Even a self-described "right wing extremist," John T. Simpson, slams Obama on his indolence regarding Gay rights, particularly the tortures and murders of Gay people in Iraq. Indeed, he shows how Ronald Reagan's views and actions regarding Gay rights were far more progressive than Pres. Obama's views and actions up to this point.
His excellent article entitled, "Why Reagan Was a Better Friend to Gays Than Obama," deserves to be read in its entirety, and here is an excerpt from it:
...let us move on to candidate Barack Obama and his wishy-washy stand on Prop 8, the gay California ballot referendum of his time:
“I’ve stated my opposition to this. I think [Prop 8 is] unnecessary. I believe marriage is between a man and a woman. I am not in favor of gay marriage. But when you start playing around with constitutions, just to prohibit somebody who cares about another person, it just seems to me that’s not what America’s about. Usually, our constitutions expand liberties, they don’t contract them.”
The main point that seemed to escape candidate Obama at this time was that they WERE playing around with the California Constitution. I believe candidate Obama missed an opportunity here to take a bold stand on gay issues like Reagan did, and speak out against Prop 8 from the liberal Democrat POV. He was, and is, a very charming and charismatic candidate and President. No denying that. He could have used that charisma and charm to sway many minds over, and with a very simple statement that could have swung the Prop 8 vote the 3 points it needed to pass.
Example:
“Though I myself oppose gay marriage, I cannot let this Constitutional ban go unchallenged. Amendments that restrict rights instead of expanding them are un-American. Therefore, I oppose the passage of Proposition 8, and I hope you will, too. I will further state that I only support this measure as civil procedure.
“Churches and individuals that are morally opposed to gay marriage should not be compelled under legal threat or duress to participate. That is their right under freedom of religion. I would no more want gays invading the rights of churches, than I would want churches invading the rights of gays.”
But, no. What we got was candidate Obama wetting his finger and sticking it in the air. Just like Bill Clinton with his poll-driven morality, trying to have it both ways. Not much Hope For Change there with regard to Democratic presidents, it would seem. Even in office, the Obama Administration has been wishy-washy on pushing gay issues like Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. But I don’t really care about that. Obama and gay advocates can hammer out DADT, among many other issues.
But even as a straight man, I am VERY concerned about the officially-sanctioned extermination of LGBTs in Iraq on our dime, what I now call the Gay Holocaust in Iraq. What else do you call a specifically targeted pogrom, with the express goal of exterminating a segment of the population? If this were merely a death squad issue, that would be matter for the Iraqi government.
Unfortunately, the Iraqi government is neck-deep in the gay butchery themselves. Interior Ministry police hunt down gays in Baghdad, raid parties, hunt them online by using fake foreign IP addresses (as Iran does), then tortures and exterminates them in the worst possible ways. Just as Iraqi Spiritual Leader Ali al-Sistani declared they should be, in his 2006 fatwa of death against Iraqi LGBTs. Though removed from his website after controversy, the fatwa is still in full effect.
Allow me at this point to question the spirituality of a religious leader favoring any pogrom, or stating that ANYONE should die in the ‘worst possible ways’.
Here is one former Mahdi Army member who now makes a career of being a gay death squad ’surgeon,’ cutting out the cancer of homosexuality the Americans brought with them to Iraq. His words, not mine. Also, one particularly subhuman technique of killing gays, now quite popular with Iraq’s most pious Shiite extremists, is to super-glue a gay man’s anus shut, pump him full of a diarrhea-inducing compound, and have a few laughs as the victim suffers unbelievable agony before dying. The Iraqi tribes also now have carte blanche to exterminate any Iraqi LGBTs they find.
Unfortunately, this Gay Holocaust of Iraqi LGBTs, which has already claimed nearly 500 innocent lives in the most gruesome of ways since the 2003 invasion, and is now ramping up in violence and horror by the day, enjoys wide public support in Islamic Iraq. Just take a look at this recent report, also from Common Ills:
"This morning AFP is reporting that signs are going up around the Sadr City neighborhood of Baghdad threatening to kill a list of people alleged to be gay. The posters are put out by the Brigades of the Righteous and AFP translates the posters as stating, “We will punish you, perverts” and “We will get you, puppies” has been scrawled on some posters — “puppies” being slang for gay males in Iraq. The Australian carries the AFP report here. These posters are going up around Sadr City. Where is the United Nations condemnation? Where is the White House, where is the US State Dept?"
[For the full article, see here.]
8 comments:
I hope nobody is holding their breath waiting for Obama to do anything for us. He's not going to and I don't think he ever intended to. He made promises to get our money and votes, but he's too beholden to his other voters and even his personal bigotries to ever follow through.
Maybe next time.
I absolutely agree with you, Buffy! I see him as being no different than any other self-absorbed politician who hustles for votes and couldn't care less about LGBT issues.
We might have been better off with McCain as President as "liberals" wouldn't be falling all over themselves making excuses for him and his indolence regarding equality for Gay people, as well as other issues.
With McCain there would have been no mystification about where he stands; with Obama, his charisma and way with words might be all there is.
Best wishes, Jerry.
Jerry,
This is the kind of article I imagine Jewish advocates might've written in the late 1930s and early 1940s when Jews were being set up for extermination and nobody seemed to care. It was just chilling to read. This is indeed a Gay holocaust. I don't agree with the writer's lionization of Reagan, but I do agree that the Gay media could be doing far better things with its time than fretting over stupid little Miss California. We desperately need to start looking at LGBT issues from an international perspective.
Hi Don Charles: You're absolutely right, particularly when you say, "We desperately need to start looking at LGBT issues from an international perspective." The tragedy is that we have not even seriously looked at these issues from a national perspective, given the amount of media and weblog coverage regarding the lionization of media celebrities, the inordinate amount of time given to Miss California, and other frivolous issues, divested of any relationship to the issues of full equality; serious discussion of what needs to be done to achieve that equality; not settling for crumbs of incrementalism; making lame excuses for Obama's indolence regarding full equality.
If we fiddle while Rome burns both here and in other parts of the world, particularly when people are literally being tortured to death, history will not only judge us poorly, but we will be, and as of this time are, committing a grievous sin that defies description. Best wishes, Jerry.
I have been looking at trans issues from a national and international perspective. SOmehow it seems that our foreign brothers and sisters are making more progress.
I will be speaking to a group in June about transgender topics. I have strong desire to speak to more groups.
That's great, Genevieve! People have to speak out, or the same old hateful stereotypes remain and gain in ascendancy, fueled by assorted hateful groups and organizations.
I'd appreciate it if you'd elaborate on how other countries are making more progress than we are (as if we're making any progress) in the U.S. Learning about the gains other countries have made might well empower other Trans people as well as help inform non-Trans people who are usually very misinformed and who denigrate Trans people even more than they do Gay people. As you undoubtedly know, even many Gay people discriminate against Trans people.
I don't know if you ever listened to Sister Paula who is wonderful, and has lived as a woman since 1963. Her website is located here and she's also on Youtube. She is an inspiration and spokesperson for authenticity in living one's life. Best wishes, Jerry.
I listen to Sister Paula regularly. Her ministry is a blessing to so many people. I will be elaborate more about the progress made in other places in future posts.
Hi Genevieve: Your elaboration on the progress in other places would be greatly appreciated by me and a lot of others. I'm glad you listen to Sister Paula. She's an inspiration and has done so much good in her ministry. Best wishes, Jerry.
Post a Comment