Thursday, December 18, 2008

Obama can prove he's not anti-gay


President-elect Obama insists that, despite the Warren invitation,

I am a fierce advocate for equality for gay and lesbian Americans ...

Would he like to prove it?

How about announcing that when he takes office, he'll sign the UN declaration calling for worldwide decriminalization of homosexuality? The Bush Administration has refused to back the measure.

US balks at backing condemnation of anti-gay laws

UNITED NATIONS - Alone among major Western nations, the United States refused to sign a declaration presented Thursday at the United Nations ...

In all, 66 of the U.N.'s 192 member countries signed the nonbinding declaration - which backers called a historic step to push the General Assembly to deal more forthrightly with any-gay discrimination. More than 70 U.N. members outlaw homosexuality, and in several of them homosexual acts can be punished by execution. ...

According to some of the declaration's backers, U.S. officials expressed concern in private talks that some parts of the declaration might be problematic in committing the federal government on matters that fall under state jurisdiction. In numerous states, landlords and private employers are allowed to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation; on the federal level, gays are not allowed to serve openly in the military.

Associated Press,
December 18, 2008

No surprise that the Bush administration is weaseling about discrimination -- but how about it, Mr. President Change We Can Believe In?

3 comments:

Damon said...

Jan,

Like you, I am disappointed in the decision to include Warren in the inaugartion ceremony. I'm trying to remain open to what he seems to be doing, but in some cases, it seems like he's naive to believe that the hate from the right can be changed by inclusiveness.

It reminds me the old thought that conservatives often beat liberals in idealogical arguments because conservatives never doubt for a second that they are right, while liberals are open to thinking and considering that they might be wrong. That thought process is an opening for the right to go for jugular.

Obviously, anything is better than what we've endured the last 8 years, but I think a lot of the true lefties in the country are wondering what is going on these days.

Samia said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Samia said...

Hello Jan,
Am curious about your opinion on the selection of Rev. Joseph Lowery for the benediction... (African American, pro gay marriage). On an aside, since we on the left are supposedly so good at relating to the other side.. had their been an outcry on the Right about the selection of Lowery, would the left have calmly been able to put themselves in the Right's shoes (that 52% of California, of all places, voted against gay marriage, so what's a pro-gay marriage rev. doing up there?)