politicians | Queer Rhetoric Project

Hillary Clinton’s Remarks in Recognition of International Human Rights Day

Being gay is not a Western invention; it is a human reality. And protecting the human rights of all people, gay or straight, is not something that only Western governments do. South Africa’s constitution, written in the aftermath of Apartheid, protects the equality of all citizens, including gay people. In Colombia and Argentina, the rights of gays are also legally protected. In Nepal, the supreme court has ruled that equal rights apply to LGBT citizens. The Government of Mongolia has committed to pursue new legislation that will tackle anti-gay discrimination....

Remarks on “Creating an AIDS-Free Generation” by Hillary Clinton

The goal of an AIDS-free generation may be ambitious, but it is possible with the knowledge and interventions we have right now. And that is something we’ve never been able to say without qualification before. Imagine what the world will look like when we succeed. Imagine AIDS wards that once were stretched far beyond their capacity becoming outpatient clinics caring for people with a manageable condition, children who might have been orphaned and then trafficked or recruited as child soldiers instead growing up with the hope of a better future, communities where despair once reigned filled instead with optimism, countries that can make the most of every single person’s God-given potential. That is the world that has always been at the core of American belief, and we have worked toward it in our own history. It’s the world I think we all would like to live in. An AIDS-free generation would be one of the greatest gifts the United States could give to our collective future....

President Obama Signs Repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”: “Out of Many, We Are One”

President Obama Signs Repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”: “Out of Many, We Are One” Barack Obama Department of Interior Washington, D.C. December 22, 2010 (source) – A longer video is available from CSPAN here: http://cs.pn/fsqMCW 9:10 A.M. EST THE VICE PRESIDENT: Hey, folks, how are you? (Applause.) It’s a good day. (Applause.) It’s a
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Lt. Dan Choi gives Harry Reid his West Point ring & discharge papers

Lt. Dan Choi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid Netroots Nation Las Vegas, NV July 24, 2010 – The moderator: “This morning Dan Choi gave me this to give to you. That’s his West Point ring. He says, he says it doesn’t mean to him what it did mean to him anymore. And this is
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Argentina President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner Defends Marriage Equality Bill

by Argentina President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner July 12, 2010 (source) – President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner made this statement at a press conference while away in China two days before the Argentinean Senate voted to grant same-sex marriage legal recognition. English subtitles embedded in the video....

Pride 2010 Update

Be sure to check out new additions to the archive during this year’s LGBT Pride Month. Apart from the formal speeches, a couple texts stand out. In particular, make sure to read Gloria Nieto’s statement “Poverty is a Queer Issue”. Also, David Mixner writes of the importance of preserving queer history. Crisis in the LGBT
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On Equality

by Alexi Giannoulias U.S. Senate nominee and Illinois State Treasurer Campaign Rally Jun 21, 2010 (source) – From David Mixner: As we watch people in Washington attempt to find ways to dribble out our human rights without taking a tough stand on issues like marriage equality, Democrat Alexi Giannoulias who is running for United States
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Remarks at An Event Celebrating Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Month

by Hillary Clinton Department of State Loy Henderson Auditorium Washington, D.C. June 22, 2010 – Hillary Rodham Clinton Secretary of State Loy Henderson Auditorium Washington, DC June 22, 2010 Thank you. Thank you all very much. (Applause.) Thank you. Gee, let’s do this every week. (Laughter.) It’s great after a hard week to tell you
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Remarks by President Obama at the LGBT Pride Month Reception

by Barack Obama East Room June 22, 2010 – THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary _________________________________________________________________________________________ For Immediate Release June 22, 2010 REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT AT LGBT PRIDE MONTH RECEPTION East Room 6:16 P.M. EDT THE PRESIDENT: Hello, hello, hello! (Applause.) Hello, everybody! (Applause.) I was going to say welcome to the
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Harvey Milk’s Post-Assassination Tape

by Harvey Milk 1978 – This message was recorded by Milk to be played in the event of his death by assassination....