Selective Compassion Undermines Justice — Many people passionately defend the rights of certain marginalized groups while ignoring or opposing the rights of others (e.g., LGBTQ people, ethnic minorities, or victims of sexual violence), treating human dignity as conditional rather than universal.

Personal Experiences Shape the Author’s View — The author’s research on sexual torture of male political prisoners in Ethiopia, encounters with prejudice against LGBTQ individuals, and observations of racist and homophobic violence in Sweden reinforced his belief that all forms of discrimination must be opposed equally.

True Commitment to Human Rights Is Universal — A just society requires standing up for every person’s dignity regardless of ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or other characteristics. Selective advocacy weakens the principle of equality and perpetuates division.

For many years, I have been engaged in campaigns advocating for the rights of marginalized, oppressed, and disadvantaged people, including women, ethnic minorities, refugees, religious or belief minorities, LGBTQ people, persons with disabilities, older adults, and those experiencing economic hardship.

What has always troubled me, however, is that some people passionately defend the rights of certain marginalized groups while ignoring—or even rejecting—the rights of others, as though some human beings are less deserving of dignity, protection, and equal treatment.

Some time ago, a man from the Middle East contacted me and encouraged me to become more involved in advocating for marginalized communities living in segregated suburbs. I agreed wholeheartedly that these communities deserve support, equal opportunities, and protection from discrimination. I then mentioned that attacks and hostility toward LGBTQ people have also increased, even in Sweden, and that they too deserve equal rights and protection.

His reaction surprised me. He became angry and asked what homosexuality had to do with our discussion. He then appealed to religious arguments that, in my view, did not accurately........

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