State Dept Condemns Moscow Arrests

The U.S. State Department has issued a letter condemning the arrests of gay activists in Moscow over the weekend.

STATEMENT BY MARK TONER, DEPUTY SPOKESPERSON

Concern about Freedom of Assembly in Russia

We note with concern that in Moscow on Saturday, May 28, a peaceable demonstration of Russians advocating for the rights of gays and lesbians, joined by international supporters, was forcefully disrupted by counter-protesters, and that Russian security forces then detained people from both groups, including American citizens. Some protestors were seriously injured according to media reports.

Freedom of assembly is a fundamental right all members of the OSCE committed to, including in the Moscow declaration and as recently as the Astana summit. As nationwide legislative elections approach, constraints on the ability of Russian citizens peacefully to gather and express their views will be closely watched in evaluating the integrity of the electoral process. We call on Russian authorities to work with municipal officials to find better ways to safeguard these fundamental freedoms.

Quote Of The Day - Porno Pete

"We are becoming a country that not only supports perversion, we cheerlead for perversion. A day against homophobia and transphobia -- what they're saying is Judeo-Christian morality is the equivalent of bigotry and irrational fear, and that is a false message. What they're saying essentially is if you are a Christian, a Muslim or a Jew, and you oppose sexual perversion or gender confusion, you are a hater; you are a bigot. This is the liberal message." - Porno Pete LaBarbera, denouncing Hillary Clinton's statement in support of the International Day Against Homophobia.

Hillary Clinton Issues Statement Supporting International Day Against Homophobia

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has issued a statement supporting today's International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO). Via press release:

In every part of the world, men and women are persecuted and attacked because of who they are or whom they love. Homophobia, transphobia and the brutal hostility associated with them are often rooted in a lack of understanding of what it actually means to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT). So to combat this terrible scourge and break the cycle of fear and violence, we must work together to improve education and support those who stand up against laws that criminalize love and promote hate. As we mark the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia this May 17, let us resolve to redouble our efforts.

On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I am proud to reaffirm our support for LGBT communities at home and abroad, and to call for an end to discrimination and mistreatment of LGBT persons wherever it occurs. Whether by supporting LGBT advocates marching in Belgrade, leading the effort at the United Nations to affirm the human rights of LGBT persons, or condemning a vile law under consideration in Uganda, we are committed to our friends and allies in every region of the world who are fighting for equality and justice. These are not Western concepts; these are universal human rights.

Despite these gains and hard work, there is more to do to turn the tide of inequality and discrimination against the LGBT community. If you are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, know that the United States stands with you and we are unwavering in our commitment to ending this cycle of hate.

And we stand with YOU, Madame Secretary.

Photoshop Of The Day

Jezebel reports:

Ultra Orthodox Hasidic newspaper Der Tzitung is telling its readers like it isn't- by editing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton from the now-iconic Bin Laden raid Situation Room photo. Oy vey. The religious paper never publishes pictures of women, as they could be considered "sexually suggestive." Apparently the presence of a woman, any woman, being all womanly and sexy all over the United States' counterterrorism efforts was too much for the editors of Der Tzitung to handle.

Also removed from the photo was a female counter-terrorism expert.

Hillary Clinton: War On Terror Goes On

Hillary Clinton Calls For Calm In Egypt, Backs Right Of Protesters To Gather

Clinton Condemns Uganda Murder

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has issued a lengthy condemnation of the murder of Ugandan LGBT activist David Kato.

We are profoundly saddened by the loss of Ugandan human rights defender David Kato, who was brutally murdered in his home near Kampala yesterday. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and colleagues. We urge Ugandan authorities to quickly and thoroughly investigate and prosecute those responsible for this heinous act. [snip] This crime is a reminder of the heroic generosity of the people who advocate for and defend human rights on behalf of the rest of us -- and the sacrifices they make. And as we reflect on his life, it is also an occasion to reaffirm that human rights apply to everyone, no exceptions, and that the human rights of LGBT individuals cannot be separated from the human rights of all persons. Our ambassadors and diplomats around the world will continue to advance a comprehensive human rights policy, and to stand with those who, with their courage, make the world a more just place where every person can live up to his or her God-given potential. We honor David’s legacy by continuing the important work to which he devoted his life.

The Advocate has the complete statement.

Quote Of The Day - Hillary Clinton

“Well, I share his experience because we obviously share a lot of the same friends, but I have not changed my position." - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, responding to the president's recent hint that he is "evolving" on the issue of same-sex marriage.

Clinton Amends Passport Change

Last December the State Department announced that passport applications would begin using the terms "Parent 1" and "Parent 2" rather than "mother" and "father." But predictably, anti-gay and Christianist groups have been screaming their heads off and today Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ordered an amending of the planned change.

The State Department said Saturday that Clinton had instructed the department to retain "mother" and "father" in passport applications as well as in a form known as a "Consular Report of Birth Abroad" that U.S. embassies use to document the birth of a child to expatriate Americans. It said the forms will now ask for the names of the child's "mother or parent 1" and "father or parent 2." Gay and lesbian groups had applauded the initial change, which was announced with little fanfare in late December. But conservative groups criticized it as an attack on traditional marriage and family values.

Olbermann: Would Hillary Clinton Have Been That Much Different?

Hillary Clinton On WikiLeaks

Madame Secretary is pissed.

Hillary Clinton Invokes States Rights When Asked About Marriage Equality

Speaking on a broad range of issues before an audience of young Australians, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton fielded a question on marriage equality by saying that while she has not supported marriage equality in the past, she does support civil unions and American states "taking actions that they believe reflects the evolution of attitudes about this." Disappointing. The marriage question comes at 2:30.

The Lighter Side Of Hillary Clinton

We don't often get to see Secretary Clinton in anything other than the most somber circumstances, so this chat she had with a couple of Australian comedians is quite fun. This clip closes with some news anchors wishing out loud that Clinton would emigrate.

HomoConQuotable - Kevin DuJan

"Black voters are racist. Not only will they stick with Obama no matter what he does, but they will punish anyone they think harmed him in any way. Part of why HRC took the Secretary of State job was so she could appear to now be friendly with Obama…that, and so she did not have to be in the Senate when all Hell broke loose and Democrats started voting on crazy things.

"Notice: you don’t hear many, if any, blacks calling HRC a racist or using the 2008 campaign against her. She nullified all that…because she knows she will need blacks to support her 2016 bid. [snip] All those bitter, clinging, white working class people are gone and won’t magically come back by 2012. Not even for Hillary, which is why she is too smart to get into a 2012 race. Her eye is on 2016." - Kevin DuJan, founder of Free Republic's favorite homocon site, Hillbuzz.

Secretary Hillary Clinton - It Gets Better

Hillary 2012 Ad

The below clip began running on New Orleans television this week.

A Chicago dentist has launched the 2012 presidential campaign a smidge early by running a pro-Hillary ad on television, reports CNN. The 30-second spot, paid for by William DeJean, says Clinton has "more experience working in and with the White House than most living presidents" and is "one of the most admired women" in America's history. "Let's make sure the president we should have elected in 2008 will be on the ballot in 2012," it says. The $5,000 advertisement has run in New Orleans and may soon hit Washington, New York, and Los Angeles, notes CNN. Clinton, who has said she won't run for president, has not commented on the science fiction-esque spot. As for why DeJean aired it so early, perhaps the ad's final lines are a clue: "Start Now. Where there's a Hill there's a way."

Hillary Clinton On LGBT Pride Month

Here's the full video to accompany the text excerpt from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's speech that I posted yesterday. It's pretty great.

Hillary's Deputy Eric Schwartz On Improving LGBT Asylum Requests

U.S. Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, Eric Schwartz, spoke today about the State Department's attempts to improve the handling of asylum requests by LGBT refugees. Schwartz was speaking at the State Department's LGBT Pride Month reception and this video was posted to their official YouTube channel.


RELATED: Good As You has Secretary Clinton's Pride Month message. An excerpt:

Think about what’s happening to people as we speak today. Men and women are harassed, beaten, subjected to sexual violence, even killed, because of who they are and whom they love. Some are driven from their homes or countries, and many who become refugees confront new threats in their countries of asylum. In some places, violence against the LGBT community is permitted by law and inflamed by public calls to violence; in others, it persists insidiously behind closed doors. These dangers are not “gay” issues. This is a human rights issue. (Applause.) Just as I was very proud to say the obvious more than 15 years ago in Beijing that human rights are women’s rights and women’s rights are human rights, well, let me say today that human rights are gay rights and gay rights are human rights, once and for all. (Applause.)

TRANSFER RUMOR: Hillary Clinton Considered For Secretary Of Defense

Ben Smith at Politico is floating the rumor that Hillary Clinton is being considered to replace Robert Gates as Secretary of Defense.

Gates, for his part, has saved Clinton from a different kind of marginalization by a powerful White House staff, which has a sometimes-rocky relationship with her own staff of loyalists, a residue of the bitter 2008 campaign. He’s offered her a potent back channel to power and — some of her most political allies have told other Democrats — a path forward inside the administration. Gates, who has long signaled an eagerness to retire, just launched what appears to be his final initiative, a tough push to scale back the Pentagon’s gargantuan bureaucracy. Clinton, with her hawkish image and ties to Gates and to military brass, would be his most logical successor — and some of her most senior allies have begun quietly to float the notion.

Appointed by Dubya in late 2006, Gates is the only Secretary of Defense in history to be held over from a previous administration. But who would replace Hillary as Secretary of State?

(Tipped by JMG reader Band)

U.S. State Department Condemns Conviction Of Malawi Gay Couple

The U.S. State Department has denounced the Malawi government's conviction of two gay men for "unnatural acts and gross indecency."

"The United States is deeply disappointed in today’s conviction of same-sex couple Tiwonge Chimbalanga and Steven Monjeza in Malawi," said assistant secretary Phillip J. Crowley at a press briefing Wednesday. "We view the criminalization of sexual orientation and gender identity as a step backward in the protection of human rights in Malawi. The Government of Malawi must respect the human rights of all of its citizens. The United States views the decriminalization of sexual orientation and gender identity as integral to the protection of human rights in Malawi and elsewhere in the world."

Thank you, Secretary Clinton. It may not help these poor men, but it's better than silence.