In a previous article I said that only 14 of the 192 UN countries allow gay people to live, be free, have job security, and marry each other. The irony is that all 192 countries are supposed to abide by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that the United Nations General Assembly adopted on December 10, 1948. Article 22 of this social security declaration is described. It establishes that every person, as a member of society, has the right to economic, cultural and social rights that are essential for their dignity and the free development of their personality.

This means that everyone has the right to the cultural, labor and social welfare advantages offered by the country in which they live. This includes government programs that promote the welfare of the nation. The individual is entitled to sufficient food, shelter, health services, and the following benefits to survive:

• Old age pensions;
• Widow or child support in the event of the death of the breadwinner;
• Medical care;
• Maternity benefit;
• Unemployment benefit;
• Sick leave benefit;
• Disability benefit;

According to the website “dosomething.org”, there are 1.7 million homeless teens in the United States and 40% of them are members of the LGBT community. At most, the LGBT community is roughly 10% of any population. If 40% of homeless teens in the US are part of the LGBT family, it means that a lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender teen is 4 times more likely to be homeless. Why is that? I think it’s fair to say that many LGBT teens are kicked out of their homes by their own families. That is why they are at greater risk of ending up on the street. I use the US as an example for a few reasons:

1. America is known as the land of the free
2. America has a moderate stance on gay issues
3. America as the leader of the West is supposed to lead by example

As a Christian, I believe that Jesus is my Savior and the ultimate example of how I should treat other people. That is why I hope that the church will intervene when the government of a country does not fulfill its responsibility towards the weak, the sick, the widows and the children. I believe that the church, if it wants to be the voice of God in society, must be at the forefront of defending those whose rights are not protected. Unfortunately, many churches are doing the exact opposite in this case. They are at the forefront of those telling parents to abuse, neglect, discipline and abandon their own LGBT children. Instead of defending the weak, they are screaming against them. Perhaps it is time for the church to ask itself if it is doing what it was sent to do.

In my Bible, Jesus was not at the forefront of stone throwing and yet as I go through the many websites that churches have, I only see stone throwing and hatred against the LGBT community. Even when Jesus believed that the person in front of him had sinned, he did not throw stones.

I think there are supposed to be two major powers dealing with youth in this world today. They are Christianity and the United Nations, yet in terms of the information above, neither of them stick to their own statements.