A much-heralded decision of the US supreme Court last week has once again thrown the spotlight on LGBTQI rights.

The case, Fulton v Philadelphia involved the right of gay couples to foster children which a Catholic vetting agency refused to sanction. The Court upheld the agency’s limited right not to participate in a process contrary to scriptural beliefs. This decision unfortunately highlights the continued inequitable treatment of LGBTQI people which ranges from general acceptance to resentful toleration but also to outright persecution.

Oscar Wilde, the great man of letters in the 19th century was jailed for two years for sodomy. In 1952, Alan Turing whose code-breaking helped to win the war, was prosecuted for homosexual acts. Frederick Chopin, Polish hero has had his homosexual love-letters deliberately suppressed in his home country. In many African countries, homosexual acts may result in lengthy imprisonment and in Iran, the death penalty.

Symmetra urges all to remember the obligations to stand up and speak up for inalienable dignity of the LGBTQI community.