Secular universalism and the liberty to be oneself | EUROtoday
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NWe know solely too nicely that the hatred that targets sexual or gender minorities has sadly not disappeared, neither in France nor internationally. Their state of affairs on this planet, the persistence of discrimination and the unleashing of quiet violence, alarm us. For a number of generations, the fights for equal rights, the liberty to dispose of 1’s physique, to like who one needs, to have the ability to be who one is, have been pushed by the universalist perfect and are definitively a part of a secular course of.
It appears important to us, on the event of the one hundred and twentieth anniversary of the 1905 legislation, to recall every part we owe to freedom of conscience, to the separation of Churches and State and to the important secularization of society, largely attributable in France to the precept of secularism.
Homophobia behind dogmas
To be satisfied of this, we simply want to take a look at who our fiercest adversaries have been after we received our rights. From the “decriminalization of homosexuality” in 1982 to marriage for all in 2013, opposition has largely come from roughly official representatives of spiritual communities, justifying their homophobia behind archaic and hateful non secular dogmas.
Even as we speak, the roots of LGBTphobia are largely primarily based on the prejudices that run via the numerous currents, rigorist, conservative, even fundamentalist, of the totally different religions.
These insufferable assaults on rights, privateness and integrity generally nonetheless require us to adapt frequent guidelines to guard us, as, for instance, with the adoption of a legislation in January 2022 to ban “conversion therapies” which might intention to “cure” gay and trans individuals. We combat all prejudices hostile to sexual minorities, primarily based on retrograde opinions and ideologies from one other age.
This universalist combat have to be waged all over the place and, to start with, within the secular School of the Republic. The problems with schooling and consciousness of discrimination are important, particularly among the many youngest, significantly uncovered to the insanity of social networks. These points additionally embrace the combat in opposition to harassment, schooling in emotional, relational and sexual life and, in fact, the educating of secularism. In this regard, National Education have to be exemplary, together with with regard to its personal employees.
Secular ideas
We should not underestimate the resistance and lobbying of spiritual actions which, below the guise of defending kids, mobilize in opposition to all initiatives on this space. It shouldn’t be essential to level out this, because it appears apparent to us: the emancipation of LGBT individuals in France has largely been attainable because of the implementation of secular ideas. And but, secularism as we speak has a nasty press, a lot in order that sure faculties of thought are turning away from it in favor of fashions that target the exaltation of variations and identities, together with non secular ones.
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Answer
Respect for what constitutes our uniqueness can solely be acquired via the development of a typical area by which everybody can flourish freely. In this sense, we strongly affirm: secularism additionally protects LGBT+ individuals.
*Arnaud Abel is founding father of the Fiertés Citoyens affiliation.
https://www.lepoint.fr/debats/l-universalisme-laique-et-la-liberte-d-etre-soi-10-12-2025-2605099_2.php