Chad Griffin Defends Goldie Hawn, Rips Anti-Gay Presidents Goodluck Jonathan, Vladimir Putin

Chad Griffin Defends Goldie Hawn, Rips Anti-Gay Presidents Goodluck Jonathan, Vladimir Putin

Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin -- who was part of an LGBT panel at Davos Thursday morning, the first of its kind at the World Economic Forum -- sat down with HuffPost Live to talk about gay rights around the world.

Griffin was asked about a photo posted to Twitter by actress Goldie Hawn, showing her meeting anti-gay Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan. Griffin said he spoke with Hawn after she posted the photo, and said she didn't know the severity of Jonathan's anti-gay views.

Hawn has since deleted the photo, and Griffin said she has apologized.

Griffin called a recent piece of anti-gay legislation signed by Jonathan "terrible."

"President Jonathan of Nigeria is one of the most dangerous anti-LGBT leaders that we have in the world today," Griffin said.

Griffin said countries with severe anti-gay laws -- like Russia, where the Olympics will take place next month -- have "severe instability." Griffin said anti-gay groups like the National Organization for Marriage have a hand in spreading "hate" to other countries and to leaders like Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"Some of these leaders, I think, think they can get away with it in their own country without being branded as hateful," Griffin said.

He noted that with social media, especially sites like Twitter, anti-gay leaders are now being challenged on a global platform.

Watch Griffin's interview above, and see more from Davos below:

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