Research Log #5

Source:

Clinton, Hillary. Gay Rights are Human Rights. United Nations. Geneva, Switzerland. December 6, 2011. 

Summary:

In late 2011, Hillary Clinton addressed a speech stating that LGBT right are human rights. She brings up important issues to reach a global consensus that recognizes the human rights of LGBT citizens everywhere.

The first issue goes to the heart of the matter. Some have suggested that gay rights and human rights are separate and distinct; but, in fact, they are one and the same. Now, of course, 60 years ago, the governments that drafted and passed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights were not thinking about how it applied to the LGBT community. The second issue is a question of whether homosexuality arises from a particular part of the world. The third, and probably the most challenging issue arises when people cite religious or cultural values as a reason to violate or not to protect the human rights of LGBT citizens.

The fourth issue is what history teaches us about how we make progress towards rights for all. A fifth and final question is how we do our part to bring the world to embrace human rights for all people including LGBT people. Hillary Clinton states that the lives of LGBT people are not only shaped by the laws in our society but also by the way they are treated and appoints other people that it is our responsibility to support human rights for everyone. The morning of the speech, President Obama had placed the first U.S. Government strategy dedicated to fighting human right abuses against LGBT people abroad.

Hillary Clinton also announced that day that they will be launching a Global Equality Fund that supports the work of civil society organizations working on similar issues around the world.  Clinton calls all of us to be on the right side of history because the work and actions we do today, will affect our people, our nations and the future generations to come.

Response:

I enjoyed listening to Hillary Clinton’s speech because it was not only a political perspective but a positive perspective in hope of grasping more support for the LGBT community.  She brought forth the common issues associated with trying to gain equality for LGBT people but also challenged other people to step forward and join her to be on the “right side of history” and act to bring justice for those who are viewed as minorities in this nation because of their sexuality. I loved her approach to the topic and conclusion. I think she left quite an impact on those who were present to hear her speech.