February 2022 - Page 3

Everything That You’re Afraid of is Already Happening

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I would describe myself as a curious person. I had always imagined myself in an academic environment – ever since I was a kid I wanted to be an expert of a particular field, to have more knowledge that I would then share with others. My hobbies were also often related to environmental studies: I am interested in fungi, mycology, I create different species, I observe them under a microscope… I love wondering in the forests, collecting plants, drawing.

Besides this nice experience, I am also a queer woman, in particular, a pansexual non-binary individual, which means that I’m attracted to individuals instead of their genders, and also I myself don’t fully identify with any genders. I had always felt estrangement towards the gender constructs that the environment offered me. In kindergarten I decided that I was a boy and I asked everyone to address me with a boy’s name. I wasn’t wearing dresses and I didn’t play with other girls. Because of this I was often locked in a pantry as a punishment, and I didn’t tell anyone about this because I thought that they would blame me too.

However, besides estrangement with gender, I decided to be a boy because I simply didn’t want to be a girl – being a girl wasn’t a very attractive perspective for me. I went to an expensive kindergarten and in the 90ies we had all the toys that any kid could dream of. The play area was divided into boys’ and girls’ sides: Girls’ side had a full-size kitchen, plastic vegetables, dolls with their beds, and a counting table, while boys’ side had cubes, constructors, and planes that came with their own schemes – these ones I loved the most.

So I decided that if being a girl meant cutting up plastic vegetables and changing babies’ diapers, I just wouldn’t be a girl and I would do more interesting stuff. That’s how my misogynistic views were formed: thinking that girls had lame interests and I wasn’t like them. The teacher didn’t let us play with each other’s toys and because I didn’t wear dresses, especially at events, she often humiliated and punished me. The children would also view me in a suspicious light.

However, I don’t think that my non-binary identity is a result of this experiences. The thing that is connected to these experiences is my sense of belonging to the women’s gender – by saying that I’m a woman I mean the oppression that I’ve experienced since my childhood during my socialization process. I mean my chronic illness of the reproductive system, polycystic ovarian syndrome, for which I didn’t get proper treatment for as soon as I was diagnosed, because when people talk about women’s health, they only consider their ability to have children.

To this was added the pressure of heteronormative relationships during adolescence. I was about 13 years-old when I realized that I liked women. My family was watching a TV show in which one of the relationships was of lesbian women. This was always greeted with so much aggression from my father that I went to sleep crying every night, because I was scared that I could also be “like that”. Finally, it took me a long path to accept and love myself, as a non-heterosexual person in a women’s body.

Of course, homophobia in Georgia is an acute problem, but while gay men only get oppressed when they are attracted to the same sex, for women, sexual intercourse with men is unacceptable as well. The first time I felt oppressed as a woman was when my brother hacked my email and saw photos of me with my boyfriend. At first, he blackmailed me, saying that he would show them to my dad, and as I tried to take the laptop away from him he hit me and gave me a black eye. I called the police, I was feeling very bad, I was crying hysterically. The police screamed at me – “Stop being hysterical and manipulating, how could you call the police on your brother, he’s only looking out for you”. My mom decided to just ignore all of it, while my dad said that I deserved it and made fun of my eye. It was my first year of university and I couldn’t find a job to escape my house, and I couldn’t go to anyone either. My boyfriend also didn’t take the incident seriously and blamed me, telling me that I shouldn’t have had those photos on my computer.

Some time passed and it seemed that the relationship with my brother had gotten better. However, almost the same thing happened years later, but this time about my girlfriend, whom I liked a lot. My brother was suspicious that we weren’t just friends. He started with psychological abuse, swearing, blackmailing, threatening, and then he locked me up in the yard and wouldn’t let me into the house. I called the police again and they took us to the station. The investigator took advantage of my situation and told me to write in the protocol as if my brother had locked up others as well, thus aggravating the sentence, but why would you send your brother to jail, let me issue a restraining order and end it like that. I agreed. Then he told my brother that if anything, I’d be the one going to prison because I’d given a false testimony.

The most painful of all of this was my mom’s reaction – my brother wasn’t allowed to come home because of a restraining order. When the police came to check, she started crying, saying that she wanted me to leave, because the house also belonged to her boy, and she was afraid that something bad would happen to him outside. Then, when my mother got diagnosed with cancer, taking care of her became my responsibility, as a woman. I had to come back home. My brother did the same thing again. My friend was visiting and he kept insisting that we were having sex, and he was threatening me with a gun. I didn’t call the police anymore.

The society and the state is one organism. The society hates everyone that isn’t a cisgender, heterosexual man. Yes, they hate their own daughters. Accordingly, policemen and investigators that work on such cases often experience empathy toward the abuser. Neither their leaders and bosses are better than that. The only way out for me is activism and radical protests, by which we can coerce the state to view us as people and ensure the enforcement of the law in all cases.

Often the victims of abuse are persuaded that we deserved it, that we have to deal with it for the sake of the well-being of our friends, family members. They impose the function of caretakers on us, while no one takes care of us. When they rape us, they shame us, so that we can’t speak to anyone about this. We are scared that we won’t be loved, that we won’t be wanted. Those people that are making you silent find comfort in your silence. They don’t accept you no matter what, they don’t care what you’re like. There’s nothing to lose. The priority is your psychological and physical health, for which all of us have to fight together.

 

 

Illustration: Linda Liu

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Assessment of Challenges and Needs of Georgian Human Rights Defenders in 2021

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On December 9, International Human Rights Day, the Human Rights House Tbilisi held an event to review the challenges, needs, and situation of 2021, as well as name the first winners of the Lekso Prize, which honors the work of media professionals working on human rights.

In her welcoming speech at the event, the Public Defender of Georgia, Nino Lomjaria, spoke about the role of human rights defenders, the challenges they face and the activities of the Public Defender’s Office.

“If the activities of human rights defenders are not provided in a free environment, if they face problems, it will inevitably affect the legal status of the general public. Last year, a human rights handbook aimed at clarifying the concept of human rights and addressing the difficulties associated with interpreting the concept, as well as highlighting the government’s commitment to protecting and promoting the work of human rights defenders was published. In addition, we had a number of campaigns and published an informational brochure about the activities of human rights defenders. Our monitoring has revealed that over the years, human rights defenders have been attacked many times – be it verbal attacks or attempts to discredit high-ranking government officials, as well as particularly serious events during the Tbilisi Pride Day, when we witnessed numerous incidents of physical violence. Nevertheless, the organizers of the attack have not been brought to justice yet,” – said Nino Lomjaria.

The challenges faced by human rights defenders are also confirmed by the research presented at the event. A research by the organization Sapari – The Survey of Human Rights Defenders’ Needs aimed to study the dangers and risks that exist in the period of the pandemic in terms of studying the “safety management” culture of human rights defenders, the work environment of Georgian human defenders, the identification of mental health challenges in Georgian human rights defenders, etc.

Quantitative research was conducted in the period up to July 5, so it does not fully reflect the situation in 2021. However, the results show that: Out of 81 human rights defenders surveyed, 57% consider their activities to be dangerous, while 43% consider their activities to be moderately dangerous, however, only 29% of human rights activists ‘activities are fully remunerated and 30%’ s activities are fully voluntary.

Another alarming aspect of the survey is the feelings that the ruling party (70%) and religious leaders (69%) hold hostile attitudes toward the defenders. In addition,

82% of respondents believe that Georgian human rights defenders face a negative attitude from the public;

78% believe they are in physical danger;

78% expect neglect from the state;

And 69% expect financial neglect;

67% think they are at risk of deteriorating physical health.

The mental health challenges reflected in the study stem from the financial problems, hostile attitudes and risks brought about by the pandemic. The majority of respondents face occupational burnout, anxiety, and other mental health risks, with 55% of respondents reporting that they already have signs of occupational burnout.

Another report presented on the International Day of Human Rights Defenders dealt with the statistics of legal aid provided to human rights defenders in the last 5 months. According to the report, legal aid has been provided to 117 people in recent months – 62 cases related to administrative violations, and 40 cases are those of people arrested during the October-November rallies. In addition to questions about the grounds and legality of the arrest, it is alarming that often only the testimony of a police officer is used as evidence, which calls into question the right to a fair trial, so 9 applications have been submitted to the European Court of Human Rights. A report is being prepared on the Tbilisi Pride case, which deals with inhuman treatment and non-fulfillment of positive obligations of the state.

The event also featured a presentation of the Human Rights Defenders’ Safety Guide, which will provide Georgian human rights defenders with detailed information about the levers at their disposal, as well as consolidate information on state obligations and gather information on challenges.

Another achievement is the new website prepared by the Tbilisi Human Rights House – Defenders.ge, which aims to increase awareness of the activities of human rights defenders, as well as increase the availability of resources and opportunities that will help human rights defenders in their professional activities. The site will record cases of attacks on human rights defenders and it will be possible to calculate annual statistics.

 

 

Main photo: NewsClick

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According to the Decision of the European Court, Georgia is Liable for the May 17 Case

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European Court of Human Rights has found Georgia liable in the case of May 17, 2013. 2 LGBTQ+ organizations and 35 individuals participated in the lawsuit. According to the decision of the Court of Human Rights, in 2013, Articles 3, 11 and 14 of the European Convention were violated. A guilty verdict was handed down on the part of non-fulfillment of positive obligations, conducting an effective investigation process, ensuring freedom of assembly and expression.

The European Court of Human Rights ruled in favor of 27 individuals as they became the target of hate speech and aggressive actions, which the state failed to prevent. Officials were unable to conduct an effective investigation into the aggressive actions of citizens, which may be attributed to a lack of will on the part of the state. According to the reasoning of the court, although an unexpectedly large wave of aggressive demonstrators gathered on the day of the incident, the state could have acted effectively as a result of the precautionary measures, which did not happen. For the reasons listed above, which led to acts of degrading treatment, the authorities were ordered to pay a total of 201,500 Euros to the applicants.

 

 

Photo: Giorgi Gogua

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Moderna Launches Clinical Trial for HIV Vaccine

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Moderna announced Thursday that it’s launched early-stage clinical trials of an HIV mRNA vaccine. The biotechnology company has teamed up with the nonprofit ​​International AIDS Vaccine Initiative to develop the shot, which uses the same technology as Moderna’s successful COVID-19 vaccine.

“We are tremendously excited to be advancing this new direction in HIV vaccine design with Moderna’s mRNA platform,” Dr. Mark Feinberg, president and CEO of IAVI, said in a statement. “The search for an HIV vaccine has been long and challenging, and having new tools in terms of immunogens and platforms could be the key to making rapid progress toward an urgently needed, effective HIV vaccine.”

Being diagnosed with HIV was once considered a death sentence. Today, HIV is much more manageable with medications that can reduce viral loads to undetectable so the virus can’t be transmitted, as well as pills that can be taken to prevent infecting those who are HIV-negative. But despite decades of research, no vaccine has ever been developed. Several candidates have entered clinical trials but failed in later stages. The new vaccine uses mRNA, or messenger RNA, which teaches the body’s cells how to make proteins that trigger immune responses.

Researchers have developed not only a primary vaccine but also a booster to deliver HIV immunogens — molecules that elicit an immune response — via mRNA. According to the statement, Phase I of the trial will enroll 56 healthy, HIV-negative adult participants. Of the volunteers, 48 will receive one or two doses of the mRNA vaccine, and 32 also will receive the booster. The remaining eight will receive just the booster. Researchers will then monitor for safety and efficacy of the new vaccine for up to six months after participants receive their final dose.

 

Source: ABC News

Photo: Paper Magazine

 

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Zendaya Wants to Create a Romantic Queer Story about Two Girls of Color

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Zendaya, the actress of the popular TV series, Euphoria, talked about her aspirations and how she found herself as an actress.

She said that she has no special plans in terms of career and wants to focus on issues that make her, as an actor, feel happy and fulfilled. She also mentioned that the idea she might be interested in directing.

“The idea of being a director excites me, that’s why I spend so much time on the set. Even I’m not the one being shot, I try to be there and learn. I hope that one day I can create something that I want to watch myself”, – says Zendaya.

The actress wants to tell a humble love story about two girls of color – something simple and beautiful that will make any person feel happy and in love – “I liked the story of teenagers, full of awkward and funny moments, as it usually is in a life of a young person, trying to discover themselves.”

Zendaya admitted that she’s not really active on social media, but, nevertheless, believes that her voice, through acting and her stories can reach more people.

She said that playing the role of Ru in Euphoria gave her great experience and made her think about people struggling with addictions. She hopes that the TV show helps a lot of people to feel less alone in their struggle and if needed, ask for help.

Zendaya also recalled those fans that often said that Euphoria has helped them in many things.

“We are changing the world. Art really can influence people’s life – that is its main goal” – she said.

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5 Stages I Went Through After Getting HIV Infected

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Most people know a few things about the prevention of getting HIV-infected and ways to protect oneself.

The propaganda of safe sex and PrEP program is important, but the number of infected people is growing every year. In 2021, another 492 new cases were detected in Georgia. A large part of the population still has misconceptions and fears about HIV / AIDS, which is to blame for the shocking impact of the 1980s. There were no ways to deal with the newly discovered virus, and infection often resulted in death, but for a long time now this incurable disease has become a manageable diagnosis.

Finding out that you’re HIV positive is hard because of this shared attitudes, and after the doctor’s visit you go through a wide spectra of emotions, dealing with which is a quite difficult process and it’s hard to find such examples and personal experiences that would make this process a bit easier.

I am one of the cases of 492 detected in 2021 and this article I’ll tell you about those 5 stages that I went through after getting diagnosed.

Anger

Illustration: Francesco Ciccolella / The Independent

Before finding out my status I knew many things about the HIV virus – I constantly read news, I had seen a few movies about the pandemic of the HIV virus and I thought that the societal views didn’t affect my opinion. That’s why, I was angry for a few reasons when I found out about my status:

I was angry because I didn’t have an active sexual life; plus, I was very much aware of the necessity of safe sex; I was also angry about the sudden loss of self-respect and confidence, because until that, I was sure that I wasn’t letting the stereotypes get to me; It was the hardest to get over my anger towards people, because realizing that you shouldn’t be searching for someone to blame is an emotionally exhausting process.

When getting the news, you should let yourself to experience any emotion, because it’s some important, painful news that will make you rethink everything, to reevaluate the existing values.

Despair

Illustration: The New York Times

HIV-positive status is accompanied by another difficulty – starting medical treatment, which helps you maintain a healthy lifestyle and reduces the level of the virus in the blood so much that the risk of transmitting the virus goes down to zero.

The medication that should be taken daily is a large pill and after taking it, you may think that doing this for the rest of your life is a draining responsibility, besides, this method of treatment has many side effects.

Dizziness, loss of balance, sweating, nightmares, intensification of depressive mood are the side effects that are less manifested in some people. I went through almost all these feelings and after taking the first pill I felt hopeless. I had a hard time coping with the loss of motivation and the ability to concentrate, and I was desperate in the first days of switching to medication.

The side effects last for about 2 weeks, after which the treatment becomes a part of your daily life and does not interfere with your activities. The main thing is to take the pill regularly, which is essential for effective treatment.

Isolation

Illustration: Freepik

Understanding the status and sharing your experiences while during the medical treatment is another challenge. You may think that those around you do not understand what you’re going through.

From the beginning, I decided to be open about my status and most people that were important to me supported me. However, indicating my status on dating websites proved to be a barrier. Newly-met people didn’t shy away from being mean and sharing their unethical evaluations. This made me realize that it’s not as easy as I imagined it to be, that it’s hard to make people understand things if they’re biased in advance. That’s why, in order to protect myself from negative influences, I decided to narrow my friend circle, which helped me take care of my mental health, but still affected my confidence levels.

Taking Responsibility

Illustration: Marta Pucci / Hello Clue

Skipping 1-2 pills during my first month resulted in elevated anxiety levels, which made me realize that taking the dose should become as much of a responsibility as brushing my teeth and eating. The understanding that the reality had been permanently altered just slightly for me, made me realize that being HIV positive is my responsibility and that I shouldn’t forget about that. I have to take care of my physical and mental health daily and surround myself with people who don’t shy away from speaking openly, receiving news and asking questions.

Victory

Illustration: Unitaid

 

6 months after the diagnosis the levels of the virus in my blood equal zero, which is, basically, a healthy state. The every-day medication is an organic part of my routine. Those feelings of discomfort and despair that I experienced months ago don’t bother me anymore. After becoming aware of my status, for the first time, I’ve prioritized myself, which was something I never did before. This victory is thanks to the support of people around me, and most importantly, thanks to myself.

 

 

 

Author: Giorgi Baskhajauri

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A Woman Involved in Sex Work Needs Protection, Not Punishment

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Georgian model of sex work penalties

Amnesty International distinguishes between international models of criminalizing sex work:

It is a criminal offense for an adult to provide sexual services to another adult. A person who sells sexual services (sex worker) is criminally punished;

It is a crime for an adult to provide sexual services to another adult. Criminal liability rests with the recipient of sexual services (client);

Organizing sex work between adults is punishable under criminal law. Punishable actions also include advertising prostitution, renting space for prostitution, and so on. Consequently, the responsibility for organizing sex work lies with the sex workers, as well as other persons who assist them in the process.

Georgian model of penalizing sex work:

This model implies the existence of legislation and policies that have a similar effect to criminalization and are focused on punishing the sex worker. Georgian model of sex work penalties violates, controls and represses human autonomy due to involvement in sex work. These measures include fines, detention for “rehabilitation”, deportation, deprivation of custody of children, removal of social assistance.

The Code of Administrative Offenses of Georgia considers sex work to be an administrative offense. The work of the Labor Code of Georgia and the guarantees of its protection do not apply to sex work, because sex work is not considered as a form of labor activity.

Georgian law uses the term “prostitution” instead of “sex worker” and “sex work”, which refers to the discriminatory treatment of a sex worker by the state.

Article 1723 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of Georgia considers prostitution as an administrative offense in violation of public order and is subject to administrative liability.

Prostitution will result in a warning or a fine of up to half the minimum wage. Repeatedly committing the same act within one year from the imposition of the administrative penalty will result in a fine equating of the minimum wage. Georgian law does not define the meaning of a prostitution act.

Amnesty International research shows that criminalizing and penalizing sex work has a significant negative impact on the protection of the rights of sex workers, such as the right to life, the right to autonomy and personal security, the right to equality and non-discrimination, the prohibition of degrading treatment, the right to, labor law, etc. The legal model of penalization and criminalization leads to a significant disregard for access to justice for sex workers and a violation of the right to equality before the law.

Sex work is a traumatic activity, which is further intensified by the repressive Georgian model of sex work. The state, through punishment-oriented legislation, poses an institutional barrier to sex workers. The pattern of sex work penalties puts sex workers at risk of abuse of power by law enforcement, so they often become victims of oppression and exclusion by the police and other people.

Using a repressive model of sex work regulation, the state shifts its focus from the structural barriers, inequality and real reasons for engaging in sex work, to punishment and moral-ethical reprimand of sex workers. According to the UN, under the criminalization of sex work, sex workers are forced to work illegally, where they are more vulnerable to violence. In this regard, one of the most vulnerable groups is transgender sex workers, who are often victims of homophobic and transphobic violence.

Sex workers face certain barriers to accessing justice due to gender-based violence.

The most common barriers to sex work are fear of administrative retribution, persecution of sex workers, and police violence; Ineffective police response to violence against sex workers by their service recipients and by third parties; Coercion of sex workers by the police to provide information on persons promoting and engaging in prostitution; Low level of legal awareness of sex workers, etc.

Reasons for engaging in sex work

Sex work is the result of an unjust distribution of power between women and men and is often caused by poverty among women. Economic hardship and a subordinate role in society often force women to engage in sex work.

Lots of women get involved in sex work because of their difficult and unbearable socio-economic situation and to meet their daily existential needs. According to one of the surveyed sex workers, the main reason for engaging in sex work in Georgia is “economic coercion, because they cannot work in another job and sex work is the only way to survive. The leading reason for staying is the high pay compared to other jobs.”

Some sex workers became involved in prostitution after being subjected to domestic violence or trafficking by their spouses.

International models of sex work regulation

The classic model of decriminalization of sex work has emerged in New Zealand. That is why the model of complete decriminalization is also called the New Zealand model. Under the decriminalization model, prostitution is not considered a criminal offense.

Both selling and buying sex services are decriminalized in New Zealand. Both the organization and management of sex work are decriminalized. The law does not oblige sex workers to undergo mandatory screening for sexually transmitted diseases. Registration of sex workers is not mandatory. Sex work is regulated in the same way as other businesses, in a manner prescribed for private businesses. Under New Zealand law, sex work is recognized as a job and it is not overly restricted by law.

The Nordic model of sex regulation, sometimes referred to as the Swedish, abolitionist and equality model, decriminalizes the sale of sex work and criminalizes the purchase of sex services. It represents a kind of intermediate model between the complete criminalization and legalization of sex work. Proponents of the Nordic model argue that it is committed to helping reduce the demand for sex trafficking and protecting the rights of sex workers. The goal of the Nordic model is to transfer the center of stigma and punishment from the sex workers to the clients.

The essence of legalizing sex work is that sex workers and sex workers are strictly controlled and restricted by state-imposed regulations. Strict regulations are manifested in the registration of sex workers, the restriction of the number, the determination of the location, the criteria and place of operation of the sex worker, the determination of the conditions of who can work as a sex worker, the mandatory medical examination, etc.

Under legalization, sex work is fully regulated by the state. In the system of legalization of sex work, there is a licensing of sex work from the state, regular inspections in brothels and other places of sex services. The legalization system sometimes even requires mandatory medical examinations for sex workers employed in licensed brothels. Proponents of legalization believe that legalized sex work allows sex workers to have regular health check-ups. It is a means of protecting oneself from sexually transmitted diseases. Legalization gives sex workers the right to employment.

 

 

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Wonder Woman Returns in the New Limited Edition DC Series with a Queer Love Story

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Back in November, DC Comics released the first issue of the critically acclaimed comic book, Dark Knights of Steel.

The new story tells the tales of well-known heroes, knights living during the middle ages. There will be some new characters in the series too, such as Superman and Zala-aeli.

In the second issue, Zala-aeli learns the story of her father’s murder from Lois Lane. The grieving Zala-aeli will find solace with the help of Wonder Woman, as share a romantic kiss with each other.

Prior to the release of the story, fans had always thought that Themyscira Diana was a part of the LGBTQ+ community. In 2016, DC comics confirmed this.

Photo: DC Comics

In addition to confirming Wonder Woman’s queer identity, DC Comics entertained fans with lots of queer characters in 2021. Back in August, Robin Tim Drake was cast as bisexual in the movie Batman: Urban Legends. The screenwriters also featured Trans Amazon in one of the latest issues of Nubia & The Amazons.

After the release of the third issue on January 4, the representatives of DC Comics hope that the fans will like the story of Diana and Zala-Aeli. It’s interesting to see if they will be together and become the main power-couple.

Currently, DC Comics is celebrating the 80th anniversary of Wonder Woman. In honor of this date, a new book was published.

In addition, the well-known studio Monolith Productions will release a new game in which players will be able to become part of the Amazon family and unite the modern world. This was announced on Thursday at The Games Awards.

Photo: Monolith Productions

 

Source: GayTimes, TheVerge

Main photo: DC Comics

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HBO is Releasing a Queer Version of Bonny and Clyde

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It was recently announced that the online streaming service will shoot the queer version of HBO Max Bonnie and Clyde. The film, the filming of which has already started, is called “Bunny and Clyde” and stars Cole Escola and Jeffery Self.

The film tells a story of two criminals. Clyde (Self) is a 30 year-old, poor gay, suffering from the bipolar disorder; while Bunny (Escola) is a non-binary Cabaret dancer.

The action takes place in this comedic genre movie after Bunny and Clyde get a second chance at happiness, as they move into a house of a deceased person and begin their new lives in the Palm Springs society with a new identity.

Bonnie and Clyde is a 1967 cult crime drama based on a true story, namely the story of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow. Bonnie and Clyde are famous robbers from the time of the Great Depression in America, who had romantic feelings for each other.

It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post.

 

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Civil Rights Activist and Poet Maya Angelou Appears on a Coin

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Famous American poet, writer and civil rights activist, Maya Angelou, is the first black woman to appear on a U.S 25c coin. The coin started circulating on January 10.

Janet Yellen, the first female secretary of the US Treasury Department, responded to this story by saying that when changing the design of a currency, one is always given the opportunity to say something important about one’s country – how it develops and what its values are as a society.

The 25-cent coin also features images of other American women who have left an indelible mark on history.

Angelou’s first novel, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, was widely acclaimed, describing her childhood and how writing and literature helped her deal with racism as well as life traumas. This work has also been on the list of banned books.

Maya Angelou, who is an author to 36 books, spent her life fighting for civil rights and supporting the LGBTQ+ community. She has received over 30 honorary awards, even receiving the Barack Obama presidential medal. She also supported marriage equality.

Maya Angelou passed away in 2014, at the age of 86.

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