Clinton Declares “Gay Rights Are Human Rights,” Perry Says “Phooey On That”
Here in the United States, it’s easy to forget how badly gays and lesbians have it around the world. It’s not to say things in the U.S. are peachy keen — far from it. But for members of the LGBT community worldwide, it’d be welcome if their biggest issue was marriage equality.
That’s why when Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declared in front of the United Nations’ human rights body in Switzerland on Tuesday that it is a “violation of human rights” to commit violence or discrimination against people because of their sexual orientation, it was a pretty big deal.
Clinton urged members of the U.N.’s human rights group to “be on the right side of history” and said that LGBT men and women ”have an ally in the United States of America and you have millions of friends among the American people.” They still can’t get married in America, mind you, but at least they aren’t being banished from society or systematically killed for their sexual attraction.
It was, by all accounts, a powerful, moving speech — a giant step for compassion and decency in imploring other countries to eliminate laws that criminalize or marginalize homosexuals.
Now for the fun part! There was really nothing controversial about her speech, unless of course you are Rick Perry and don’t really believe in human rights. No sooner did Clinton deliver her speech, did the Texas governor say human rights for LGBTs was “not in America’s interests.”
“Just when you thought Barack Obama couldn’t get any more out of touch with America’s values, AP reports his administration wants to make foreign aid decisions based on gay rights. This administration’s war on traditional American values must stop,” Perry said in the statement. “Promoting special rights for gays in foreign countries is not in America’s interests.”
He went on to add: “This is just the most recent example of an administration at war with people of faith in this country. Investing tax dollars promoting a lifestyle many [Americans] of faith find so deeply objectionable is wrong. President Obama has again mistaken America’s tolerance for different lifestyles with an endorsement of those lifestyles. I will not make that mistake.”
Got that? So, to be clear, according to Rick Perry, not being marginalized, discriminated against or killed is a “special right.” It’s enough to make a sane, compassionate person weep tears of rage.
Former MTV correspondent and current FX on-air personality Dave Holmes chimed in with near-perfect wisdom about Perry’s bizarre, partisan rebuttal:
1) supporting an entirely uncontroversial speech that decried the state-sponsored KILLING AND IMPRISONMENT OF INNOCENT PEOPLE FOR THEIR REAL OR PERCEIVED SEXUAL ORIENTATION (which of course no GOP presidential hopeful would dare, because it was Hillary Clinton doing the speechifying and all of these people are children), or
2) saying nothing, Rick Perry went to his tool shed and BUILT door number three, which is OPENLY SYMPATHIZING WITH THE PEOPLE WHO KILL AND IMPRISON INNOCENT PEOPLE FOR THEIR REAL OR PERCEIVED SEXUAL ORIENTATION, and then opened the fuck out of it in about 9 seconds.
Rick Perry said: “There is ground to be gained in this race for THE PRESIDENCY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA by presenting myself as someone who OPENLY SYMPATHIZES WITH THE PEOPLE WHO KILL AND IMPRISON INNOCENT PEOPLE FOR THEIR REAL OR PERCEIVED SEXUAL ORIENTATION, so I’d better hurry up and grab that spot.” And maybe not figuratively!
Man oh man. I am not prone to statements such as these, but: Rick Perry, you are a baboon. And any conservative who thinks gay people should be ALLOWED TO REMAIN ALIVE- to say nothing of actual gay conservative groups like Log Cabin and GOProud, whose silence is the loudest thing I’ve ever heard and I have seen My Bloody Valentine live- y’all better start speaking up RIGHT NOW.
It’s troubling to think a political candidate for our country’s highest office could get away with openly admitting he has no problem killing gay people. But that’s Today’s GOP!
GOProud, for its part, did take to Twitter and offer this:
The Log Cabin Republicans went one step further by releasing a press release, saying the following:
Love for your neighbor, compassion for the less fortunate, protection for the disenfranchised were all part of Jesus’ message. It’s unfortunate people of faith like Rick Perry have forgotten that.
Read the full transcript of Clinton’s speech on the next page…
MOST RECENT BY HVnews:
Pages: 1 2
Pingback: Rick Perry is the New Rebecca Black