Hillary Clinton and Homophobia in Russia

by Michael Jones · 2009-10-12 19:59:00 UTC
Topics:

Hillary Clinton

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is scheduled to commemorate the establishment of a monument in Russia memorializing American poet Walt Whitman. That's a pretty ironic news blip, because Walt Whitman was gay. And when it comes to the gays, the Russian government has a track record that's as oppressive as it gets.

The purpose of Clinton's trip goes far beyond just a monument dedication. She'll be meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to discuss a wide range of issues, from a nuclear Iran to climate change. But her stop at Moscow State University to dedicate the Walt Whitman monument is beyond curious. Adding more intrigue is the fact that she'll be joined at the Whitman dedication by the Mayor of Moscow, Yuri Luzkhov. Mayor Luzkhov has become famous in recent years for banning demonstrations by LGBT rights activists in Moscow, threatening violence toward demonstrators.

Luzkhov has also dropped such rhetorical bombshells as calling gay pride a "Satanic gathering," and saying that gay people are "weapons of mass destruction." Mayor Luzkhov has also blamed gay people for HIV/AIDS, and has said that condoms are silly. So the fact that Mayor Luzkhov will be dedicating a monument to gay poet Walt Whitman is pretty damn weird. It would be like John Ashcroft dedicating a monument to naked breasts, or Glenn Beck dedicating a statue of Van Jones.

But weirdness aside, this might be an excellent opportunity for Secretary of State Clinton to practice a little quiet diplomacy and nudge Russia on the issue of LGBT rights. This past September 11, Clinton herself said that the U.S. must condemn global violence toward LGBT people.

"(We) must condemn violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity. In country after country after country, young men and women are persecuted, are singled out, even murdered in cold blood, because of who they love or just based on claims that they are gay," said Clinton.

What better place to start condemning global homophobia than in Russia, at a dedication of one of America's biggest gay historical figures?

(Photo courtesy of U.S. State Department.)

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
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