The privileges of being a political refugee for me are many. Not least of which is my U.S. citizenship. But the one that I have in mind tonight is more immaterial and, perhaps, more important.
When I was child and lived in New York City, my parents took me to see a documentary. It wasn’t shown in a movie theater but rather the offices of a human rights group. The movie, Mauvaise Conduite, chronicles the mistreatment of homosexuals in Cuba. It was my introduction to Néstor Almendros but also to the political implications of sexuality and the universality of human rights.
Not to many kids get taken to see a documentary, let alone one so just. To survive a totalitarian regime is to get a second lease on one’s political life. You can’t but strive to make the most of it.