Governor Perry,
I read your furious response to a recent White House memorandum where you called President Obama's leadership "silly" for strengthening international protections of LGBT human rights. You also made generalizations that unfairly assume all people of faith in America are homophobic.
It's unconscionable how out of touch you are with the values of equality, freedom and justice. Not only have you alienated Christians across the United States who unconditionally welcome and affirm the LGBT community; you've alienated many across the world who look to the United States as an example for upholding basic human and civil rights for all people. I'd like to introduce you to one of them.
There was a man I wrote about earlier this year named "Hamid" who lived abroad in a religious society. He was the owner of a small coffee shop, a law-abiding citizen, and lived his life in relative harmony. But when local authorities found out he was gay, he was abducted on the street, taken to his home, beaten half to death, had his possessions stolen and then dragged to an encampment where he was raped, tortured and humiliated for hours by a group of police officers.
When he attempted to have his day in court to seek justice for these abuses, his existence as a gay person was viewed by the courts as a crime punishable by death. He tried to press charges against the police for the sexual and physical abuse he endured, but the court refused to follow-up on the case. When he returned to his house, it was completely looted and he was forced to flee the country.
I checked in on Hamid a few weeks ago. The man -- who once lived a relatively normal life -- is now living in exile, unemployed, poverty-stricken and dealing with physical and psychological damage from the trauma and injustice. Let me be clear: the brutality against Hamid occurred because of a hostile, anti-gay culture legalized by government.
Does this sound "silly" to you?
As the White House has stated, the President is directing agencies abroad to make sure that LGBT human rights are protected. Not all countries are like the United States. Not all countries ensure due process or respect an individual's basic human dignity. The President is directing an effort to combat this unfortunate reality. He is combating the criminalization of LGBT status or conduct to help people like Hamid who are imprisoned or abducted because of their perceived orientation. And he is pushing for stricter protections of vulnerable LGBT refugees and asylum seekers who often endure unspeakable trauma in their home countries and are left floating in an international system with no real place to call home.
We have a right to ensure that our tax dollars promote and protect basic human equality for all people. The President asked our State Department to ensure this.
You called these actions "national security nonsense" and accused President Obama of launching a "war on religion." Our diverse country and world cannot be lead by a Commander-in-Chief who doesn't recognize the complexities of human rights abuses faced by LGBT people around the world, nor honors the breadth of religious diversity in our country.
As the leader of one of the nation's largest LGBT-inclusive Christian networks, I have seen the opinions and theology of people of faith grow towards welcome over time. Our organization spreads love and welcome, to make sure God's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender children are taken care of in our country's churches, schools and diverse communities. We think about individuals like Hamid, who are voiceless and need help. And we think about people of faith, whom you summarily dismissed, who want to be respected for their belief in LGBT equality. Before you call LGBT human rights silly, or assume all Christians endorse your fabricated "war on religion", you should think about these things too.
Follow Joseph Ward III on Twitter: www.twitter.com/JosephWardIII
 |
 |
|
| Obama | Romney | |
|---|---|---|
| Electoral Votes (270 to win) |
332 | 206 |
| Obama | Romney | |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 65,899,660 | 60,932,152 |
| Percent | 51.1% | 47.2% |
| Democrats* | Republicans | |
|---|---|---|
| Current Senate | 53 | 47 |
| Seats gained or lost | +2 | -2 |
| New Total | 55 | 45 |
| Democrats | Republicans | |
|---|---|---|
| Seats won | 201 | 234 |
Along with all the other mistakes. He has become a walking embrassement.
We need to get rid of bad trade deals we do not need the "LGBT" stamp.
They get tricked easily like the Rudy parade :)
I am not Christian but do love the bible. What I learned from the teachings of Jesus was he wanted people to love everyone. Even asked his followers to love thy enemy. Call me crazy, but when I read the words of Jesus he seemed to be a bit of a Utopian Socialist, tree huggin kind of man. He said to give all you can to your fellow mankind. Jesus rocks if you ask me, and I know to my core he loves me, this Lesbian woman - just as much as he loves Mr. Perry.
I'd like someone to run for president who models himself after Jesus and practices what he preaches. Yah that person would catch my attention and get my vote. js.
The statement that how a country treats its homosexuals isn't really a reason to give a country money is factual. You could argue that the way it treats its citizens is a reason NOT to give them money, but it certainly isn't a reason TO give them money. Our government should give them money because it is in our national interest that they do so.
If I recall, George W. Bush was also called by Jesus to run.
So it seems to me that you are arguing with the wrong guy here. Clearly it's a management issue.
'...GENEVA -- A U.N. committee rejected a Frenchman's appeal of his country's ban on dwarf tossing on the grounds it violated his human rights. The 18-member U.N. Human Rights Committee, which oversees implementation of a 1976 treaty on civil and political rights, backed the French government contention that the law against dwarf tossing was necessary to protect human dignity and public order. ....'
Spoken by someone who clearly has all of their rights and doesn't face that sort of discrimination. For those of us who have to live with this crap, it's a big deal. I know empathy's a bad word for conservatives, but try and have a little.
OK, I can see bisexuals having children, and there was one incomplete transgendered woman who gave birth, but gays and lesbians cannot make children of their own. They have to use opposite sex surrogates. I think that is what infuriates the religious, not the adopted and half children they raise, as it is a form of adultery to cheat on your spouse and have love children with someone else's egg or sperm. So their commingling onto the BT bandwagon in order to inflate their numbers is disingenuous. Herpes and AID's may both be sexually transmitted diseases, but they aren't caused by the same virus. Grouping them together as STD's and devoting a fixed amount of resources to the group dilutes the effect. That is why HIV research was separated from the others. Gays and lesbians should separate themselves from bi-s and tran's because those are caused by a different etiology.
your ideas are so absurd that I think I'll just have to stop there.
The fact that Perry is against every single one of those things, in addition to believing there is a War on Christmas, indicates he is on the opposite side of issues from the majority of Americans.
What type of religous dogma are you promoting commanding citizens to not run for public office?
Sorry muffin, but your comparison doesn't hold water.