It’s now confirmed that PresidentObama will endorse the United Nations declaration calling for the worldwide
decriminalization of homosexuality that the dearly departed Chimperor
refused to sign in December.
There’s still no official announcement from the White House yet.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because Congress was
still being notified of the decision. They said the administration had
decided to sign the declaration to demonstrate that the United States
supports human rights for all.
“The United States is an outspoken defender of human rights and
critic of human rights abuses around the world,” said one official.
“As such, we join with the other supporters of this statement and we
will continue to remind countries of the importance of respecting the
human rights of all people in all appropriate international fora,” the
official said.
The official added that the United States was concerned about
“violence and human rights abuses against gay, lesbian, transsexual and
bisexual individuals” and was also “troubled by the criminalization of
sexual orientation in many countries.”
Interestingly, those countries that still practice state-sanctioned brutality against homosexuals offer a tiny glimmer of hope for the Freeperati, poor dears, following the announcement. Now, don’t worry, I’ve no intention of trespassing on Tommy’s beat here (plus I don’t have sufficient hazmat protection to venture too far in) but it’s ironicto see them grasping for encouragement in the fact that their usual swarthy heathen enemies are standing up for what’s right. (WARNING: Very graphic photographs at link)
Regarding the endorsement of the declaration, I acknowledge it’s historic, I acknowledge it’s progress, but my gut reaction is still an impatientHow much longer till we see the real stuff, the substantive hard and fast changes that secure GLBTQ civil rights? I know better, though. I know that for the most part real political and legal change moves glacially, in increments.
I am not sure how long it will take for marriage rights and other protections for GLBTQ families to become secure, but I do think chances are better than ever that we’re going to see the repeal ofDon’t Ask, Don’t Tell quite soon. AsFrank Rich notes
What has happened between 2001 and 2009 to so radically change the cultural climate? Here, at last, is one
piece of good news in our global economic meltdown: Americans have less
and less patience for the intrusive and divisive moral scolds who
thrived in the bubbles of the Clinton and Bush years. Culture wars are
a luxury the country — the G.O.P. included — can no longer afford.
Not only was Obama’s stem-cell decree an anticlimactic blip in the news, but so was his earlier reversal of Bush restrictions on the use of federal money by organizations offering abortions overseas. When the administration tardily ends “don’t ask, don’t tell,” you can bet that this action, too, will be greeted by more yawns than howls.
Talk about irony…