LGBTQ news and entertainment
Earlier I reported that Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona urged Governor Brewer to veto the controversial and anti-gay “License to Discriminate” bill.
Now Sen. John McCain has joined the calls for the governor’s veto.
More and more elected officials are voicing their concern over the hateful and economic stain the bill would put in place if it were to become law.
“This is a tragic day for Uganda and for all who care about the cause of human rights. Ultimately, the only answer is repeal of this law. The United States is deeply disappointed in the enactment of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill in Uganda. For the four years since the bill was introduced, we have been crystal clear that it blatantly violates human rights obligations that Uganda’s Human Rights Commission itself has recognized are enshrined in Uganda’s Constitution. Today’s signing threatens a dangerous slide backward in Uganda’s commitment to protecting the human rights of its people and a serious threat to the LGBT community in Uganda.
“We are also deeply concerned about the law’s potential to set back public health efforts in Uganda, including those to address HIV/AIDS, which must be conducted in a non-discriminatory manner in order to be effective. As President Obama stated, this legislation is not just morally wrong, it complicates a valued relationship. Now that this law has been enacted, we are beginning an internal review of our relationship with the Government of Uganda to ensure that all dimensions of our engagement, including assistance programs, uphold our anti-discrimination policies and principles and reflect our values.
“From Nigeria to Russia and Uganda, we are working globally to promote and protect the human rights of all persons. The United States will continue to stand against any efforts to marginalize, criminalize, and penalize vulnerable persons in any society.” – Secretary of State John Kerry, via press release issued by the State Department.
Monday morning, I reported that Arizona GOP state Sen. Mike Pierce has changed course regarding the “License to Discriminate” bill in Arizona and called for Gov. Brewer to veto of the hate bill that he voted for last week.
Now, two more GOP state senators have joined him. Via LGBTQ Nation:
Sen. Bob Worsley says he and Sens. Adam Driggs and Steve Pierce sent a letter to Brewer Monday asking her to strike down the legislation allowing business owners with strongly held religious beliefs to refuse service to gays. Worsley says he was uncomfortable when he voted for the bill. Both he and Pierce called their votes a mistake. The legislation passed last week. The Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry is requesting a veto because of fears it will hurt tourism.
LGBTQ Nation points out that if these three had voted against the bill in the first place – it would have failed.
(via JMG)
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| Via Towleroad |
Very bad day for Uganda.
“I don’t like the negative picture of Arizona, and I’m on board asking the governor to veto the bill.
“To say (the bill is) anti-gay is following the feeding frenzy,” I have friends that are gay and I wouldn’t do anything to hurt them. This is blown way out of proportion and it’s too bad.” – Arizona Republican Sen. Steve Pierce of Prescott changing course on his vote on “License to Discriminate” bill.
So first he votes FOR the bill. Then, when he sees how real people feel about the discriminatory legislation, he’s against it. But he still doesn’t see the harm in legalizing discrimination against gays and lesbians?
By the way, he’s running for governor. Did I mention that?
Steve Kornacki, sitting in for Rachel Maddow, explores Arizona’s history of unpopular legislation from the repeal and reinstitution of Martin Luther King Jr Day, to illegal immigration reforms to the anti-gay SB-1062 now awaiting the Governor’s signature.
Arizona State Rep. Chad Campbell then chats with Kornacki about the opposition to the new Arizona anti-gay bill that can now only be stopped by a veto.
(via Towleroad)
During NBC’s coverage last night, Bob Costas finally took a moment to comment on the state of human rights in Russia, one the first times during the Sochi Olympics wherein the network has acknowledged the issue on air.
Bob Costas on NBC:
The Sochi games have gone much better than many feared and predicted. So far security has held fast, venues have been praised, athletes and spectators have almost unanimously cited the warmth and hospitality of their hosts. All of which is truly wonderful but should not serve to obscure a larger and more lasting truth.
While in many significant ways, Russian citizens have better lives than Soviet citizens of a generation ago, there’s is still a government which imprisons dissidents, is hostile to gay rights, sponsors and supports a vicious regime in Syria – and that’s just a partial list.
The Sochi games are Vladimir Putin’s games, from their inception to their conclusion, and all points in between. And if they are successful on their own terms, as appears to be the case, then at least in some corners it will help to burnish the image of a regime with which much of the world takes significant issue. No amount of Olympic glory can mask those realities any more than a biathlon gold medal, though hard-earned and deeply satisfying as it is, can put out the fires in Kiev.
Anderson Cooper talks to Arizona state Rep. John Kavanaugh who defends his vote for the “License to Discriminate” bill this week.
Mr. Kavanaugh keeps trying to sell the bill as what he would LIKE the world to see it as, but Anderson Cooper keeps bringing his questions around to what reality will be like in Arizona under SB-1062
Legal expert Kenji Yoshino explains the history and reality of the flawed bill. As Kavanaugh continues to say SB-1062 is just a “tweak,” Yoshino explains the bill actually shifts the matter from government participation to one individual denying another individual. According to the legal expert, this is no “tweak” but actually a large shift from what was written in law before.
What is happening here is every day political spin. The GOP Rep. is trying to get out the message that this bill “isn’t bad at all” to make it seem palatable to middle of the road Arizonans.
He’s lying. He just wants to see the bill signed into law, and then he won’t care.