Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on
Tuesday announced a new global initiative to support gay rights.
Clinton announced the Global Equality
Fund during an impassioned speech at the United Nations offices in
Geneva. The United States has committed $3 million to the fund that
will support groups working for gay, lesbian, bisexual and
transgender rights worldwide.
The announcement came on the heels of a
memorandum signed by President Barack Obama that ties
foreign aid to gay rights.
“It is a violation of human rights
when people are beaten or killed because of their sexual orientation,
or because they do not conform to cultural norms about how men and
women should look or behave,” Clinton said.
“It is a violation of human rights
when governments declare it is illegal to be gay or allow those who
harm gay people to go unpunished.”
“It is a violation of human rights
when life-saving care is withheld from people because they are gay,
or public spaces are out of bounds to people because they are gay,”
she added.
Clinton also rejected the notion that
being gay is a Western phenomenon.
“Being gay is not a Western
invention. It is a human reality.”
Kate Kendell, executive director of the
National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), applauded Clinton's
remarks.
“Hearing the United States Secretary
of State speak passionately about ending violence and discrimination
against LGBT people throughout the world left me with a lump in my
throat and tears in my eyes,” Kendell said. “This is a day to
remember, and one that will mark the beginning of a new era in the
international recognition of our community.”