From Turkey to Taiwan, the fight for LGBTQ+ dignity is far from over.
Turkey: When Did Love Become a Crime?
Here we go again. Another government has found someone to blame for society’s troubles. This time, it’s gay people.
In Turkey, police have raided LGBTQ+ organizations, businesses, and homes. Authorities launched an operation called “My Family Is Safe.” Investigations targeted 162 people, nine associations, and 13 businesses. Human rights organizations report widespread arrests and intimidation.
What a sweet little name for something so ugly.
Safe from what? Two men holding hands? Two women falling in love? A transgender person trying to live in peace?
Give me a break.
Turkey’s leaders say they’re protecting children and defending family values. Well, here’s a question for them: Since when does tearing apart somebody else’s family protect yours?
You don’t strengthen marriage by attacking gay couples. You don’t teach children kindness by showing them cruelty. And you certainly don’t honor God by treating human beings like criminals for being different.
That’s persecution dressed up in Sunday clothes.
Taiwan: Rainbow Flags Outside, Police Raids Inside
Taiwan made history in 2019 by becoming the first place in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. Wonderful. But on October 3, 2026, something happened in Taipei that ought to make every champion of equality sit up straight.
More than 30 police officers raided Commander D, a gay bar in the Ximending neighborhood. Officers turned on the lights, stopped the music, and ordered patrons to squat. Fifty-one people were taken to a police station for questioning.
Witnesses told The Diplomat that officers made humiliating remarks, prevented some customers from dressing, and mocked a man who used a wheelchair. Lawyers questioned whether police had exceeded their legal authority. The police say they had a court-approved warrant following complaints about possible public-decency violations. Those allegations deserve a fair investigation. So does the conduct of the officers.
Since when does a search warrant give anybody permission to strip another person of dignity?
About 100 people protested the next day. Several officers were disciplined for inappropriate remarks. Taipei’s mayor apologized and promised changes. Advocates want an independent investigation and safeguards against discriminatory policing.
Good. Keep asking questions. Because a city cannot wave rainbow flags at Pride and then shrug when its gay neighbors say they were humiliated by the people sworn to protect them.
Equality is tested when the music stops and the police walk in.
Around the World, the Same Old Hatred
In Uganda, harsh laws threaten people with long prison sentences for consensual same-sex relationships. Even an ordinary kiss can become a reason for fear.
Kissing!
Imagine being taken away by police because you showed someone affection.
In Russia, authorities have branded the so-called international LGBTQ movement extremist. In 2026, courts banned organizations that helped gay and transgender people find support, legal assistance, and community.
Apparently, helping your neighbor has become dangerous business.
In Senegal, tougher criminal penalties for same-sex conduct have deepened fears of arrest and public humiliation.
And in the United States, arguments over transgender rights, schools, healthcare, and public accommodations continue to put LGBTQ+ families under enormous pressure.
Different countries. Different governments. Same tired excuse.
Somebody claims that gay people are destroying civilization.
Really?
Look around. We have wars, poverty, corruption, hunger, and children sleeping on sidewalks. Yet somehow, two women getting married are supposed to be our biggest problem?
Lord, save us from people who have confused their prejudice with your commandments.
What Would Love Have Us Do?
I am the Presiding Chaplain of the Universal Life Church Monastery. And I have a message for every politician, preacher, and self-appointed guardian of morality.
You do not own God’s love.
You don’t get to decide who deserves dignity, whose family counts, or whose heart is worthy of respect.
Our church believes that every human being deserves the freedom to follow their own spiritual path, provided they respect the equal rights of others.
That includes gay people. Lesbian couples. Bisexual neighbors. Transgender children and adults. Every person who has been told they don’t belong.
Remember the words of Jesus: “Love thy neighbour as thyself.” (Matthew 22:39, KJV)
He didn’t add a list of exceptions.
You may have religious beliefs about marriage or sexuality. That’s your freedom. But your convictions do not give you permission to mistreat someone else or take away their civil rights.
If your faith requires you to humiliate your neighbor, perhaps it’s time to examine what you’re preaching.
We Were All Made That Way
Nobody should have to beg for permission to be human.
A young gay boy in Turkey should be able to dream about his future. A lesbian couple in Uganda should be able to hold hands without fearing prison. A patron in a Taipei gay bar should be treated with dignity. A Russian teenager should be able to ask for help without being branded dangerous.
And every child, everywhere, should know that being different does not make them less worthy of love.
We spend so much time searching for sinners that we forget to look at our own behavior.
That’s where the real sermon begins.
Stop pointing fingers. Stop frightening families. Stop turning love into a political crime.
Open your doors. Welcome your neighbors. Protect the vulnerable. Stand beside those being bullied.
Because when history asks what we did while innocent people were persecuted, I hope our answer is something better than silence.
God made a world full of differences. Who gave us permission to punish people for them?
Footnote: Germany
Germany has also recorded rising anti-LGBTQ+ hostility and hate crimes. Its protections for equality remain important, but the warning is clear: legal rights need enforcement, public courage, and neighbors willing to speak up.
George Freeman,
Presiding Chaplain, Universal Life Church Monastery
