Chamberlin1

AdrianChamberlin
Mr.Phillips
APLanguageandComposition
7December2015
EndangeredforBeingLGBTinKyrgyzstan
WhileAmerica'sLGBTrightsmovementgainsmomentumwithitsrecentlegalizationof
samesexmarriageinallstates,moreconservativecountriessuppresstheirgay,lesbian,bisexual,
andtransgendercitizensthroughincreasinglydrasticmeasures.Onesuchmeasureis
Kyrgyzstan'santigaypropagandabill.Ifpassed,criminalliabilitywouldbeinvokedupon
positiveviewstowardirregularromanticandsexualrelations.Evenwithoutstatutoryoppression,
LGBTKyrgyzstanipeoplefaceprejudiceeverydayfromothercitizensandtheirgovernment.
Withthebill'spassage,thelivesofKyrgyzstan'sLGBTcitizenswouldessentiallybe
criminalized,whichwouldpromotefurtherviolenceanddiscriminationtowardthecommunity.
Basically,thebillwouldbananyformofsupporttowardsamesexrelationships.Any
organizationsadvocatingLGBTactivitywouldbeoutlawed,andayearlongprisonsentence
wouldbeenactedforthosewhotakepartinnontraditionalsexualrelations(HumanRights
First).Thisviolatesaprivilegetakenforgrantedbymostheterosexualpeople:theabilityto
expressaffectionoranytypeofrelationshipinpublic.Couplesinsamesexrelationshipswould
beforcedtosplit,orcontinuouslybreakthelawandriskjailtime.
NotonlywouldtheLGBTcommunitybeaffected,thepotentiallaw'sambiguous
phrasingcouldindicatethepossiblepersecutionofanyonewhoseworkisassociatedwithsexual
healthoranyonewhoexistsasasexualorgenderminority.Thisincludeshealthcareservices,

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HIVpreventiongroups,LGBTandwomen'srightsactivists,andjournalists(HumanRights
Watch).Incondemningsexualhealth,thereisagreaterchanceforSTDoutbreaksandteen
pregnancy,whichharmsthegeneralpopulationaswellastheLGBTcommunity.Thenegative
effectsongeneralsexualhealthdon'tseemtostoptheinjusticeinflictedontheLGBT
communitybyKyrgyzsociety.Severalmonthsaftertheintroductionoftheantigaypropaganda
bill,socialnetworkPlanetRomeoconducteda127countrystudytosurveythegeneral
satisfactionofgaymenineachcountry.Aftertakingqualityoflife,socialbehavior,andpublic
consensusintoaccount,Kyrgyzstanwasfoundtobeoneofthebottom10countries.
Thelowhomosexualhappinessindexisn'tsurprising,giventheamountofcrimetargeted
atLGBTpeople.TwoaccountsfromApril2014demonstratethat.Earlyinthemonth,asmall
groupofyounghomosexualshadtheirapartmentbrokeninto,andwereassaultedbyanumberof
unknownperpetrators.Afewdaysafterward,onthenightofApril13,LGBTactivistswere
attackedbythirtyorsopeople,unprovoked("LGBTcommunityasks...").Oneyearlater,the
headquartersofLabrys,anorganizationfortheadvancementofLGBTIQrightsbasedin
Bishkek,Kyrgyzstan,
werestruckby
abarrageofbottledexplosives,twoofwhichcaughtflame.
LuckilyforLabrys,theintendedarsonwasnotsuccessful(LabrysKyrgyzstan).Labryshas
confirmedthatattacksagainstthemhaveincreasedsincethedebutofthedraftlaw.
WhatislikelythelargestantiLGBTincidenttotranspiresincethebill'sfirstpassed
reading,aretheeventsthattookplaceamonthaftertheattackonLabrys,onMay17,2015the
InternationalDayAgainstHomophobiaandTransphobia.Acelebrationwasbeingheldin
Bishkekinthatday'shonor.Activitiesoccurringinaprivatecafeweredisruptedasacrowdof
mengatheredaroundthebuilding.Theybangedonthegateandshoutedthreats.Onemanwas

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reportedtobesaying,"Youwillnotleaveherealive!Allyouneedtoburn!Wewillnotletyou
safelyleavethisroom!"Eventually,thecafewasbreachedbythecrowd,anda
scuffle
ensued,
leavingoneofthecafegoersinjured.Policearrived,andalloftheparticipants,includingthe
LGBTactivists,wereorderedtobebroughttothepolicestationaswitnesses.Thecafegoers
wereshovedintopolicecarsviatwistedhands,pulledhair,andgeneralbruteforce.Atthepolice
station,themenfromthecrowdlateridentifiedasmembersofKalysandKyrkChoro
(Kyrgyzstaniantigaynationalistgroups)werequestionedwithcivility.MeanwhiletheLGBT
advocatesweredeniedaccesstofood,water,firstaid,andbathroomsforfivehours.During
questioning,policedisregardedinterrogationregulationsbyswearing,threatening,andrefusing
informationtothewitnesses.Somewereaskedtorevealtheirgenitalstotheofficers,inorderto
determineiftheyweretransgender(LabrysKyrgyzstan).MembersoftheLGBTcommunityare
unabletoreportdisturbancestothepolice,infearofbeingtreatedakintotheeventgoers.
Unfortunately,maltreatmentbylawenforcementisnotunfamiliartotheKyrgyzLGBT
community.In2014,beforethebillwasannounced,KyrgyzstanwasanalyzedbyHumanRights
Watch,anddespitethelegalityofsamesexactivity,wasfoundtohaveapoliceforcethat,with
immunityofpunishment,activelyandunlawfullydetained,openlymocked,andshamedgay
men.Publichumiliationcomingfromthepoliceisenoughofatravestyforanyonetogointo
hiding,buttheinjusticedoesn'tstopthere.TheKyrgyzstanigovernmentprovideslittletono
supporttowardtheLGBTcommunity,whichisn'tsurprising,consideringthatthebillpassedits
firstreadingbyoverwhelmingmajority,andthesecondwitha90to2voteinfavorofthebill.
AnunnamedmemberofKyrgyzstan'sParliament,considersmembersoftheLGBTcommunity
"sick"and"mentallyill",displayingtheperspectivethatbeinggayortransgenderisadisease.

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AnotherviewpointisshownduringaninterviewbetweenmediacompanyVocativ,andMP
NarynbekMalobaev.Malobaevadmits"Ifitwereuptome,Iwouldroundthemup,the
despicablecriminals.I'dbringthemtoapublicsquare,andthereIwouldpubliclypunishthem."
Whenaskedifhemeans"execute"bysaying"roundthemupandpunishthem,hereplies,"Yes.
That'saboutright.Inordertocleansesociety,"whichgivesinsighttoapartiallyreligious
perspectivethatbelievesthatLGBTpeopleareforsakingthepuritythatisbeingheterosexual
andcisgender.NotallParliamentaryopinionsareasexplicitlyintolerantasMalobaev's.MP
TursunbaiBakirUuluoftheArNamysfactioncommentsupontheallegedattackonLabrysthat
therewasnoevidencethatanyonehadthrownbottlesofexplosives,despitethesecurityvideo
footageofarsoniststossingthem.Healsoreferstothem(Labrys)asprovocateurs.This
purposefulfeignedignoranceallowsforthemajorityofKyrgyzstan'sParliamenttobelievethat
nothingiswrongwithpassingthebill.
Inthepast,Kyrgyzstanseemedtohavehadagenerallynegativetoneutralstanceon
LGBTdiscrimination.Forexample,in2011,theUnitedNationsproposedaresolutiontosaid
discrimination,andKyrgyzstandidn'tvote.Recentyears'negativitymayhavestemmed,
ironically,fromthe2014WinterOlympics,aneventintendedtocreateharmonybetween
countries.AstheywereheldinSochi,Russia,soonafteritsantigaylawwasestablished,it's
possiblethatRussianinfluencecouldhavecreatedthesparkthatinspiredKyrgyzstan'sbill,due
totheshortspanoftimebetweentheclosingceremoniesandintroductionofthebill.Ifso,then
basedonRussianLGBTcitizens'experiencewithhomophobicbills,theeffectthatwillbefelton
Kyrgyzstan'sLGBTcitizenswillsurpass
simple
legalmattersanddelveintothedesensitization
ofviolenceingovernmentofficials(Gaylord).

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ContinuingthechainreactionofantiLGBTbills,Kazakhstan,Kyrgyzstan'snorthern
neighbor,recentlyhadasimilarantigaypropagandabillthatwasvetoed.Ifthedraftlawis
passedinKyrgyzstan,it'sreasonabletoassumethatsomeonewillbemotivatedtoreintroduce
thebillinKazakhstan.ReferencingIndia'srecriminalizationofhomosexuality,Russia'santigay
propagandalaw,andtheintroductionofKyrgyzstan'santiLGBTbill,ShawnGaylord,partof
HumanRightsFirst'sadvocacycounsel,mentionsDwightD.Eisenhower'sacknowledgementof
theriseofcommunisminAsiancountriesasfallingdominoes,andcomparesitwiththepresent
riseinLGBTdiscrimination.
EuropeanParliamentisadvisingheavilyagainstthepassageofthebill.Parliamentary
AssemblyrapporteurTinatinKhidasheli,whomaintainsthepartnershipbetweentheKyrgyz
ParliamentandtheAssemblydiscussesinalettertoKyrgyzSpeakerAsilbekJeenbekovhow
in2014,Kyrgyzstanmadeanagreementwithintheir'PartnerforDemocracy'statusthatthey
weretoupholdtheCouncilofEurope'scodeofconduct.Ifthelawweretoberatified,Kyrgyz
Parliamentwouldbeinviolationofsaidcode,whichencouragesfightinginequitybroughtupon
bygenderidentityorsexualorientation.
Despitethestaggeringamountofsupportthatthebillhasreceivedinitspasttwo
readings,thereisstillhopefortheLGBTcommunity,forthreeparliamentaryreadingsare
requiredforthelawtobepassed,andthepresident'ssignatureisneededaswell(HumanRights
Watch).Kyrgyzstan'sLGBTcommunitytookadvantageoftheformerrequirement,andsent
over60letterstoParliament,assertingthatthepassageofanantigaypropagandalawwould
promotefurtherviolencetowardLGBTpeople.Ifthelettersdon'thaveaneffect,thenLGBT
citizensmustcountontheirpresident,AlmazbekAtambayevtoissueavetoorreturnitto

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Parliamentfollowingitsthirdreading.TheLGBTcommunityheavilyanticipatesthat,withthe
influenceofEuropeanParliament,theObamaadministration,andotherworldleaders,the
presidentwillseetheimportanceofcivilrights,andprotecttherightsofKyrgyzstan'sLGBT
citizens.

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