Yes, Hillary Clinton was the first to speak out about gay rights, but should we fall down and start bowing to her feet just yet? In Hillary's speech to the Human Rights Campaign's board members, she mentioned many issues that she supports or doesn't support to show her ability to show her excessive support for the gay rights movement; however after watching the speech over and over I began to wonder if she was sincere. From my possibly over critical eye of public speaking I noticed that Senator Clinton read off the names of her "colleges" in the Human Rights Campaign that she worked with when trying to defeat gay opposition. Clinton did state a very progressive statement at the beginning of her speech:
"Most of all I want to thank all of you. I want to thank you for how every day, you stand up for the basic principle that our country is really anchored on, that we are all created equal, and that we are each endowed with certain inalienable rights and that we should all have the opportunity to live up to our God given potential."
Clinton also noted that the gay rights movement is “a job [we] didn’t ask for” therefore assuring the Human Rights Campaign and the gay community as a whole that she believes that being gay is hereditary. This may seem minor but having this belief will make sure the beholder must believe because gays are born gay they should have equal rights, without any exceptions. Other things that Clinton said that surprised me in a good way were her statements about the things she supported such as gay couple adoption (which tends to be the last thing candidates support even after marriage), ENDA (Employment Non-discrimination Act), and the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Policy (which oddly enough was endorsed by none other than William Jefferson). She also stated that she is going to “change laws, and change hearts” in Congress. I loved this quote because of her influence in Congress that she currently possesses.
On the other hand, when she talked about achievements done by the HRC, she only mentioned putting Democrats into power in the Senate and House. I would have liked to hear about the other many fights gay political people have overcome besides the defeat of the Republicans. Even though she is a different politician with different ideals than her husband, one can’t help but to laugh at the irony of Hillary saying there should be an end to the FMA, Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, and supporting ENDA. Mrs. Clinton didn’t seem to educate Mr. Clinton about the gay rights movement when it comes to FMA, Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, and ENDA. I think Hillary is going to have to take responsibility for some of the contradictions between her and her beloved husband, even though I do realize the separation of views in married couples.
Clinton's Full Speech to the Human Rights Campaign can be viewed here:
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I understand your concern, given her husband's record on issues like "don't ask, don't tell" and DOMA, but I think Hillary is genuinely in the gay rights camp. Although she is the first Democratic contender to address the Human Rights Campaign this cycle, several of the other candidates have expressed their support for important anti-discrimination legislation. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson helped pass a hate crimes bill through his state legislature, and has done more than any other candidate for gay rights. Richardson is delivering the keynote address at HRC's annual gala in LA on the 24th of this month. Stay tuned.
I will keep that in mind and make sure to write a comparison on the two speeches Clinton vs. Richardson! And we will see how that goes!
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