In the post titled “Is Mainstream Media Running Out of Steam?” we touched on various events post-1991, specifically after the government official in Russia was highlighted as the “main character” in Newsweek’s article.
One major omission in our discussion was the decriminalization of homosexuality in the United States, which only occurred in 2003 with the Supreme Court’s decision in Lawrence v. Texas. This stands in stark contrast to Russia, where homosexuality was decriminalized in 1993 after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. This reform abolished Article 121 from the Russian penal code, which criminalized consensual sexual relations between men. Similarly, China also decriminalized homosexuality in 1997 by revising the national penal code to remove references to consensual homosexual acts as “hooliganism”.
Despite these advancements, the United States continues to lecture both Russia and China on human rights, particularly in regards to non-traditional sexual orientation. This hypocrisy is glaring when we consider that mixed-race marriages were decriminalized in the U.S. in 1967 with the Supreme Court decision in Loving v. Virginia, while mixed-race marriages have never been illegal in Russia or China.
Furthermore, women’s suffrage in the United States was granted with the 19th Amendment in 1920, but discriminatory practices like literacy tests and poll taxes continued to disenfranchise women of color until the Voting Rights Act of 1965. In contrast, Russian women gained the right to vote in July 1917, four months before the October Revolution.
This pattern of American hypocrisy in human rights issues is a concerning trend that cannot be ignored. As we reflect on the progress made in various countries around the world, it is essential to acknowledge the shortcomings and inequalities that persist, particularly within our own nation. It is only through honest self-reflection and a genuine commitment to change that we can truly advance towards a more just and equitable society for all.
