Higher education is not a luxury. It’s an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford.
—President Obama speaking in Michigan today about his plans to make college more affordable (via barackobama)
(via thedancingfilly)
Attacks on Obama Administration’s LGBT policy shames Christianity
(TRIGGER WARNING: mention of ‘corrective’ rape)
By Alvin McEwen
On Tuesday, the Obama Administration took a huge step against LGBT persecution worldwide:
The Obama administration is announcing a wide-ranging effort to use U.S. foreign aid to promote rights for gays and lesbians abroad, including combating attempts by foreign governments to criminalize homosexuality.In a memorandum issued Tuesday, President Barack Obama directed U.S. agencies working abroad, including the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development, to use foreign aid to assist gays and lesbians who are facing human rights violations. And he ordered U.S. agencies to protect vulnerable gay and lesbian refugees and asylum seekers.
Also, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a monumental speech in Geneva in which she basically broke it all down to the simple fact that gays rights are human rights.
The Obama Administration was no doubt spurred by acts of LGBT persecution in such places as Nigeria, Uganda, Russia, and South Africa. In Nigeria, Uganda, and Russia, the legislature is considering laws which would imprison LGBTs and those who support them. In South Africa is a practice called “corrective rape” in which a lesbian would be sexually assaulted in hopes of turning her heterosexual.
Naturally, religious right groups and some of those on the right in general aren’t happy with the Obama Administration over this new policy or Clinton’s speech.
Amidst the usual whinings about the so-called radical gay agenda, two statements stand out.
Click the link above to read the full article.
National Women’s Law Center: A Teaching Moment
We owe it to our young people to empower them to make safe and healthy decisions regarding sex. In order to this, they must know what their options are in case they have unprotected sex. They must know how their bodies work. They must know how to protect themselves against sexually transmitted infections. We hope they will know and understand the potential risks of engaging in sexual activity, but in order for that to happen, we have to be willing to talk to them about sex.
I bolded a few bits. One thing that angers me about this decision is that the issue of “11 and 12-year-olds” accessing EC is at the forefront of the conversation. It’s being thrown around to distract everyone from the real issue: that we’re punishing young people who have had sex and/or are survivors of rape. To refuse to address rape culture or effectively teach our kids and young people about contraception and then limit their access to contraception and keep it behind the counter is insulting. There’s no scientific merit to having an age restriction yet we still have one for the simple fact that some- including our president, apparently- are uncomfortable with the idea that young people will have some amount of control over their reproductive health and maintain their privacy in regards to their own sex life.
Sense? Nope, none being made here.
-Rachel
Rick Santorum Accuses Obama of Tying ‘Gay Lifestyles’ to Foreign Aid
Rick Santorum spoke out against Obama’s memorandum issued earlier today directing the heads of Executive Departments and Agencies abroad to advance the human rights of and ensure the safety of LGBT people, CNN reports.
Said Santorum:
“I would suggest that we give out humanitarian aid based on humanitarian need, not based on whether people are promoting their particular agenda. Obviously the administration is promoting their particular agenda in this country, and now they feel its their obligation to promote those values not just in the military, not just in our society, but now around the world with taxpayer dollars…He said he’s for traditional marriage, and now he’s promoting gay lifestyles and gay rights, and he’s fighting against traditional marriage within the courts, and I think he needs to be honest.”
Rick Perry also blasted the memo earlier today.
The right-wing extremist Liberty Counsel is also enraged:
The announced policy, according to Matt Barber of Liberty Counsel Action, “displays the arrogance of the Obama administration.”
It is “frankly offensive,” says the attorney, that President Obama “feels compelled to export American culture’s decline in morality, and export that immorality to other nations that are trying to adhere to traditional principles relative to human sexuality.”
Barber also notes that the administration is apparently ignoring the fact that foreign nations — like the United States — are sovereign countries. He adds that the U.S. is “using essentially blackmail and the purse strings” of the nation to force countries to change their moral principles.
Obama sets new course for LGBT rights in U.S. foreign policy
President Barack Obama on Tuesday directed that the federal government and all agencies engaged abroad to ensure that U.S. diplomacy and foreign assistance promote and protect the human rights of LGBT persons globally.
In a memorandum to all federal agencies and executive department heads, the President wrote,
“The struggle to end discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons is a global challenge, and one that is central to the United States commitment to promoting human rights.”
“I am deeply concerned by the violence and discrimination targeting LGBT persons around the world — whether it is passing laws that criminalize LGBT status, beating citizens simply for joining peaceful LGBT pride celebrations, or killing men, women, and children for their perceived sexual orientation.
[…]
“No country should deny people their rights because of who they love, which is why we must stand up for the rights of gays and lesbians everywhere.”
Click the link above to read the full article.
