After watching the documentary Forbidden: Gay and Undocumented and reading portions of the Pathways of Desire text for class, of particular interest to me was understanding why gay men migrate to other countries. As I was looking into this topic I stumbled across this article, which details the fleeing of two men from Russia due to their persecution by Russian officials as a result of their illegal marriage. In Pathways of Desire, Carrillo mentions that the global understanding of homosexuality differs drastically from country to country (Carrillo, 2017). Russia is the perfect example of this reality. In the case of these men, it became necessary for the purposes of safety for them to leave their home country.
This brings me to a couple of questions. Should countries like the US, who have relatively progressive views on homosexuality, be a safe haven for those who live in countries where regulations and social understandings prevent them from the same freedoms? How can we help to change perceptions of homosexuality on a global scale?
-Marah Barrow
References
Bennetts, Marc. 2018. “Gay Married Couple Flee Russia After Receiving Death Threats,” The Guardian, January 29. Retrived February 5, 2018 (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/29/gay-married-couple-flee-russia-after-receiving-death-threats)
Carrillo, Hector. 2017. Pathways of Desire: The Sexual Migration of Mexican Gay Men. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.