If you’ve been overwhelmed by global news or light shed on the huge variety of conflict and injustice being inflicted globally, I can understand as it has been taxing to wake to a seeming constant flow of issues ranging from bizarre to horrific, daily. This month, we wanted to focus our effort on the horrific Chechnyan anti-gay purge seeing people of the LGBTQ community in that country, literally put into what are being called “torture camps” with the Chechnyan government hunting anyone even rumored to be gay or transgendered with families being urged to kill their children, or face having it done within these torture camps. Chechnya’s police call it ‘Cleaning your honour with blood.’
I know that I have subscribers and readers from all over the world. I’ve used my blog as a way to converse with many of you, I continue to follow many of you as well, and I have greatly enjoyed doing so. As it has progressed, my new camera strap business has naturally worked its way into the site here, and I appreciate all who have helped support me in that venture. With the state of the world, and the country that I live in, it’s role in the global community and the affects our policy have for many planet wide, I’ve made a conscious effort to try and use Nauti Straps to help in ways I was unable to before. If you live in a place that affords you freedoms enabling a relatively safe and secure lifestyle, appreciate that and we’d urge anyone willing to listen, to do what they can to support those in greater need that are living in places where they’re not afforded similar freedoms. It is difficult for many of us to singlehandedly, financially support causes, but if we circle the wagons, band together, we can help spread that burden out so that we create a chorus of voices as opposed to feeling as if we are trying to tackle any injustice we’re troubled by, alone.
This month, Nauti Straps will donate 10% of all sales of our camera straps to the Rainbow Railroad, an organization focused on advocating and directly aiding LGBTQ people all over the world. Currently, much of their need and effort resides in the horror happening in Chechnya. You can see more about Rainbow Railroad and what they do HERE. From the Rainbow Railroad’s website:
In countries all over the world, lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-identified (LGBT) people still live in basic fear for their freedom, their safety and their lives. They often have nowhere to turn because their government and police not only tolerate but encourage this brutality. Rainbow Railroad exists to help these people get out of danger to somewhere safe. In the spirit of and with homage to the Underground Railroad, the mission of the Rainbow Railroad is to help LGBT people as they seek safe haven from state enabled violence, murder or persecution. Through funds collected by people like you, we’re able to support, provide information, and help to arrange safe transportation for these LGBT people to somewhere in the world where they can live their lives in safety.
We’ve decided to say the hell with being politically and ethically neutral at Nauti Straps (just in case you haven’t yet noticed) through our monthly donation program where we choose a cause we feel is in immediate need, to donate a 10% portion of all our sales to. While we fully support every person’s right as a human to have differing views, opinions and framework for your lives and the lives of those you love, we respect EVERYONE’s ability to live life as who they are, as long as that life in no way inflicts direct harm or oppresses anyone else’s ability to have the freedom to do the same, and hope you feel similarly.
If you, or anyone you know would like a hand built camera strap, while helping the Rainbow Railroad you can see what I make at Nautistraps.com HERE. If you feel you are in a position to financially help, and don’t necessarily need a camera strap, you can donate to Rainbow Railroad directly through their website HERE.
Thank you and as always, any help in spreading the word is greatly appreciated.
Team Nauti
You can find Nauti Straps on Instagram HERE
*we will return to our semi-regularly scheduled photo review blogging shortly. Thank you for your support.
Tyson Robichaud Photo-blography 
Good sentiment Tyson. Hmm, I wonder if youâve thought of anti-Christian purges around the world e.g. Indonesia â¦
Cheers,
Jin
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There are so many injustices being inflicted upon so many peoples throughout the world, and while I try to stay up on current events world wide, I can’t pretend to be well informed on most of it. Thank you Jin!
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e.g. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/04/14/christian-persecution-how-many-are-being-killed-where-are-being-killed.html
(Besides the usual Muslim-government nations, North Korea will have particularly evil and nasty Nazi-like means to torture and persecute Christians)
From: Jin Wan (ihug) [mailto:jin.wan@ihug.co.nz] Sent: Saturday, 6 May 2017 7:47 a.m. To: ‘Tyson Robichaud Photo-blography’ Subject: RE: [New post] *Monthly Nauti Straps Donation Program â May 2017 â @RainbowRailroad
Good sentiment Tyson. Hmm, I wonder if youâve thought of anti-Christian purges around the world e.g. Indonesia â¦
Cheers,
Jin
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Hi Jin.
I appreciate the link. I must admit, I don’t read Fox News as it is too often proven to be so one sided that I gave up listening to them at all (just as I have with Breitbart, Jezabel, Huffington Post and a few other extremely biased echo chambers). The argument that is often used to frame their pov is so often everyone against “enter demographic reading and clicking”, which isn’t the whole truth when so many of the issues we see being carried out against religious groups are in response to their own action against that group to begin with. That said, I admit again that my world view is restricted by my ability to dig through much of the biased media on both sides of any argument, let alone time it takes to do so while trying to work and provide for my family, my kids, and I just try to be as open minded and supportive of those who seek to accept differences, no matter their religious, political or any other affiliation, as I can. I will certainly look into this issue in Indonesia to the best of my ability, so thank you for brining it to my attention.
What we’ve tried to focus on with these monthly programs is to look at current immediacy and aim to help advocate groups that are traditionally under recognized and underfunded, especially when basic human rights are being so horribly violated. I also do my best to stay out of religion entirely as they are normally A) well funded via world governments, churches, etc and/or B) become extremely divisive for an argument that I see as having no easy answer. I believe in all religions and the ability for those of their faith to practice those religions in peace. Obviously there are many on all sides that don’t practice their own religion in peace which is part of a horrible human reality on this planet and causes me to struggle with most any religious argument when it comes from a pure foundation of faith on one religion or another. I really hope that I’m not offending your faith with this statement as it is not in any way my intention. My parents were raised Catholic, my wife’s family are Christians, we have good friends of Jewish and Muslim faith and we respect every one of their backgrounds and differing levels of faith in different religions. They also take an open minded approach to our views, which is what has worked so well for me to gain an understanding on certain things and allow me to feel justified in saying no one opinion is entirely right, or entirely wrong, just one piece to a larger whole.
Human rights on the other hand, to me, have nothing directly to do with religion or opinion, or at least don’t NEED to have any religious argument tied to them. When people are discounted, discriminated against or worse, purely because they are something different from what whichever government or power residing over their well being says they should be (ie: race, class, gender, sexual orientation, et al), I feel it is an inexcusable injustice, and one sadly that is often rooted in religion.
Religion, while this may not be a very popular point of view, to me is a choice. You or I can freely choose to believe what we want to believe. Our beliefs may have unjust repercussions, but we were free to choose those beliefs, and while there is much injustice inflicted upon peoples of religions by opposing religious peoples, prejudice happens to all faiths, from all faiths, and that is a self perpetuating and self solving issue in my opinion. Once religious powers choose to allow others to freely believe in opposing views, which I argue we should all be free to do, then much of the hatred and ignorance surrounding those acting out these hateful acts will no longer have a larger justification. Unfortunately, I fear that many religions are used as governing power structures, veiled in faith to expand economic and geo-political interests, and will not freely accept others ability to practice opposing faiths, which is why I do all I can to accept and promote the freedom I feel we should all have to believe what we want to believe, be who we are, and as long as we live our lives without dictating to others, should be free to do so.
I appreciate your comments and long tenured friendship, Jin.
All my best to you and yours,
Tyson
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