two subjects should not be compared or interchanged. North America and Germany are among the highest percent of our society willing to accept homosexuality. They believe that people have certain inalienable rights regardless of race or sexuality. The majority of societies and cultures have dealt with some form of prejudiced behavior. From women’s rights to the fight for African-American equality, human rights have been a struggle for a number of cultures. Senegal is going to be behind the rest of the world in equality progression if we can’t get past a simple lifestyle choice. Religion is an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god or gods. It’s something that people choose to believe in or live by, not something that should condemn those who think differently. Human rights are fundamental rights that every human is born with, regardless of ethnicity, spiritual beliefs or personal opinions. Human rights grant every born citizen freedom of thought, conscience, and religion, so how can we use those rights against others as a means of punishment for their lifestyle?

Religion is a way for people to have direction in life, morals beliefs, and structure. Homosexuality cannot be viewed as a crime because it’s not harming anyone. Yet, they're still insatiable targets for hate-crimes. Only the parties involved should be concerned about where they will stand within their own beliefs. It’s a choice. Human rights should always prevail because that can never be taken away from a person, regardless of sexual preference. Human rights are what give our culture the freedom to choose your own religion and religious views; we should not then use those same human rights against the very people they are designed to give freedom to.