Thoughts for LGBTQ Folks Currently in Russia/Sochi

As the Winter 2014 Winter Olympics commence in a matter of hours, it’s an important time to think about human rights not just in our country, but in others. In Russia, LGBTQ people are beaten, criminalized, and murdered for being who they are.

My heart goes out to the many Russian citizens dealing with this human rights violation, as well as the international LGBTQ athletes who must not only deal with the pressure of the competition, but also worry about their personal safety.

I hope that we will look back on this time and see what a dark era we are living in – not only for matters of sexuality, but for all of the hatred and persecution that is occurring on a global scale.

“The practice of sport is a human right. Every individual must have the possibility of practicing sport, without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.” –Olympic Charter

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The Beginning of a New Journey of Learning

No, I’m not dropping out of the University of Michigan or transferring programs. Throughout the coming weeks I will be taking Honors 390, a course designed specifically for me by Dr. Alexandra Stern and myself. This course will hopefully allow me to better appreciate the humanistic elements of my research interests in health care inequities. It is one thing to understand how the research works, but it is truly something else to try to understand the thoughts, emotions, and actions of people who have lived with the oppression that I want to study. 

I hope that these next series of posts throughout the coming weeks will make you think, will challenge some of your thoughts, and will promote discussion and collaboration to not only improve health care for marginalized communities, but improve how society treats them as well. 

Here we go.