CHOGM: The Cry for Justice

“As the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister, I deeply regret both the fact that such laws were introduced and the legacy of discrimination, violence and death that persists today.” – Theresa May, 2018.

From 21st to 26th October 2024, a collection of representatives from some of the most homophobic nations on Earth are meeting in Samoa alongside Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, and India; and celebrate their collaboration. Welcome to the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).

Art by janeb13 on Pixabay

The theme of the event is: “One Resilient Common Future: Transforming our Common Wealth” and the Samoan Prime Minister has declared that its goal is to help: “transform our one resilient family into a Common Wealth.”

And yet the Commonwealth family is torn asunder from within – division and prejudice from Jamaica to Uganda – and beyond.

I give a voice to a gay refugee who has fled Uganda, whose voice is ignored by the CHOGM delegates. Yet his message speaks of the Commonwealth and the wider world:

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The Cry for Justice: LGBTIQ Refugees Deserve Our Help and Protection

In a world that prides itself on progress, compassion, and human rights, it is heart-breaking to see how certain groups remain marginalized, persecuted, and silenced. Among the most vulnerable are LGBTIQ individuals, especially those living as refugees or in war-torn areas, where their very existence is criminalized. These people are not just fleeing poverty, conflict, or oppression like many others; they are running for their lives because of who they are — because of their identity.

The Reality of Persecution

In countries like Nigeria, Iran, Uganda and Russia, simply being LGBTIQ can be a death sentence. Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act, passed in 2023, makes same-sex relationships punishable by life imprisonment and, in some cases, even death. This law has emboldened public violence, fuelled hate crimes, and caused countless LGBTIQ Ugandans to flee their homeland in search of safety.

In Russia, LGBTIQ people face continuous state-sponsored repression. From the infamous “gay propaganda” law to arbitrary arrests and brutal violence, the situation for LGBTIQ individuals is dire. These aren’t isolated incidents—across the globe, in many places ravaged by war and instability, LGBTIQ refugees face threats of imprisonment, torture, and even execution just for being who they are.

A Fundamental Human Right

In this so-called civilized world, it is fundamental that every person has the right to live as who they are. Being LGBTIQ is not a choice, nor should it be a crime. No one should have to hide their love or identity in fear of violence. Human dignity demands that all individuals, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, are treated with respect and have the freedom to express themselves safely. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights explicitly states that everyone is entitled to the same rights and freedoms, without distinction of any kind. Yet, for LGBTIQ individuals, especially refugees, these rights are constantly violated. They are left without safe spaces, often hiding in fear, struggling with suicidal thoughts, and feeling completely abandoned by the world.

War-Torn Countries: A Crisis Within a Crisis

For LGBTIQ individuals in war-torn countries, the situation is even more tragic. In places where survival is already a daily challenge, being openly LGBTIQ becomes nearly impossible. They face the double threat of violence from both the general conflict and targeted hate from those who view their existence as illegitimate. Humanitarian aid often overlooks their unique plight, as LGBTIQ refugees are frequently discriminated against even within refugee camps, denied resources, and left without protection. This is a crisis within a crisis, and it calls for immediate action.

The Call to Action: Stand with Us

This is a call for the world to open its eyes and ears to the cries of LGBTIQ refugees. These individuals are not seeking anything other than the right to exist peacefully. They deserve protection, support, and empathy. In this era of human rights, no one should be persecuted for their identity, especially in countries that claim to champion progress and justice. Governments, NGOs, activists, and global citizens must step forward. We need to amplify the voices of those who are silenced and ensure that their rights are respected, no matter where they are in the world. Policies should be enacted to guarantee safe asylum for LGBTIQ refugees, and aid organizations must include protections specifically for them.

It’s not just about saving lives—it’s about acknowledging the humanity of LGBTIQ individuals, standing against hate, and ensuring that every person, regardless of who they love or how they identify, can live without fear.

A World United for Equality

Now, more than ever, we must recognize that the fight for LGBTIQ rights is not over until everyone, in every corner of the globe, is free to be who they are. This is a fundamental human right, one that no law or war should ever be able to strip away. Let us not turn our backs on those who need us most. Every voice matters, every life matters, and together, we can create a world where no one has to live in fear for simply being themselves.

LGBTIQ refugees are calling for our help—let’s answer.

By Joseph.K (He/him)

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Does the world care? Does CHOGM care? Nelson Mandela is recorded as stating that: “The Commonwealth makes the world safe for diversity”. Let’s see these words finally become truth.

This blog ©2024 Geoff Allshorn, all rights returned to the author.

The Cry of the Silenced

For United Nations Day, 25 October 2024.

Artist: Louis Chow.

In shadows we walk, unseen, unheard,
LGBTIQ souls, whose voices are blurred.
From lands of fear, where love is a crime,
We flee to new shores, seeking hope in time.

Yet the world turns away, blind to our tears,
While we tremble in silence, swallowed by fears.
Abandoned, forgotten, hearts heavy with pain,
In a world of bright colours, we stand in the rain.

Do you hear us? Can you feel our plea?
We are refugees yearning to simply be free.
But the chains still hold, though the land may change,
The scars of rejection feel hauntingly strange.

Some stand at the edge, too tired to fight,
With dark thoughts that whisper through endless night.
The weight of the world, too cruel to bear,
We need your love, we need your care.

We ask for a hand, a heart to restore,
A place to belong, to feel safe once more.
To live without fear, to breathe without shame,
To walk through the world without hiding our name.

So rise with compassion, let kindness lead,
For LGBTIQ refugees, in silence we plead.
The world can be brighter, if only you see,
We are part of its fabric, we just wish to be free.

By Joseph K (He/him)

This blog ©2024 Geoff Allshorn, all rights returned to the author.

Stand By For Action!

“Stand By For Action… Anything can happen in the next half hour!” – so begins the opening narration of a British children’s TV series from 1964. Sixty years later, such a call for action and anticipation remains pertinent when considering our relationship with both ourselves and the world’s oceans.

4th October 1964 marked the seventh anniversary of the start of the Space Race, when the USSR launched Sputnik 1 into Earth orbit. It is noted that “Sputnik 1 demonstrated the feasibility of sending artificial objects into orbit. It inspired rapid technological evolution… Sputnik 1’s success accelerated research into new materials, propulsion systems, and miniaturization techniques.” Whether by coincidence or otherwise, the seventh anniversary of its launch also served as the launch date for “Stingray”, a ‘Supermarionation‘ children’s television series that explored another unknown frontier – Earth’s oceans; and although this TV series did not have the same immediate impact as Sputnik, it nevertheless pointed the way towards both technological and societal/attitudinal changes that would become as profound as the space program.

A Drop in the Ocean

“Most people think the bottom of the ocean is like a giant bathtub filled with mud — boring, flat and dark. But it contains the largest mountain range on earth, canyons far grander than the Grand Canyon and towering vertical cliffs rising up three miles—more than twice the height of Yosemite’s celebrated El Capitan” – Robert Ballard (2014).

Humans have had a relationship with the oceans since before we were human. Our earliest known ancestor may have been a microscopic aquatic creature over half a billion years ago. Subsequent aeons of evolution have left signs to show that we evolved from marine life and retain tantalising clues within our anatomy. Even as a modern land-based species, it appears that sea caves may have saved African homo sapiens from extinction less than 150,000 years ago. It is known that Australia’s own indigenous peoples have interacted with marine environments for probably over 50,000 years.

It might be said that looking up into the night sky – as Sputnik challenged us to do in 1957 – can fill us with awe as we contemplate that everything we know is merely a drop in an infinitely larger cosmic ocean. So too should we consider with awe that the Earth’s actual marine oceans comprise the planetary amniotic sac that birthed us, and were the home within which our distant ancestors grew and evolved. Such notions should be as natural to us as a human baby’s bradycardic response and “diving reflex”, or a child’s natural propensity to play at the beach.

And yet, despite the Australian tradition of visiting the beach and getting sunburnt, it appears that most people around the world cannot swim. In our quest for modernity, we have lost touch with our roots. Our imagination is one way we can cast a glance backwards (and forwards) to the oceans around us.

Photo of a turtle swimming underwater by Belle Co (Pexels)

Marine Science Fiction

Mike Nelson: “Underwater: That’s where I do my work.” – “Sea Hunt”.

There have been many imaginative attempts to explore underwater, oceanic or submariner worlds in literature, film and television. The earliest popular work is, “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” (1870) by Jules Verne, and the most overlooked might be Fantastic Voyage, a 1966 film about a submarine shrunk to microscopic size and injected within a human bloodstream. Both of these explore the marine world that is within or around us, and our relationship to that environment. Both posit that we are a part of that environment and should treat it with respect and care.

Aside from “Stingray”, two other popular TV shows in subsequent decades have featured a submarine crew. The first was “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea“, a US series based on a 1961 movie of the same name; commencing its television run on 14 September 1964 – almost the same date as “Stingray” – and concluding effectively four years later, on 31 March 1968. Featuring Admiral Harriman Nelson and Captain Lee Crane, the submarine Seaview and its crew encountered adventures ranging from spies and nuclear alerts, to aliens and monsters of the week.

The other show was “SeaQuest DSV” (12 September 1993 to 6 June 1996), a series following the adventures of the Deep Sea Vessel (submarine) SeaQuest, operated by the United Earth Oceans organization (UEO). With a 1990s flavour, the show featured action adventure mixed with politics, environmental issues, intrigue, military adventures, and a teenage prodigy.

Both “Voyage” and “SeaQuest” followed the same formula of “Stingray” in that they feature military structures under the command of a male who is entrusted with a ship and a crew in pursuit of a mission. Other TV series with marine themes, such as “Sea Hunt”, “Flipper”, and Australia’s own “Adventures of the Seaspray” and “The Rovers”, were all programs that featured seaboard or shipboard life rather than submariner adventures, and moved outside the collegiate (teamwork) principles of “SeaQuest”, “Voyage” and “Stingray”, focussing on more individualistic stories (the “Stingray” production team would venture into this individualistic perspective in their later – and most successful – series: Thunderbirds”).

The Future Was Fantastic

“Marina, aqua Marina,
What are these strange enchantments that start
Whenever you’re near?”
Barry Gray (musician), ‘Aqua Marina’, in “Stingray”.

“Stingray” was produced by the creative team of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, the same people who went on to create a variety of increasingly technologically and conceptually complex series, including “Thunderbirds” and “Captain Scarlet”, and some live action series such as “UFO” and “Space: 1999“. Consequently, “Stingray” seems to have been largely overlooked, overshadowed by its successors – although it was groundbreaking in its own way.

“Stingray” was primarily a children’s action-adventure series, prominently featuring model work and vehicles from the same team that would later wow the world with explosions and space age vehicles in “Thunderbirds” and other productions. The Stingray submarine and its drydock were reminiscent of the Skydiver and its dock that would later appear in “UFO”, and the launch of this submarine would later evoke images of the launch of the “Thunderbirds” in that subsequent Anderson series; a myriad of such futuristic vehicles would inhabit the other worlds of the Andersons and their production team. One critic acknowledged that a strength of “Stingray” was its powerful Anderson trademark special effects work:

“Anderson and his colleagues were always far better as technical wizards rather than tellers of compelling tales. And when the eponymous sub unleashed hell via its torpedo tubes, the result is explosive in more ways than one.”

Photo by cottonbro studio.

For a puppet show, it may be surprising that some of the groundbreaking material in “Stingray” was in its implicit portrayal of humans. The series had a surprising amount of subtle humour, but also some serious underlying messages. Commander Shore was a disabled man in a hoverchair, unrestricted by his disability to exercise leadership of his military unit. Marina was a mute young mermaid woman who manages to live, love, communicate and engage in cross-cultural interactions despite her disability and her culturally alien background. Such portrayals are rare even today. Furthermore, Marina and Atlanta Shore are shown as capable, proficient and accomplished women in their own right, despite the restrictions of their world – this form of female empowerment also appearing in other Anderson TV shows, including “Thunderbirds”, “Captain Scarlet”, “UFO”, and “Space:1999” – during the concurrent rise of second-wave feminism.

And despite the limitations of the stories and the exotic, other-worldly setting of the series – simplistic, deep sea “shoot-’em-up” adventures at the bottom of an alien ocean environment – the budding romance between Troy Tempest and the Marina might be seen as a symbolic love for exploration, new knowledge and reconciliation. This quest is set up in the opening scenes of the first episode:

Co-pilot Phones: “There are people living under the sea, and I’ve got fairies at the bottom of my garden.”
Troy Tempest: “Okay you can laugh, but someday I’m going to prove it, and maybe sooner than you think.”

Other meta-analysis in the series revolves around Titania’s deference to their god, Teufel – a fish whose divine fishbowl-lens wisdom leads his adherents to constant defeat. Perhaps humanist Gerry Anderson is challenging viewers to ponder whether their seeking of knowledge through religious perspectives assists or hinders their lives; and is encouraging them instead to use the lens of scientific, evidence-based reasoning that was supposedly the basis for the philosophies of the victorious aquanauts.

Cold Waters, Cold War

“War is regarded as nothing but the continuation of state policy with other means.”
– Carl Von Clausewitz.

Artist: Louis Chow.

Reflecting the era of Cold War and Space Race, “Stingray” depicted a Cold War between the land dwellers of Earth versus the underwater denizens of Titanica. Led by aquanaut Troy Tempest (captain of the underwater craft “Stingray”) and his crew, the World Aquanaut Security Patrol (WASP) fought to repel the aggressive hostilities of King Titan and his spies and marine creature henchmen. On its most basic level, the series could be seen as a simple reworking of the traditional “good guys versus bad guys” theme, of heroes versus villains, as was later revisited in other Anderson shows particularly “Captain Scarlet” (humans versus Martians) and “UFO” (humans versus aliens). However, set in the domain of Earth’s largely unexplored oceans, “Stingray” metaphorically asked questions about who might win this underwater version of the Space Race; implicitly suggesting that the people of Marineville (land dwellers who were transitioning into people who explored the oceans) might be the best compromise for taming, colonising and exploiting this final frontier, and thereby win the quest for possible dominance of the world.

This was an era which we might now view in hindsight as being somewhat culturally problematic – women were portrayed in sexist, demeaning ways; James Bond movies were using “yellowface” to represent Asians – and while “Star Trek” was being created as an “Wagon Train in Space”, “Stingray” might be seen as an underwater version of the “western” template. The conflict with underwater denizens can now be seen as equivalent to an imperialist or colonial quest for dominance over indigenous people, complete with an Orientalist flavour and the placement of WASPS (or “White Anglo-Saxon Protestants” – a term that was becoming increasingly widespread in the 1960s) as the heroes by default. If “Stingray” was being produced today, it would undoubtedly be more nuanced in its portrayal of characters from both sides of the conflict. Children’s programs today are much more willing to explore discrimination, bullying, empathy and equality.

Photo by Pew Nguyen: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-can-on-the-shore-11607726/

Treasure Down Below

“The sea, the great unifier, is man’s only hope. Now, as never before, the old phrase has a literal meaning: we are all in the same boat.” – Jacques Costeau.

There are many reasons why we should explore and protect the oceans. For one thing, it remains home to vast numbers of species and potentialities that we have yet to discover, leading Sir David Attenborough to compelled to declare in Blue Planet II that, “Hidden beneath the waves, there are creatures beyond our imagination.” The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) concurs:

“Scientists estimate that 91 percent of ocean species have yet to be classified, and that more than eighty percent of our ocean is unmapped, unobserved, and unexplored. While these statistics may sound daunting, they have not stopped the global scientific community from striving to amass as much knowledge as possible about ocean life.”

They also note that the oceans provide us with food and medicine, economic resources, and climate regulation.

But the oceans are the birthplace and cradle of life on this planet; the location of the natural terrestrial chemical laboratory within which natural tidal forces likely churned up abiogenesis, and the source of photosynthesis that created the oxygen in our atmosphere. These waters remain our largest unvanquished planetary frontier. We need to stop using them as a garbage can for our pollution, chemicals, wastes and plastics. Instead of worrying about treasures, pirates and monsters at the bottom of our seas, we need to tackle the problem of trillions of microplastic shards that humans have discarded, the species of marine life that we are making extinct due to overfishing; and the destructive impact of human-caused climate change upon the 70% of the Earth’s surface that makes ours the Blue Planet. Even NASA has joined the call, using space technology to further extend its mission to planet Earth.

To explore, respect and protect the world’s oceans is a worthy cause today, and groups such as Oceana and Ocean’s Harmony lead the way, with their appeals for support and volunteers and youth activism.

And let’s pay tribute to a humble children’s puppet series, launched sixty years ago today, that also contained a call for action regarding our oceans and marine life.

©2024 Geoff Allshorn