You remember the big debates about Obama and Gay rights even within the black community - right?
Well, check this out. In the fight against prejudice and bigotry in the world, it appears that the Obama administration is pitting Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans Rights "VS" Racism. And it appears that Gay Rights wins hands down.
Top Priority Gay Right?
Low Priority? Black Rights?
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OK don't hate on me for pointing it out. It's true. I guess the gay rights community had a better lobbying group than black folks. Now before you get started on me, I agree with calling for the worldwide decriminalization of homosexuality. Yet, I do have some concerns.
MSNBC reports The Obama administration will endorse a U.N. declaration calling for the worldwide decriminalization of homosexuality that then-President George W. Bush had refused to sign, The Associated Press has learned. U.S. officials said Tuesday they had notified the declaration's French sponsors that the administration wants to be added as a supporter. The Bush administration was criticized in December when it was the only western government that refused to sign on. Yet the Barack Obama administration, as reported by the The NY TImes, will not attend the second World Conference Against Racism in Geneva unless the conference’s main document improves, according to a State Department official.
The NY TImes, reports the long, unwieldy document seeks to ban criticism of religion, calls for slave reparations and attacks Israel as racist. Israel and some American Jewish groups urged a boycott of the April conference, and several close American allies, including Canada, said they would not go. The United States walked out of the first Conference Against Racism, in Durban, South Africa, in 2001, as a protest against an effort to compare Zionism to racism.
I guess the Obama administration will have to decide whether it's stands against color aroused bigotry and racism or will it stand with Israel, Canada and Italy who have announced they will boycott the forum in Geneva. Let's talk about this and other issues tonight on the AAPP's Political Slugfest. http://tinyurl.com/5ezvtp
http://tinyurl.com/cv757s
Let's see how quickly the new administration signs a document calling for the worldwide end of bigotry, racism and a review of slave reparations in the United States and abroad.
Am I off base? Thoughts anyone? Lets have a real conversation about race, or are we a nation of cowards on color arousal and/or racial matters?
3 comments:
"I guess the gay rights community had a better lobbying group than black folks."
That's exactly what it is! Now that he's in office, it's up to those individual groups that supported him and that he made promises to, to put pressure on him to make sure that he keeps those promises!
I could not agree with you more!
a couple of things,
1. Trans people do not directly benefit from world leaders signing a declaration on the decriminalization of homosexuality. The two are related, but have different needs, and its an important distinction. Gender-identity based rights have been and are continuing to be quite a number of steps behind the rights of people based on sexual orientation.
2. These two subjects are not opposed to each other. It isn't racism vs. LGBT rights
3. LGBT people of color certainly would benefit from both of these.
But certainly, those events, out of context, would make one think that the administration does have LGBT rights as a higher priority than fighting against racism.
But the events around the Conference Against Racism, I believe, has more to do with the fact that this administration is very, very pro-Israeli and less to do with them being against, or opposed to ending global racism.
thanks for this post to call these things into question, and for a dialogue.
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