Monday, July 22, 2013

Gay killings in Yemen

"It’s possible that they don’t happen very often but it’s equally possible that some go unreported because of the taboos and shame associated with homosexuality in Yemen."  So it is possible that they don't happen very often--and there is no evidence to the contrary WHATSOVER--and even when there are no killings, we can claim that there are killings but that they go unreported?  But why not report them (but not as gay killings) by their parents?  But here is the deal: one has to be sure when reporting that a killing is "gay killing", even if the victim is gay.  I mean, it is logic: if an Arab is killed in a fight in a bar in the US, it does not mean that he was killed because he was an Arab, right? Even if he was Arab.  The same thing about killing of a gay person in the region: a person may have been killed for a whole variety of reasons and not necessarily because he is gay, and even if he were gay.  It could be due to tribal or political or personal reasons, even if neighbors and security officials later said that the victim was gay.  We don't know if it was a gay killing without a trial of the killer and an examination of motives.  Those killing for example we know are gay killing because the killers reported their motives and it was reported in the press.  I just call for a bit of caution and responsibility in this highly trendy and sensational topic in Western liberal media.