Monday, June 1, 2015

Hillary Clinton Welcomes Pride Month with a Tweet

Since she has been tweeting regularly, Hillary has begun to display a real flair for the concise social medium.  Here is her kick-off to Pride Month on Twitter,

 
Don't let the brevity of the message fool you.  Hillary has a long history of support for the LGBT community.  As New York Senator, she marched in parades.

Hillary Clinton

As Secretary of State she heard the requests of LGBT Foreign Service members to extend domestic benefits to partners, promised to investigate the feasibility, found it doable, and within six months of setting foot at Foggy Bottom established those benefits.

Benefits for Same-Sex Domestic Partners of Foreign Service Employees

Press Statement
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
June 18, 2009

While a career in the Foreign Service is rewarding, the demands to serve our country require great commitment and sacrifice by Foreign Service employees and their families. As in American society, our Foreign Service families come in different configurations; all are part of the common fabric of our Post communities abroad. Family members often uproot their lives, endure hardship conditions, and put their own careers on hold to support our overseas missions. The Department of State acknowledges these vital contributions by providing certain family members with benefits, training, and allowances.
The same has not been true for domestic partners of Foreign Service employees.
Read more >>>>
By definition and job description, Foreign Service officials work in other countries some of which have been hostile to LGBT rights, so, as Secretary of State, Hillary brought the campaign for human rights of LGBT people into the international arena.

Remarks at an Event Co-Hosted by the Department of State and Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies (GLIFAA) in celebration of LGBT Pride Month

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Dean Acheson Auditorium
Washington, DC
June 27, 2011
... in March, the United States led a major effort at the Human Rights Council in Geneva to get other countries to sign on in support of a statement on ending violence and criminalization based on sexual orientation and gender identity. In the end, 85 countries signed the statement, 18 more than ever had signed onto any previous UN statement on LGBT rights.And in the very next session of the Human Rights Council, just two weeks ago after another major push by American diplomats in Geneva as well as our teams from IO, DRL, EUR, WHA, and other bureaus, the Council passed the first ever UN resolution recognizing the human rights of LGBT people worldwide. And it was especially meaningful that we had South Africa cosponsoring that resolution with us. And with that we took a huge step forward in our work to refute the hateful suggestion that LGBT people are somehow exempt from human rights protections, and we made it absolutely clear that, so far as the United States is concerned and our foreign policy, and our values – that gay rights are human rights and human rights are gay rights.
Read full speech and view video here >>>>
In December 2011 she delivered an historic address in Geneva commemorating Human Rights Day.

Video: Secretary Clinton’s Human Rights Day Speech

December 6, 2011

Remarks in Recognition of International Human Rights Day

Remarks
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Palais des Nations
Geneva, Switzerland
December 6, 2011
She has come to support marriage equality and recently applauded Ireland's ground-breaking vote with a laudatory tweet.

 
While her tweets are compact,  her rationale is rooted in broad investigation and deeply held values.  She was honored for her work in 2012.

Hillary Clinton: Video Remarks for LGBT Pride Award

Video Remarks for LGBT Pride Award

Press Statement
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
July 6, 2012

 
A big hello to all of you there in London. I am sorry I can’t be there in person to join the festivities and to say “thank you” for this special award.I want to acknowledge all the people who are working hard to advance human rights in their own communities around the world—people whose names may not be well-known but who are making a difference every day.
They deserve our gratitude and our deep respect.
As I announced in Geneva last December, we’ve launched a Global Equality Fund—a fund that other governments, companies, and foundations can contribute to—that will provide support for civil society groups around the world that are working to protect the human rights of LGBT people.
Read more and view video here >>>>