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Government considers watered down same-sex marriage bill to minimise Tory rebellion
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London: Gay couple threatened with death in violent late night homophobic assault
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Philip Hammond: 'No great demand for gay marriage and it's upsetting vast numbers of people'
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Government to consider abolishing civil partnerships or opening up to straight couples
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Bret Easton Ellis slams GLAAD and says gay basketball player Jason Collins treated like a 'baby panda'
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US Radio host: Gay news websites are covered with porn that is turning teens gay
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Lib Dem MP Sarah Teather tells Catholic newspaper 'I never went into politics to tackle equal marriage'
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Tory MP David Burrowes: 'I'm not anti-gay; I'm just pro-marriage'
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Tory MP David Burrowes: I only want a referendum on same-sex marriage so I can defeat the government's bill
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Canada: 'Israeli apartheid' censorship row puts Toronto Pride funding in jeopardy
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Robert in S. Kensington 845
Eddy 400
Rehan 280
Iris 263
Jock S. Trap 246
rapture 237
D.McCabe 222
Ray123 220
bobbleobble 215
Midnighter 199
Fantastic to see the US following the great leadership of the UK in ensuring that international aid is compatible with LGBT (and other human) rights.
Lets hope other nations will now pursue similar policiies particuarly Canada, the EU, Switzerland, Australia, NZ and Latin America …
If we can redirect aid away from govt to grass routes where there are human rights concerns then it should not hurt where it matters but hurt the government and send a signal that we will not tacitly support human rights abuses.
Interesting to see LGBT rights on a global scale being used as an election campaign tool. With the likes of Santorum, Romney and Bachman all hammering LGBT right in the states Obama’s global stance is quite a contrast. It’s good, don’t get me wrong, but I can’t help wondering who in america he appeals to with this (and if there are enough of them) when the others clearly think bashing LGBT rights at home is the way to get more supporters.
@Sal
I do get your point, and I would be very quick to support similarly positive LGBT policies domestically within the US …
I think that there are three issues with regards this development from Obama:
1) Improving LGBT rights and human rights globally is a good thing, and ideally, we need to have the US on board in that
2) Improving the US stance of LGBT rights globally should hopefully increase by osmosis the pressure to improve domestic issues (otherwise risk being accused of saying “Do as I say and not as I do”)
3) Obama is playing a long game on this (in my opinion) and seeking to step by step improve LGBT rights (and this is one step in the process). I think he is behaving with strategy, knowing not to jump in and seek the rights that rightly should be there (although my perception is that this is what he would believe to be right), but rather build to a point where he is likely to win a change – rather than taking on an unwinable system (currently)
Obama will get re-elected regardless of what he does or any of the huge 180s he’s done on policy since he got in power. A lot of Americans simply don’t care, they only see it as “democrat” vs “republican” without realizing that the only real difference (barring ron paul) is that one candidate is slightly more Christian than the other.
2012 is a general election year in the U.S. so this is more about political expediency with the LGBT voting bloc. He is trailing republican hopefuls currently.
Though a laudable statement, it’s a bit rich admonishing other countries when the U.S. isn’t practicing what it preaches at home. 31 states ban same-sex couples from marrying as a result of ballot initiatives (referenda). Two of the states where it is legal, Iowa and New Hampshire, are faced with having their same-sex marriage laws overturned. The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) protecting LGBT people in the delivery of goods and services including employment has still not been enacted.
The whole point of these lovely (but very, very vague) pro-gay statements is to distract the LGBT population in the US from the crushing failures and lies of Obama towards the LGBT population in the US.
Nice words are nice.
BUt the fact remains that in most of the US the LGBT population are still 2nd class citizens. And Barack Obama is happy with the situation.
Action speaks louder than words Obama.
What economic punishment will the backward dump ot Nigeria face for their horrendoulsy homophobic new laws?
Far from being vague … I think the Presidential statement is very specific and has clauses requiring US agencies to report within 180 days in progress and then annually, so there is accountability measures built in …
Have a read:
http://www.prop8trialtracker.com/
God Bless America
There is not a single Republican Presidential nominee hopeful that is even worth “a pitcher of warm spit!” This is especially true relative to LGBT issues and concerns.Yes,Obama has fallen short on his commitments to the LGBT community but we will have much greater opportunities for success in gaining and securing our rights if he is re-elected to another term in the White House.
Fair enough.
Ron Paul.
Who?
Sounds like they may be sending the CIA after the worst b@stards. Good.
Will they be doing something about the American fundies who go around the world whipping up homophobia. They really should.