Here is the VIDEO
In 2001, 52 men were imprisoned for suspected of being gay. In the Middle East, being gay is a crime. Mazen, one of the men imprisoned and tortured for being gay, tried to committed suicide multiple times while in jail. After being released within the next year he moves to Paris for protection.
After watching Oprah's video about Mazen living his truth, it made me think about Alice Mitchell and how she lived her truth in America many years earlier. Although quite different stories, they both show the struggle that many have and continue to go through when it comes to their sexuality. After Alice Mitchell murdered Freda Ward in 1892 because she loved her too much that she would rather kill her than have to live without her, headlines announced that is was an "unnatural crime" (Duggan 794). She was viewed as a perverted creature and put in a lunatic asylum because she was thought to be a danger to the community. Similarly, Mazen was viewed as a criminal and was removed from society.
At first Alice and Freda's love was considered ordinary until their relationship became closer and Alice started taking on masculine characteristics. While Mazen never told anyone and was accused of "looking gay."
Both stories bring light to the horrible situation that many have face because of their sexuality. People are being imprisoned, bullied, and killed because of their sexual orientation. After first reading the case study, "The Trials of Alice Mitchell" it made me think about how much progress we have made it recent years with excepting people's differences. Furthermore, I was shocked to hear about Mazon's story, which happened very recently. Do you think we have made a lot of progress in terms of accepting people's sexualities, or do has the struggle just begun? Also, do we need to address this issue all around the world or just in certain areas?
