Virtually all of my acquaintances in the LGBT Community are Democrats, but their party leaders have left traditional democratic principles and are now strong advocates of socialism. So why not move with them? Perhaps there are good reasons the LGBT community should fear socialism. Show me a “real” socialist country that guarantees their right to even exist.
Russia, the first socialist country, quickly conquered its 15 neighbors and assembled itself into the the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, (U.S.S.R.). Vladimir Lenin criminalized homosexuality under Article 121 which read. “Sexual relations of a man with a man (pederasty), shall be punished by deprivation of freedom for a term of up to five years. Pederasty committed with the application of physical force, or threats, or with respect to a minor, or taking advantage of the dependent position of the victim, shall be punished by the deprivation of freedom for a term of up to eight years.” (Basic Documents on the Soviet Legal System; by WE Butler, p. 344, The Criminal Code of the USSR). After the conquest of Germany ending World War II the Union grew by 8 additional countries to 23. It might be well to remember that prison then was forced hard labor with meager rations which often resulted in starvation.
Adolf Hitler’s the National Socialist Workers Party, of Germany, otherwise known as the Nazi Party, was decidedly socialist. Hitler preached class warfare and agitated the working class to resist “exploitation” by capitalists, particularly Jewish capitalists. Nazi persecution of homosexuality was horrific including castration, murder, and incarceration in Nazi (short for nationalist socialist) concentration camps. Both gay men and lesbians were targeted.
In the socialist Republic of China during the Mao tza Tung era homosexuality was pathologized and criminalized. During the Communist Revolution (1966 to 1976), homosexuals were regarded as “disgraceful” and “undesirable” thus heavily persecuted. Homosexuality was banned until 1997 and removed as a sexual illness in 2001 yet “psychiatric facilities across the country still considering homosexuality as a mental disorder on various degrees and continuing to offer conversion therapy treatments,” the same as did its counterparts North Korea, “illegal through decency and obscenity laws,”and North Vietnam. The treatment of homosexuals under Fidel Castro in Cuba was horrific.
Venezuela, the most recent socialist country, headed by past president Hugo Chavez, likewise has not shown itself as “gay friendly.” In 2009 the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission sent out an urgent alert expressing their concern regarding the arbitrary detention of LGBT leaders in Caracas reporting that they had been verbally harassed, beaten and detained by Caracas police.
LGBT adherents, flirting with a love relationship with socialism, might take notice of what else the internationalist had to say about how modern socialists treat their community. “This incident is one of many arbitrary arrests carried out against the LGBT community under the 'Operation Safe Caracas' campaign, meant to crack down on crime. The police harass and abuse people whose sexual orientation and/or gender identity differs from social norms. These detentions are arbitrary under international human rights law and violate the right to life and security, to be free from arbitrary detention, to be free from torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, to be free from discrimination, to equality before the law, to freedom of expression, and to the rights of human rights defenders” (Venezuela: Condemn Arrests of LGBT in Caracas, OutRight Action International, November 12, 2009).
All the above socialist countries lowered their standard of living by adopting socialism. The USSR faced famine, even cannibalism, twice in 1921-23 and again in 1932-1933 and was twice rescued by capitalist America. Millions died in these government contrived famines to liquidated undesirables like the Kulaks, Ukrainians and Kazakhs. In Venezuela today, under Nicolus Maduro, people are eating out of garbage cans. China and Vietnam escaped much of the economic hardship by incorporating some of the free market philosophies of the West.
We observe an expansion of human suffering and death of “undesirables” under socialism. Even today China has a million Uighur Muslims in concentration camps primarily because of their religious beliefs; some suggest for ethnic cleansing. The LGBT community has never been the majority in any country and thus their practices are lawful only in a sympathetic democracy or dictatorship, which could be changed at a whim. Democracy is tolerant until the money is gone. Once fully in place, socialism becomes the most intolerant form of government known and genocide, practiced by most socialist founders, was justified for the good of the whole.
The Constitution, under federalism and as written, left behavior matters (alcohol, drugs use, or sexual preferences—even abortion) entirely to the states or lesser governments. Thus pockets of such could exist in counties or cities. But citizens of such are protected by a common Bill of Rights in any measure against them and there could never be genocide, castration or concentration camps as government policy as elsewhere. In our republic alone, again as designed, the peoples right to exist does not come from government but from God, and is guaranteed.
Socialism seeks to mold all into sameness—not just economically. Dissident, religious, or sexual expressive groups are not viewed as moldable. These will never fit. The LGBT community has nothing to gain by flirting with socialism.
Dr. Harold Pease is a syndicated columnist and an expert on the United States Constitution. He has dedicated his career to studying the writings of the Founding Fathers and applying that knowledge to current events. He taught history and political science from this perspective for over 30 years at Taft College. Newspapers have permission to publish this column. To read more of his weekly articles, please visit www.LibertyUnderFire.org.
