Obama Ties Foreign Aid to a Human Rights Issue
Recently I wrote a series about each of the Presidents and their viewpoints and actions in the field of civil rights. I have debated writing a piece about Barack Obama because he is not quite three years into his term, so it might be premature to come to any conclusions just yet. But I was intrigued when I read about the Obama administration's new position on foreign aid, based on other nations' treatment of their gay and lesbian citizens.
The President and the Secretary of State have announced a policy which uses American foreign aid to promote gay rights in other countries. President Barack Obama has issued a memorandum directing American agencies to look for ways to combat efforts by foreign governments to criminalize homosexuality. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton underscored President Obama’s remarks, in a speech she delivered in Geneva in connection with International Human Rights Day on Dec. 10. Secretary Clinton stated:
“I am not saying that gay people can’t or don’t commit crimes. They can and they do, just like straight people, and when they do, they should be held accountable. But it should never be a crime to be gay.”
The directive is said to be a response after the Parliament in Uganda decided to reopen a debate on a controversial bill that seeks to outlaw homosexuality. That bill could be expanded to include the death penalty for gay men and lesbians. The bill had been shelved earlier this year amid widespread international condemnation.
The President also spoke out on the issue, stating in the memorandum “I am deeply concerned by the violence and discrimination targeting L.G.B.T. persons around the world, whether it is passing laws that criminalize L.G.B.T. status, beating citizens simply for joining peaceful L.G.B.T. pride celebrations, or killing men, women and children for their perceived sexual orientation.”
President Obama said in the memorandum that the State Department would lead other federal agencies to help ensure that the government provides a “swift and meaningful response to serious incidents that threaten the human rights” of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people abroad. It was not clear from the memorandum whether that would mean cutting off American aid to countries that target the gay community, but it suggested that American agencies will have expanded tools to press foreign countries that are found to abuse the rights of gays, lesbians and others.
According to the State Department’s latest annual human rights report, several countries, including several vital American allies, could face increased pressure over their treatment of gays and others. The report said that in Saudi Arabia, under Sharia law as interpreted in the country, “sexual activity between two persons of the same gender is punishable by death or flogging. It is illegal for men ‘to behave like women’ or to wear women’s clothes and vice versa.” The law in Afghanistan “criminalizes homosexual activity, but authorities only sporadically enforced the prohibition,” the report said. In Pakistan, homosexual intercourse is a criminal offense.
The annual State Department rights reports provide one tool for influencing foreign treatment of gays and lesbians, through the “shaming” function of those reports. President Obama’s memorandum called for similar, separate annual reports on treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
With the 2012 presidential campaign already under way, President Obama’s action was bound to be viewed through a political lens, and it drew fire almost immediately from Texas Governor Rick Perry, who said “This administration’s war on traditional American values must stop. President Obama has again mistaken America’s tolerance for different lifestyles with an endorsement of those lifestyles. I will not make that mistake.”
Is this genuine concern over a human rights issue, a political move intended to shore up the votes of GBLT persons in the United States who are disenchanted with the President's failure to offer support for same-sex marriage, or a combination of both? People can make their own judgements on this question. One thing is for certain: this is a move that no previous administration would have ever undertaken.
The President and the Secretary of State have announced a policy which uses American foreign aid to promote gay rights in other countries. President Barack Obama has issued a memorandum directing American agencies to look for ways to combat efforts by foreign governments to criminalize homosexuality. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton underscored President Obama’s remarks, in a speech she delivered in Geneva in connection with International Human Rights Day on Dec. 10. Secretary Clinton stated:
“I am not saying that gay people can’t or don’t commit crimes. They can and they do, just like straight people, and when they do, they should be held accountable. But it should never be a crime to be gay.”
The directive is said to be a response after the Parliament in Uganda decided to reopen a debate on a controversial bill that seeks to outlaw homosexuality. That bill could be expanded to include the death penalty for gay men and lesbians. The bill had been shelved earlier this year amid widespread international condemnation.
The President also spoke out on the issue, stating in the memorandum “I am deeply concerned by the violence and discrimination targeting L.G.B.T. persons around the world, whether it is passing laws that criminalize L.G.B.T. status, beating citizens simply for joining peaceful L.G.B.T. pride celebrations, or killing men, women and children for their perceived sexual orientation.”
President Obama said in the memorandum that the State Department would lead other federal agencies to help ensure that the government provides a “swift and meaningful response to serious incidents that threaten the human rights” of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people abroad. It was not clear from the memorandum whether that would mean cutting off American aid to countries that target the gay community, but it suggested that American agencies will have expanded tools to press foreign countries that are found to abuse the rights of gays, lesbians and others.
According to the State Department’s latest annual human rights report, several countries, including several vital American allies, could face increased pressure over their treatment of gays and others. The report said that in Saudi Arabia, under Sharia law as interpreted in the country, “sexual activity between two persons of the same gender is punishable by death or flogging. It is illegal for men ‘to behave like women’ or to wear women’s clothes and vice versa.” The law in Afghanistan “criminalizes homosexual activity, but authorities only sporadically enforced the prohibition,” the report said. In Pakistan, homosexual intercourse is a criminal offense.
The annual State Department rights reports provide one tool for influencing foreign treatment of gays and lesbians, through the “shaming” function of those reports. President Obama’s memorandum called for similar, separate annual reports on treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
With the 2012 presidential campaign already under way, President Obama’s action was bound to be viewed through a political lens, and it drew fire almost immediately from Texas Governor Rick Perry, who said “This administration’s war on traditional American values must stop. President Obama has again mistaken America’s tolerance for different lifestyles with an endorsement of those lifestyles. I will not make that mistake.”
Is this genuine concern over a human rights issue, a political move intended to shore up the votes of GBLT persons in the United States who are disenchanted with the President's failure to offer support for same-sex marriage, or a combination of both? People can make their own judgements on this question. One thing is for certain: this is a move that no previous administration would have ever undertaken.