Human Rights In Pakistan Rhetorical Analysis

Dear Ms. Ladly,

As a human rights supporter, I write in response to your article “Gays in Pakistan” in the New York Times newspaper. The article on the homosexuals in Pakistan was very informative and gives a clear understanding to the non-Pakistani readers. I would like to take this opportunity to make remarks on this article. In many cultures, it is completely normal to witness men grouping together in public. However in Pakistan, as you have stated, there is a clear separation in the relationship of men and women in public. In Pakistan, men and women are not seen together in public because they are not allow to expose their relationship in public even though they are husbands and wives legally. Because of this, some men become frustrated

The journalist wrote, “This is slowly changing as a relative handful of younger gays and lesbians, many educated in the West, seek to foster more acceptance of their sexuality and to carve out an identity, even in a climate of religious conservatism.” By comparing the life of the people in Pakistan and people in the West, there is a crystal clear difference between the lifestyle people have in the West and in Pakistan. The people educated in the West have more freedom in what they want to be and do, they are able to express their true colours and just let their preferred sexuality flow without having conflicts. Having considered life in the West, it is also reasonable to look at life in Pakistan. Fearing of discrimination, being threatened by the law and the consequences of being gay in Pakistan causes the gays living in Pakistan to fear the act of expressing who they really are. While living life in the West, these few homosexual Pakistanis start to reveal and distinguish their true identity. As a consequence, the younger Pakistanis who grew up with a more westernised sense of sexuality would have a hard time trying to harmonize with their home country and therefore need to move cautiously to gain

For this reason, I want to reprimand the comment that one journalist has made. He stated in the interview, “You can live without being hassled about it.” Then he supported his statement with this, “As long as you are not wearing a pink tutu and running down the street carrying a rainbow flag.” Yes it is illegal to live as a homosexual in Pakistan but same-sex attraction was not necessarily an issue because it did not involve questions of identity. Many Pakistani men who have sex with men do not think of themselves as gay. Displays of affection between men in public, like hugging and holding hands, are common. A man can be with a man anytime, anywhere, and no one will suspect anything. Some men just need a break from their wives and some do it for money. We cannot deny the fact that if the homosexuals keep their sexuality a secret, no one will ever find out their true blurred sexual identity. As to the journalist’s comment, it is possible to avoid sexual discrimination if the homosexuals keep their sexuality low profile. The law against homosexuality exists, but it does not strictly apply as long as they are intentionally