Blinken:I press Saudis on LGBTQ issues in every conversation
Apr 12, 2023 2:45:26 GMT -5
Post by ExquisiteGerbil on Apr 12, 2023 2:45:26 GMT -5
Is it any wonder many nations are turning against the US? Does this moron realize that the penalty under Islam for homosexuality is DEATH? They throw homosexuals off buildings! 😡
Blinken: I press Saudis on LGBTQI issues ‘in every conversation’
The secretary of State warns that attacks on LGBTQI communities are the “canary in the coal mine” for broader anti-freedom efforts.
By RYAN HEATH
Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he brings up LGBTQI rights with his Saudi counterpart “invariably, in every conversation,” but defends President Joe Biden’s planned July visit to the kingdom — where homosexual acts carry the death penalty.
“There are a lot of different things” that constitute America’s interests in the country, Blinken said.
Speaking at the State Department’s first-ever briefing for LGBTQI reporters, Blinken told POLITICO that “we have real engagement” with Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud when he raises his LGBTQI-themed complaints. But he said human rights are only one part of America’s foreign policy and “everything has to be reflected in what we do.”
It’s hardly the concerted effort to treat the Saudis “like the pariah they are” that Biden promised as a candidate, but Blinken insists that was never the administration’s plan. “We were determined from day one to recalibrate the relationship: not rupture, recalibrate,” he said.
W.H. pressed on human rights as Biden prepares to meet MBS
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It’s a delicate juggling act for a pro-LGBTQI administration.
The State Department says it has provided financial assistance to around 10,000 LGBTQI human rights defenders via its Global Equality Fund. But in pursuing what Blinken called a “first do no harm” approach to attacks on LGBTQI communities globally, the administration is also vulnerable to criticism that it acts too slowly or quietly in defending those under siege.
That group includes Brittney Griner, the out American basketball player whose imprisonment in Russia on drug smuggling charges has been extended until July 2.
Blinken has now classified Griner as “wrongfully detained” — after a two-month legal process. Her case is part of a broader trend of American citizens being used as political pawns by autocratic regimes.
Asked if foreign leaders point out that LGBTQI rights are under attack in states across America, Blinken admitted, “I, not infrequently, get that response.”
Biden calls out ‘ultra-MAGA agenda’ for attacks on LGBTQ community
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The Saudi death penalty example illustrates that for other LGBTQI communities globally, the stakes are often higher than for those defending, for example, marriage equality in the United States.
Blinken painted a picture of a world polarizing on LGBTQI rights.
There is occasional real progress: “Pride in Lithuania: 17,000 people, that’s remarkable!” he noted, speaking of the recent Baltic Pride parade in Vilnius, and highlighting a successful years-long push to decriminalize homosexuality in Botswana that was supported by the United States.
All that exists against a grim backdrop: one in three countries globally still criminalize homosexuality.
Blinken describes the current backlash against LGBTQI communities as “a deadly serious time,” and frames these attacks as a “canary in the coal mine” for broader human rights and democratic freedoms.
While leaders such as Russia’s Vladimir Putin provide extreme examples of the use of anti-gay ideology, the administration is worried about many other countries. And yet, the State Department remains reluctant to name and shame.
Privately, U.S. diplomats point to Hungary, Poland, Guatemala and Indonesia as examples.
Full story with videos at link
Blinken: I press Saudis on LGBTQI issues ‘in every conversation’
The secretary of State warns that attacks on LGBTQI communities are the “canary in the coal mine” for broader anti-freedom efforts.
By RYAN HEATH
Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he brings up LGBTQI rights with his Saudi counterpart “invariably, in every conversation,” but defends President Joe Biden’s planned July visit to the kingdom — where homosexual acts carry the death penalty.
“There are a lot of different things” that constitute America’s interests in the country, Blinken said.
Speaking at the State Department’s first-ever briefing for LGBTQI reporters, Blinken told POLITICO that “we have real engagement” with Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud when he raises his LGBTQI-themed complaints. But he said human rights are only one part of America’s foreign policy and “everything has to be reflected in what we do.”
It’s hardly the concerted effort to treat the Saudis “like the pariah they are” that Biden promised as a candidate, but Blinken insists that was never the administration’s plan. “We were determined from day one to recalibrate the relationship: not rupture, recalibrate,” he said.
W.H. pressed on human rights as Biden prepares to meet MBS
SharePlay Video
It’s a delicate juggling act for a pro-LGBTQI administration.
The State Department says it has provided financial assistance to around 10,000 LGBTQI human rights defenders via its Global Equality Fund. But in pursuing what Blinken called a “first do no harm” approach to attacks on LGBTQI communities globally, the administration is also vulnerable to criticism that it acts too slowly or quietly in defending those under siege.
That group includes Brittney Griner, the out American basketball player whose imprisonment in Russia on drug smuggling charges has been extended until July 2.
Blinken has now classified Griner as “wrongfully detained” — after a two-month legal process. Her case is part of a broader trend of American citizens being used as political pawns by autocratic regimes.
Asked if foreign leaders point out that LGBTQI rights are under attack in states across America, Blinken admitted, “I, not infrequently, get that response.”
Biden calls out ‘ultra-MAGA agenda’ for attacks on LGBTQ community
SharePlay Video
The Saudi death penalty example illustrates that for other LGBTQI communities globally, the stakes are often higher than for those defending, for example, marriage equality in the United States.
Blinken painted a picture of a world polarizing on LGBTQI rights.
There is occasional real progress: “Pride in Lithuania: 17,000 people, that’s remarkable!” he noted, speaking of the recent Baltic Pride parade in Vilnius, and highlighting a successful years-long push to decriminalize homosexuality in Botswana that was supported by the United States.
All that exists against a grim backdrop: one in three countries globally still criminalize homosexuality.
Blinken describes the current backlash against LGBTQI communities as “a deadly serious time,” and frames these attacks as a “canary in the coal mine” for broader human rights and democratic freedoms.
While leaders such as Russia’s Vladimir Putin provide extreme examples of the use of anti-gay ideology, the administration is worried about many other countries. And yet, the State Department remains reluctant to name and shame.
Privately, U.S. diplomats point to Hungary, Poland, Guatemala and Indonesia as examples.
Full story with videos at link