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Well here's a statement from the conservative gay group GOProud I can get behind. Something’s terribly wrong if elected Republicans can call out the obvious wrong – a nation considering legislation that includes the death penalty for being gay. Aside from Hillary Clinton’s statement as Secretary of State, our fierce advocate himself has been silent on Uganda.
For Immediate Release
December 10, 2009
Contact: CapSouth Consulting
Cell – (202) 286 – 4533
GOProud Urges President Obama to Publicly Take a Stand against Proposed Uganda Law
Jimmy LaSalvia, Executive Director – “If the President wants to start earning the Nobel Peace Prize he is accepting, he can start by speaking out against this outrageous Ugandan law.”
(Washington, D.C.) – While the President is in Norway accepting a Nobel Peace Prize, Ugandan political leaders are considering a bill that criminalizes gays and lesbians. “If the President wants to start earning the Nobel Peace Prize he is accepting, he can start by speaking out against this outrageous Ugandan law,” said Jimmy LaSalvia, Executive Director of GOProud – the only national organization for gay conservatives and their allies.
“President Obama’s lack of leadership on international human rights issues is appalling,” continued LaSalvia. “From his refusal to confront the radically anti-gay regime in Iran to his refusal to speak out against this proposed Ugandan law – this President’s silence speaks volumes about his priorities.”
Ugandan political leaders have been debating legislation that would impose criminal penalties on gays and lesbians living in Uganda. Certain proposed versions of the bill have even called for the death penalty or life imprisonment for being gay.
While President Obama has been silent, leading Republicans have spoken out forcefully against the proposed Ugandan legislation.
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), the ranking member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee said, “I am deeply saddened and troubled that such blatantly ignorant and hate-filled legislation would see the light of day anywhere in today’s world. It needs to be stopped in its tracks immediately.”
U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, M.D. (R-OK), one of the leading conservatives in the Senate, said, “Over the past two decades, political, religious, and community leaders in Uganda have united to promote a rare, winning strategy against HIV that addresses the unique and common risks of every segment of society. Sadly, some who oppose Uganda’s common sense ABC strategy are using an absurd proposal to execute gays to undermine this coalition and winning strategy. Officials in Uganda should come to their senses and take whatever steps are necessary to withdraw this proposal that will do nothing but harm a winning strategy that is saving lives.”
“It is time for this administration to stand up for human rights across the globe. Not another day should pass without President Obama making it clear that he unconditionally opposes this Ugandan law,” concluded LaSalvia.
22 Comments
This is blarneyWhat they should have done was to ask for the President to pull all funding for faith based initiatives and call for hearings on those in the C Street Family to answer questions about their involvement with these dominionist christian groups who place the Bible above the Constitution and to make those people step up to the mic and admit it.
GOProud’s HypocrisyGOProud, a conservatives gay group cheerily announced they are a cosponsor of CPAC 2010. Jimmy LaSalvia, GOProud’s Executive Director says:
”GOProud is thrilled to be a cosponsor of the single most important conservative gathering in the country.”
The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) will take place February 18-20 in Washington, DC.
LaSalvia continues:
”GOProud’s participation at CPAC is one of the most important things we will do all year! This gathering of the nation’s most influential conservatives gives us an incredible opportunity to deliver our message. GOProud looks forward to continuing to work with the conservative movement to promote policies that will improve the lives of all Americans – including gays and lesbians.”
Apparently, Jimmy LaSalvia is so “thrilled” to be dining in the Big House that he’s chosen to ignore the identities of several of the cosponsoring groups of this rightwing shindig. They include the viciously antigay Concerned Women for America, Focus on the Family, the Alliance Defense Fund, the National Organization for Marriage and the Eagle Forum.
While I agree President Obama needs to make a statement condemning Uganda and its ‘kill the gays’ bill, GOProud has no business making any demands of Mr. Obama when they stand shoulder to shoulder with some of the most homophobic, antigay organizations on the American, political right.
One thing I’ve noticed,quite consistently throughout this whole awful affair as been the continual association of gays with AIDS. That is certainly one more indication (as if any were needed) of the involvement of the American anti-gay industry. AIDS in Africa, as has been abundantly documented, is primarily as straight disease. Yet GOProud continues the trope of AIDS as a gay disease, as if the sad fact that it has affected the gay community more than any other in this country is typical of the way it has spread worldwide. They are, consciously or not, parroting right-wing anti-gay rot, and they ought to know better–and be held to account.
GOP RepublicansWell at least the GOP is willing to admit that killing us might be going a bit too far…..
It would be nice if Obama would say something too.His good friend, Rick Warren, finally denounced it, now that it’s dead in the water. I think that alone would give Mr. Obama permission to do likewise, but I won’t hold my breath.
Hey GOProud, Call for the Republican Leaders from the Familyto denounce the Ugandan Law, will you?
self loathing FAGS say NOTHING about INHOFE
What the hell Pam…?Someone deep inside the Justice Department files the DOMA brief, and that IMMEDIATELY gets applied to Barack Obama as if he personally wrote and submitted the brief himself.
Hillary Clinton, the Secretary of State that HE PERSONALLY appointed, makes a statement on this and its not enough to attribute it to this President.
Talk about hypocrisy and double standards.
Why is he not just as attributal to Hillary’s comments as he was to some low level lawyer at the Justice Department?
The Obama Administration has already spoken on this issue on behalf of the United States via Secretary Clinton. That is her job. He should not feel obligated to wade into this any furhter especially since apparently since it has already been established that anything that comes out of his administration is considered as much his as if it came from his own mouth.
Clinton, Bush and Obama have all tried to solve the pressures of population growth the wrong way. The targeted mass murder of GLBT Iraqis began in the Bush years.
Bush’s christer friends and his government initiated the mass murder of Africans of all sexualities by opposing effective steps to combat HIV/AIDS. As a consequence the health care systems of all sub-Saharan African states are in failure mode trying to treat the ‘abstinence’ caused epidemic, including South Africa.
The Democrats are no better.
Clinton’s embargo of food, medicine and sanitary supplies killed half a million Iraqi children. Obama is vastly escalating the wars for oil and has the gall to accept the Nobel Peace Prize and abstinence, the choice of Democrats and Republicans in Congress, is still US policy.
Between the two of them, the Democrats and Republicans may succeed in casuing more mass die offs all by themselves.
Let’s hope not.
Wrong, GeekHillary Clinton never spoke specifically about Uganda.
#2- Tell me that it wouldn’t be more effective if an African American (who also happens to be the President) spoke out against events in Africa than a white woman (though the Clintons still are popular in Africa).
The political rhetoric + the symbolism would be hard to beat.
As for GOProudI’d be more impressed if they called some of the Talibangelicals on the carpet for their “advisory” role in this legislation.
Neo-cons speaking against hate, while a Democratic White House remain silentJust let that sink in for a bit.
As far as I can tell.. he has been offered a membership in the FAMILY…and is seriously considering it, as is HOLDER.
It’s a smokescreen.Since it’s Republican legislators who are behind the Ugandan genocide bill, you’d think the party’s LGBT organizations would start there. Instead, somehow this is Obama’s fault?
All Republicans are spineless liars and/or complete morons and/or hopelessly pathetic.
A QUESTION?Why is GOP proud asking this question and not HRC (gay inc.)? They have a valid point and I am glad they are asking Obama to speak out. I regret contributing and voting for Obama, it will not happen again. He is worse than a disappointment.
+10… I agree with SciFi Geek at least as far as the hypocrisy question goes.
And I can even agree with GOProud on the one GOP congresscritter that is progay.
But GOProud’s refusal to call out the Religious Reich’s role in this (and the Talibangelicals are on their side of the aisle) renders this as morally suspect, to say the least.
Seems like Jimmy LaSalvia is engaging in some serious and pretty offensive gay coonery.
Thank you InExile
More gay coonery from the heads of Gay Inc. as regards the Obama Administration…
…ClarificationI am not talking about the hypocrisy that Geek is pointing out. I’m talking about the hypocrisy of GOProud in issuing the statemet. I believe this is a pretty hypocriticl sattement for them to put out (even if I do agree with some of its’ content)
No really, who is HRC working on behalf of?Certainly not us! And as far as the administration goes, their silence (again) is shocking. Just when I think we have seen it all, something else horrible happens or occasionally something good and this administration remains silent. (Prop 8, Maine, Iowa, New York, Washington DC)
At the Democrat’s convention Hillary told her supporters to support Obama so they would no longer be the invisible people, but nothing has changed. It seems we are still the invisible.
GOProudshould speak out against the bigoted homophobes in their own party. But they can’t, otherwise they’d have to speak out against EVERY SINGLE ORGANIZATION within the party, including themselves.
Fuck GOProud and their hypocrisy.
Get some Republicans to Lead the CallGOProud has made a blatantly partisan jibe at President Obama with no real intention of helping the dire situation for LGBT persons in uganda. Let’s see them produce some Republican leaders on this issue, and also get the Conservative Values Coalition with whom they are planning and working, to do the same. GOProud is a pitiful bunch of self-loathing bigots.
My mind is like an Etch-A-Sketch, I’ll admit…what was the “Republican” group that was formed back in the day (2001) that included gay conservatives and even had the support of Barry Goldwater? I remember exchanging emails with one of it’s members who swore up and down that it was a major change for the GOP and I was thinking Good luck with that as you’ve allowed moralizing bullies to take over your party I actually would like to think GOProud is going to last, to at least give a diversity to LGBT political opinion…but, given how the Repuplican Party still insists on doing what it’s been doing lately and acting as though it’s still 2002, I’m not hopeful on that front…