Today I went to a lecture from the heads of Athens Pride, the largest LGBT advocacy organization in Greece. It was a really, really interesting talk, and definitely eye-opening. The main lady was actually an American who has been living in Athens for the past 22 years, and the other guy was a student at the University of Athens who created the first student-run LGBT organization ever in Athens. They talked to us about their organization and their efforts to create a safer, more accepting environment in Greece. They also talked about Greece's attitudes toward homosexuality, and I found this to be particularly interesting. Americans have this idea that Europeans are much more open with their sexuality and there is a much greater sense of freedom, but in reality this is not the case. As it turns out, Greece is a much more closeted society than America. It is understood and unacknowledged. They have the "I'm fine with people being gay...just as long as it's not my child" kind of mentality. The speakers talked about how Greece's hypocracy on the subject is harder to combat than outright homophobia.
Currently, there are no laws protecting the LGBT community from hate crimes, there is no domestic partnership agreement, and gay adoption is simply out of the question. They said that marriage and adoption are so far on the back burner because in Greece they have much more basic issues to deal with. They have to deal with the issues of tolerance and acceptance, especially within families. There is a distinct lack of visibility for the LGBT community in Greece, particularly in universities (which is certainly not the case in US schools), and this lack of visibility maintains the wall of oppression. Unfortunately, it's a vicious cyle that continues to fuel itself.
After the lecture, the speakers stayed for lunch, and we were able to eat with them and talk some more. It was really neat getting to talk with the student, Steffanos, about his life, his activism, and his experiences. It was also really neat getting to talk to the lady, Andrea, about the differences between being gay in America and being gay in Greece. It was all very eye-opening, and I feel that I gained a lot out of the lecture and the lunch.
It made me realize once again how out of touch we are with reality in America. We live in our little American bubble. I had no idea the hardships the LGBT community in Greece and other European countries are faced with. I really admire these people for finding the passion and making a lifetime commitment to fighting for what's right. I don't understand how people can be so cruel and so violating of human rights. Love is love. I really hope that at some point throughout my lifetime we will see great changes on this issue. I hate even calling it an "issue," because it's not an "issue." Nobody should be victimized for any reason. Nobody should be treated differently than others. Nobody should have their rights stripped away. Nobody should be a second class citizen.
I really got a lot out of the lecture/lunch. It was one more thing that I feel made me open my eyes and step a little further out of my American bubble. It also touched my heart a little. I feel that I need to reach out more, be more compassionate, and more aware of the struggles of others. We all walk a long road and fight a hard battle in this life, and for some it's much harder than others. Everyone could use a hand or a shoulder from time to time.
Anyway...on a completely different note, I have a rather comical story. I went to the market to get some Greek groceries to bring on the ship to spend the last of my Euros (none of our remaining countries use the Euro). I got some yogurt(!), some snacks, some juice, and some lemon soda. Unfortunately, I wasn't paying attention and all of the beverages I purchased were twist off tops, so as soon as I got to security to board the ship, they had to confiscate all of my drinks. I was so sad. They told me that I could drink it outside of the ship before I got on. I ran to my cabin to put my yogurt in the fridge, and on my way inside I ran into Craig. I told him the situation, and asked if he wanted to come help me drink some juice. We had quite the time trying to explain to the security guard inside the ship that we had to get back off the ship to drink some juice (we're not allowed off the ship once we've gotten back on within one hour of "on-ship time" prior to departing from the ports). The security guard off the ship that confiscated my drinks told him it was ok, and they let us off. We were standing outside the ship with all of this juice, and we passed some out to the LLCs (Living-Learning Coordinators...they're basically RAs) and to the Dean of Students (once again, getting on her good side!). It was a pretty hilarious moment. We were joking about how we were "getting juiced with the dean." I seriously have never consumed so much juice in one period of time. I couldn't even eat dinner afterward because I was so full from the juice.
We have departed, and I am watching the sun set over Greece in the distance out my window. I am really sad to be leaving this beautiful country, this beautiful culture, and these beautiful people. There was something about Greece that was just so special for me. I don't know that I could even pinpoint it or put it into words. This country really grabbed my heart, and I know I will return someday. We're setting sail for two days at sea before reaching our next destination of Varna, Bulgaria.
No comments:
Post a Comment