Rick Perry Says Human Rights for Gays ‘Not in America’s Interests’
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Charles Krupa/AP Photo
Texas Gov. Rick Perry said today that using foreign aid to combat human rights abuses against homosexuals in foreign countries is “not in America’s interests” and attacked President Obama’s decision to require U.S. agencies operating abroad to promote equal rights for gays as part of the administration’s “war on traditional American values.”
“Just when you thought Barack Obama couldn’t get any more out of touch with America’s values, AP reports his administration wants to make foreign aid decisions based on gay rights. This administration’s war on traditional American values must stop,” Perry said in the statement. “Promoting special rights for gays in foreign countries is not in America’s interests and not worth a dime of taxpayers’ money.”
Perry moved beyond the national security implications of the decision and honed in on what he deemed to be an attack on “traditional American values.”
“But there is a troubling trend here beyond the national security nonsense inherent in this silly idea,” he said. “This is just the most recent example of an administration at war with people of faith in this country. Investing tax dollars promoting a lifestyle many [Americans] of faith find so deeply objectionable is wrong. President Obama has again mistaken America’s tolerance for different lifestyles with an endorsement of those lifestyles. I will not make that mistake.”
In a memorandum released today, Obama said foreign aid should be used by U.S. agencies operating abroad to “promote and protect the human rights of LGBT persons,” including combating the criminalization of LGBT status or conduct by foreign governments, along with protecting LGBT asylum seekers and refugees.
“I am deeply concerned by the violence and discrimination targeting LGBT persons around the world, whether it is passing laws that criminalize LGBT status, beating citizens simply for joining peaceful LGBT pride celebrations, or killing men, women, and children for their perceived sexual orientation,” Obama said in the memo.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today equated gay rights with women’s rights during a speech in Geneva.
The Human Rights Campaign condemned the Texas governor’s statement.
“Rick Perry has made no secret of his dislike for LGBT Americans – but his most recent remarks are outrageous even by his own standards,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese in a statement. “It is bewildering that someone who wants to be President of the United States wouldn’t want to see our nation be a global leader in universal human rights. This is further proof that Rick Perry doesn’t want to represent the best interests of all Americans – he wants to advance an extremist, anti-gay agenda that represents the fringe views of a very small few.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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The Secessionist Governor thinks Human rights are only for those he thinks are worthy. Perry, Santorum, Bachmann remind me of the intolerance in 1930’s Germany that lead to the birth of the Nazi party. Not surprised anyone who would buy property that has the N word painted on the entry way.
Posted by: MTATL67 | December 6, 2011, 4:22 pm 4:22 pm
” his administration wants to make foreign aid decisions based on gay rights”, thats just great, lwhat about freedom of religion, or maybe abortions, or anything else this administration can think off.
Posted by: Lizzie | December 6, 2011, 4:29 pm 4:29 pm
That’s because Perry doesn’t think gays are equal to everyone else.
Posted by: Searambler | December 6, 2011, 4:43 pm 4:43 pm
Perry is a joke.
Posted by: g9 | December 6, 2011, 5:01 pm 5:01 pm
Rick Perry is not in America’s interest either.
Posted by: hoopskier | December 6, 2011, 5:06 pm 5:06 pm
Homosexuality is wrong and it’s about time somebody stood up and defended the majority of people in the United States who’s morals are of a much higher standard. It is not a worthy funding and should never EVER even be considered by any U.S. official! This is an OUTRAGE!!!
Posted by: Joan | December 6, 2011, 5:06 pm 5:06 pm
Exactly like a Perry presidency – not in America’s best interest!
Posted by: Sean | December 6, 2011, 5:08 pm 5:08 pm
This coming from a man who couldn’t even get God to give his state rain.
Posted by: wtf | December 6, 2011, 5:19 pm 5:19 pm
The presidential memorandum said that federal agencies engaged abroad had been directed to “combat the criminalization of L.G.B.T. status or conduct abroad; protect vulnerable L.G.B.T. refugees and asylum seekers; leverage foreign assistance to protect human rights and advance nondiscrimination; ensure swift and meaningful U.S. response to human rights abuses of L.G.B.T. persons abroad; engage international organizations in the fight against L.G.B.T. discrimination.” ……..NYT
Posted by: Taintedbylies | December 6, 2011, 5:21 pm 5:21 pm
Rick Perry is a horrible, out-of-touch, person. He probably thinks that women do not deserve equality either. Surely Americans will see what he is and keep him out of any future office.
Posted by: Patty Newell | December 6, 2011, 5:32 pm 5:32 pm
Are we surprised here? This is the same fellow who boasted about how many human beings he executed.
Posted by: Andy | December 6, 2011, 6:16 pm 6:16 pm
While I do not agree with the homosexual lifestyle, that doesn’t mean that homosexuals are less of people than anyone else, and it’s a terrible thing when they are beaten and even killed in other countries.
People need to get it through their heads that heterosexual immorality isn’t somehow better than homosexual immorality.
Posted by: Josh | December 6, 2011, 6:19 pm 6:19 pm
@ Joan The bible that I read says” judge not lest ye be judged”. It also says “let he who is without sin cast the 1st stone”. You should really take time to read it. Your actions and words are not christian. Christians have compassion for people. Jesus taught love. You’re preaching hate and prejudice. Both of these come from the devil. Seems more like a hypocrite.
Posted by: Maria | December 6, 2011, 6:50 pm 6:50 pm
What if it were white Christian men instead of gays? I suppose that requiring equal rights for them would be in America’s interest…
Posted by: Mike K | December 6, 2011, 7:14 pm 7:14 pm
Homosexuality is not a choice or a lifestyle, it’s a perfectly natural sexual orientation. It’s time we moved beyond bronze age morals drafted by a culture that treated women like chattel and abhorred anything that made a male womanlike.
Kudos to the President for standing up for human rights against tyrants who would kill you based on who you love. And I say that as heterosexual, although, one apparently more enlightened then my own governor.
Posted by: Tristan | December 6, 2011, 7:16 pm 7:16 pm
Joan: you’re in the minority. Get used to it. And keep your Bible away from me.
Posted by: Peter | December 6, 2011, 7:29 pm 7:29 pm
Since “foreign aid decisions” often translates to deciding who NOT to give foreign aid to, I would think Perry would be happy. Every excuse we can find to NOT give away preciousssss tax dollars to some rinkidink African country full of heathens should be welcome to him.
Posted by: JenJen | December 6, 2011, 7:53 pm 7:53 pm
Gay rights are HUMAN rights. Human rights are always in our interest.
As an additional note, the Christian bible, as any bible, is NOT the law book of our nation…nor should it ever be.
Posted by: Ken Cowan | December 6, 2011, 8:02 pm 8:02 pm
I hope we understand the definition, the rights for ‘human beings.’ These rights apply to all mankind. Human’s friends: dog, cats, pets, etc. have their rights, too. What on earth we think of others less than ourselves! The American people want life, happiness, and freedom for ‘all.’ Other nations want the same. Immorality comes in all shapes and forms and is part of human beings. Mr. Perry, name 3 traditional American values?
Posted by: J.Allison | December 6, 2011, 8:21 pm 8:21 pm
Joan, don’t you know by now that when people speak up like this regarding gays (not the clinical-biblical term “homosexuals” you and others that live in the last century like to use), are almost ALWAYS feeling just a little bit insecure about something in themselves? It’s just a matter of time before this beedy-eyed twit is going to be caught in a rent-boy scandal or found out to have a long-time same-sex lover…or something like that.
Posted by: RCA | December 7, 2011, 2:02 am 2:02 am
We support governments that do far worse when it advances US interests. With the US economy in tatters, I have to agree that this divisive issue is not something we should be spending taxpayer dollars on abroad. Doing so can only help the Republicans, which will hurt gay rights in the long run. Obama is shooting himself in the foot.
Posted by: Freon | December 7, 2011, 3:59 am 3:59 am
To Joan:
Heave an egg out of a Pullman window, and you will hit a Fundamentalist almost anywhere in the United States today. They swarm in the country towns, inflamed by their pastors, and with a saint, now, to venerate. They are thick in the mean streets behind the gasworks. They are everywhere that learning is to heavy a burden for mortal works. They are everywhere that learning is too heavy a burden for mortal minds, even the vague, pathetic learning on tap in little red schoolhouses. They march with the Klan, with the Christian Endeavor Society, with the Junior Order of United American Mechanics, with the Epworth League, with all the rococo bands that poor and unhappy folk organize to bring some light of purpose into their lives.
Posted by: H.L. Mencken | December 7, 2011, 4:31 am 4:31 am
Perry is 100% correct.
Posted by: mike | December 7, 2011, 8:10 am 8:10 am
Response to Mike: one inbred redneck supporting another. Do give my greetings to your cousin/wife.
Posted by: H.L. Mencken | December 7, 2011, 9:04 am 9:04 am
“traditional American values”… when I hear this phrase, the number 3/5ths comes to mind.
Posted by: JC | December 7, 2011, 10:33 am 10:33 am
Obama will say anything to get re-elected. This may be the first electoral promise he made that he is actually gonna keep. Thanks a bunch Pres…. what took so long in fulfilling the promise of support …. of yeah, helping G.LB.T. was not important til their votes were needed. On election day we are gonna have to decide if we want to keep a guy in office who may keep some of his promises when he is in need, but really didn’t help us when he borrowed all that money from China (the Jobs Bill ….. ARRA funding that was used to create job in numerous areas of our country (I think he borrowed around $40 billion that our great grand children get to pay back with interest (banks sure benefitted). Which of the candidates is gonna cause the least amount of pain and takes the least amount of money from my family is what I’m trying to figure out. None of our opions are really that good when all is considered.
Posted by: JLynn | December 7, 2011, 11:03 am 11:03 am
I find it funny that people like Perry keep bringing up “people of faith” and God for their arguments against gay rights. I’m a Christian and I must say that I am appalled. We have a thing called separation of church and state. You can’t just use God when you see fit and toss him aside the rest of the time. Either God is in everything or he’s not in anything. You don’t get to have to have your bigot cake and eat it too.
Posted by: Christina J. | December 7, 2011, 12:28 pm 12:28 pm
We must do everything we can to keep this dangerous man out of the White House.
Posted by: Tom | December 7, 2011, 1:22 pm 1:22 pm
So breathing and living your life with out fear of mindless violence and in accordance with “the pursuit of happiness” counts as “special rights”
Posted by: Raymond Davis | December 7, 2011, 2:51 pm 2:51 pm
combat human rights abuses against homosexuals in foreign countries is “not in America’s interests”
When we have an on-going 16,000,000,000,000 dollar debt, it should not be in our interests to help ~500,000 people when we should be helping 5.6 million of our own people. After we get out of the debt, by all means, help them. I’m not anti gay, I’m not anti-foreign support, and I am DEFINITELY not a Perry supporter, but I am trying to be realistic. We can help more if we help ourselves first.
Posted by: Trey Reynolds | December 7, 2011, 9:40 pm 9:40 pm
“Uh duh…..now what branch of the government is under attack again? Uh duh I I I can’t remember now. Uh I’m too stupid to be president.”
What happened to my presidential bid now?
This guy is such a moron….a raging idiot!!!!
Posted by: dee wolf | December 7, 2011, 10:42 pm 10:42 pm
After a brief period of anxiety I was relieved to see that Americans and even most Republicans realize this man is too stupid to be president. Now we see what a hateful pig he is.What kind of “faith” teaches such mindless hatred?
Posted by: Joe McCreight | December 7, 2011, 11:42 pm 11:42 pm
Thankfully, I’m voting for Ron Paul.
Posted by: alex | December 8, 2011, 12:14 am 12:14 am
How Not to Get Elected
By Rick Perry
Posted by: Nick | December 8, 2011, 7:32 am 7:32 am
Perry’s idea of “traditional American values” seems to be that only straight voters are equal – it’s ok to look down on, descriminate and oppress people because of their sexuality. Remember recent scientific research concludes that gay people are born that way, and are simply human beings with no less human rights than a straight person.
The religious right need to look at the facts – there are over 6 billion people on this planet and being gay is not stopping the exponential growth of the human race. Gay people make the world a nicer, happier, better place – unlike Perry.
Posted by: Kevin | December 8, 2011, 9:05 am 9:05 am
Really, Perry? Really? Are you that desperate for numbers that you have to scapegoat gays to garner votes because you suck at arguing important issues?
You’re a joke to Texas and to this country.
Posted by: Ari159 | December 8, 2011, 11:44 am 11:44 am
He is a cancer!!
Posted by: Joe | December 8, 2011, 1:35 pm 1:35 pm
Gov Perry, a so called Christian, really needs to review what it means when he says God. The Almighty would not have created, allowed or even thought of gays if he wasn’t who he is. He lets all men (and women) be who they are. Poor Gov Perry doesn’t even have that capacity. His religion is the purest form of a joke. Give God credit ( if you believe) and let Him rule. Not the Gov.
Posted by: Connie | December 8, 2011, 6:53 pm 6:53 pm
@ JenJen “Since “foreign aid decisions” often translates to deciding who NOT to give foreign aid to, I would think Perry would be happy. Every excuse we can find to NOT give away preciousssss tax dollars to some rinkidink African country full of heathens should be welcome to him.”
Who are you to say that the People of Africa are heathens and from rinkidink countries? Have you been there? spoke to anyone from there? From what you write – NO and how dare you make accusations you cannot support. I grew up in Africa and would go back in a second if I could afford it. They have VERY religious beliefs and obviously you do not. The People of Africa has an Appreciation of Life where Americans have an expectation. They are not fond of most Americans and people like you are the reason. HOw many people in this country kill for the fun of it?
Posted by: Pat | December 9, 2011, 11:14 am 11:14 am
Mr. Rick Perry, thank you for highlighting your beliefs to the country, so that we the people, can judge you based on the merits of your ideas and thought processes. Although I don’t hold your belief system, I do appreciate the fact that we all have the inalienable right to have faith in whatever we accept as our own personal truth. However, I think you missed the mark with your loving Christian message of tolerance and acceptance. We are a country comprised primarily of Christians, but the secular nature of our government ensures representation for all the people, to include gays in the military. Furthermore, your comparison of gays in the military to a war on Christmas is absolutely ludicrous. Provide the people with ONE EXAMPLE wherein Christian children are unable to celebrate Christmas according to their belief system, or rather their parents. If anything, there is a war on the secular nature of our government and society at large by the Christian majority. If you want children to be able to pray in school (only to your Christian God of course) perhaps you ought to go back and read one of the Amendments to the Constitution. Or, enroll your children in a Christian school, so American children who don’t adhere to your religious beliefs aren’t force fed it. The Treaty of Tripoli comes to mind…”we are in no way a Christian nation.” Sound familiar, or do you have selective amnesia when it comes to our nation’s history? The evolution of Americans and/or U.S. businesses using the term “Happy Holidays” verses “Christmas” is not a WAR on Christmas, but rather recognition of the incredible diversity within our populace and the fact that not everyone celebrates Christmas, or was that point lost on you as well? If you want to cover your home in religious symbols and set up a 30 foot nativity scene in your own yard, have at it–no one is stopping you or anyone else from practicing their own religious beliefs. Of course, this has always been the scare tactic of the GOP to inform their base that someone is going to take away Christian rights, if a Republican isn’t elected. Christians have just as many rights as any other individuals in this country, with the exception of Gays, Lesbians and Transgenders in our country, who have the right to be ridiculed by Presidential Candidates. Thank you for showing your true colors to all of us…”faith over reason”…”religion over tolerance” and the expected rigidity of someone with “narrow minded views.” Oh, I almost forgot, best of luck on the campaign trail…I’m sure it won’t be long before your sticking your proverbial religious foot in your mouth.
Posted by: Veteran | December 9, 2011, 11:31 pm 11:31 pm
RIGHTS FOR gays, drug addicts, undocumented illegals, everyone has rights..however we also have the right to objectin aiding and supporting your right to do what ever you want…you demand equal rights for your personal agenda..well I want equal right s to object to homosexuality being tought to my child as an ulternative life style..so dont force that on me..or my children..go off on your own and do your thing…but dont force me to pay for the aids medical bills..dont try and force all americans to accept same sex marrage..if you want to live as wife and wife..or husband to husband..dont push that stuff on the rest of the people..if you want to have sex with a horse.or a chicken .thats your thing..if I find it discusting, thats my thing.why should any president, or office give you speacial tretment, by doing what is aganst all nature..because you feel its your right to ..do thises things..which are abominal to most..gays ..go for it but dont push your sodom and gommorra on me, to have christian love and tolerance, does not mean to go aganst christain principles
.
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Posted by: granma | December 10, 2011, 6:47 am 6:47 am
Right s? Tought? Ulternative? Life style? Aids medical bills? Husband to husband? Discusting? Your right to? Abominal? Thises? Christain?
Truly an achievement to make so many spelling and grammatical errors in a short piece. No wonder you’re a fundie.
Also, what kind of “granma” spends her time thinking about sex with horses and chickens? Apparently, a fundamentalist grandma.
Posted by: H.L. Mencken | December 12, 2011, 9:30 am 9:30 am
I am REALLY starting to get tired of Texas and their bigoted fundamentalist Christian presidential candidates. That state is starting to seem like a cesspool of hatred and intolerance. If Texas succeeds from the US no one is going to care, except for all the gays and non-Christians stranded there, who will then probably be thrown into concentration camps.
Posted by: Fed up | December 16, 2011, 11:40 am 11:40 am
Obama is promoting “special” rights for gays…..like the right to not be killed
. What an idiot that Obama is to oppose the proposals of the Ugandan parlaiment that those who are gay or those who fail to identify someone as gay are to be executed. I would like to extend that to those who are idiots….then we could eliminate the entire slate of Republican candidates.
Posted by: Rick | January 3, 2012, 1:07 am 1:07 am