
Photo courtesy Wikipedia.
“I am not truly free if I am taking away someone else's freedom, just as surely as I am not free when my freedom is taken from me. The oppressed and the oppressor alike are robbed of their humanity.” – Nelson Mandela
Statement by Jessica Stern, Executive Director
"Nelson Mandela’s death yesterday is an enormous loss to all of us, but his life and legacy were incomparable gifts to the world. I admire Mandela’s leadership in the fight against the incomprehensible cruelty of apartheid and his advocacy for universal human rights. It is in part because of his great efforts that South Africa became in 1996 the first African country to provide constitutional protection from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Mandela once said, 'We must construct that people-centered society of freedom in such a manner that it guarantees the political liberties and the human rights of all our citizens.' Today, in the tradition of Mandela, South Africans continue to be leaders on the world stage in the struggle to end discrimination of all forms, including that which is based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Nelson Mandela, thank you."
Published on December 6, 2013 | OutRight Action International an LGBT human rights organization