gaywrites:

Thousands of Puerto Ricans marched through Old San Juan on Friday for LGBT rights. Politicians and citizens alike celebrated the Senate’s recent passing of a proposed anti-discrimination bill and spoke out against homophobia and transphobia. (via the Washington Blade)

blackjackaught:

Hey, did you know Border Patrol agents are fond of destroying the food and water caches left in the desert crossing so people don’t die of hunger and thirst?

179 people died crossing between Mexico and Arizona last year, where this happened.

Way to contribute to the deaths of innocent people, sworn officers of the American government!

socialismartnature:

(Photo) The people we’re told to occupy and fight in Afghanistan are just like us, our families, and our neighbors. The vast majority of Afghans oppose the US/NATO occupation. The only people telling us we must fight are rich politicians who we have NOTHING in common with.

Stand on the right side of history. Refuse to fight. And spread the word: http://www.ourlivesourrights.org/take-action.html#.UD-qyKPEHcs

jadelyn:

loveinthetimeofscience:

mohandasgandhi:

humanrightswatch:

The US must stop sexual violence against immigrant farmworkers.

Hundreds of thousands of immigrant farmworker women and girls in the United States face a high risk of sexual violence and sexual harassment in their workplaces because US authorities and employers fail to protect them adequately.

In a new 95-page report, Human Rights Watch documents rape, stalking, unwanted touching, exhibitionism, or vulgar and obscene language by supervisors, employers, and others in positions of power. Most farmworkers interviewed said they had experienced such treatment or knew others who had. And most said they had not reported these or other workplace abuses, fearing reprisals. Those who had filed sexual harassment claims or reported sexual assault to the police had done so with the encouragement and assistance of survivor advocates or attorneys in the face of difficult challenges.

Farmworkers described experiences such as the following:

• A woman in California reported that a supervisor at a lettuce company raped her and later told her that she “should remember it’s because of him that [she has] this job.”
• A woman in New York said that a supervisor, when she picked potatoes and onions, would touch women’s breasts and buttocks. If they tried to resist, he would threaten to call immigration or fire them.
• Four women who had worked together packing cauliflower in California said a supervisor would regularly expose himself and make comments like, “[That woman] needs to be fucked!” When they tried to defend one young woman whom he singled out for particular abuse, he fired all of them.

© 2011 AP Photo

This is important.

#oh look further evidence for ‘why veganism is not a particularly moral option unless you value animals more than PoC’

I am always hesitant to try to associate/compare animal rights issues with human rights issues, but this is nonetheless an important point. Yes, people/beings aren’t actually being slaughtered for food in plant-based agriculture industries but…rape, abuse, and other human rights violations in these industries are pretty much as high up there. People do forget this. That there are people still suffering for their food.

At this point, the U.S. food industry seems to be fucked up from all angles. We get largely low-cost, low quality food produced through unsustainable, unethical, inhumane means one way or another. No matter what you’re eating, unless you are growing your own vegetables or humanely raising your own livestock, your diet probably contributes to violence.

Absolutely, and this is an important point that I think a lot of people miss.  That the system is such that, unless you have vast reserves of both time and money and are willing to put in a lot of work, you cannot eat truly ethically.  Rainforests are being clearcut for both beef herds and soy crops.  Animals are being kept in squalid conditions and slaughtered; agricultural workers are being kept in squalid conditions, assaulted, raped, and work extremely physically taxing jobs for little pay with no freedom.  Processed food is horrible for you, but fresh food is expensive and takes 2-10 times as long to make depending on the food.  If we work on food quality via regulation, the price goes up, and people working low-wage jobs will be (more) screwed because what money they have won’t stretch as far.  With the lack of living wage, prices *have* to stay low or people starve, so any attempt at reforming our food industries will be a failure unless it’s linked with income equalizing measures like a living wage and such.

TL;DR We are so fucked.

comingoutjournal:

Homophobia: The state of the EU

Day against homophobia: the situation in the EU is improving

Which countries protect their gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender citizens against hate crimes and afford them the same rights as other citizens?

May 17 is the International day against homophobia, an area in which the European Parliament is very active. This year’s theme is “fighting homophobia and transphobia in and through education”. So where do EU countries stand? Which countries protect their gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender citizens against hate crimes and afford them the same rights as other citizens? Find out in the infographic.

© European Union 2012 - European Parliament