Todos somos (casi) iguales ante de la ley

In every Bolivian place of business, you will see a sign that reads: Todos somos iguales ante de la ley. We are all equal under the law -- what a concept. What would the world look like if everyone believed that? A world without racism and prejudices, one without sexism or discrimination. I am a bit of an optimist and still naive, yet even I know that there are not strong enough rose-colored lenses to picture a world such as this. A girl can dream, and a girl who firmly believes in the power and consequences of policies can surely dream of a better future.

Todos somos iguales ante de la ley. We are all equal under the law (well, except for a few exceptions). 

The Bolivian government has anti-discrimination laws in place to protect all people from discrimination including prejudice against ethnicity, language, beliefs, sexual orientation, gender, etc. By law, no one in Bolivia can discriminate against anyone for these reasons. This is such a beautiful concept. Even if institutionalized beliefs of racism penetrate an individual's beliefs and he believes that he is superior to other groups, acting on those beliefs through discrimination will not legally be tolerated. We are equal under the law, and by extension, we all deserve the same rights under the law. 

Hypocrisy! 

La ley contra racismo y toda forma de discriminación has been implemented under the Evo Morales government, undoubtedly promoting the rights of indigenous people who have historically experienced discrimination here. Promoting the civil rights of indigenous people in Bolivia has been a cornerstone of his campaign and success. He advanced one minority group and abandoned another one: the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) community. Gay marriage is specifically outlined in the constitution as illegal, and gay couples are not allowed to adopt children together. This community has different rights than the other citizens because of their sexual orientation. Bolivian citizens cannot legally discriminate against LGBT people, but the government can pick and choose which people have which rights based on their sexual preferences.

I read a statistic that 74% of Bolivians do not agree with gay marriage. I read this as 74% of Bolivians are prejudice against gays. A democratic nation has to listen to its people, right? I beg the age-old question of the chicken or the egg. Do governments have certain in laws in place because of peoples' beliefs and desires, or do peoples' beliefs and desires stem from top-down systems such as governmental policies? Is the government listening to the population's belief that homosexuality is wrong, or are people socialized to believe that homosexuality is wrong because the government treats it as such? Did Phil Bryant propose HB1523 because so many Mississippians take issue with homosexuality, or is he actively trying to conserve the idea that homosexuality is and should be a 'moral conflict'?

We are almost all equal before the law, and I hope that I get to see that gap narrowed and, ideally, closed in my lifetime. Perhaps if everyone has equal rights by law, then we will start treating everyone like equals.