NOVEMBER 30, 2009
Rick Warren might be happy to ignore the criminalization of homosexuality around the world, but U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is speaking out, and speaking out in bold ways. In marking World AIDS Day 2009, Secretary Clinton said that the U.S. would not sit idly by while LGBT people are criminally penalized. Here's looking at you, Uganda. Photo
"We have to stand against any efforts to marginalize and criminalize and penalize members of the LGBT community worldwide," Clinton said, speaking at a press conference where it was announced that the United States would host the International AIDS Conference in 2012 -- the first time the conference will have been held on U.S. soil since President Barack Obama was a second-year student in law school.
Clinton's words are being seen by many as a rebuke to Uganda, which is currently debating fiercely anti-LGBT legislation that would imprison gay people, and create a new class of "aggravated homosexuality" that would sentence HIV-positive people to death if they're caught having consensual sex. Given that the U.S. has pledged upwards of $250 million in development assistance to Uganda, it's a hopeful sign that the Obama administration won't let those funds go free without a promise from the country to nix homophobic legislation.
Clinton's comments are also the latest in a series from her showing that the Secretary of State's office has an eye toward global LGBT concerns. One example came on the anniversary of September 11 this year, with Clinton speaking in New York about the importance of fighting global homophobia... Read complete article & much more - BY MICHAEL A. JONES – Gay Rights Change.org
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