SECRETARY CLINTON'S SPEECH

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's truly remarkable speech... "Gay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights."  It's worth your time.

DINOSOURS OF LEGISLATURE PAST

Can any of you remember way back in the mid 90's when a small group of entrepreneurs re-opened that nightclub at the old Tropical in Port Ewen?  Yeah, those were fun times.
 
They had plenty of obstacles thrown in the way during the process. The Esopus town board, the local minister, and building inspector all leading the charge against. Well The place did open and run without much incident for about four years before business dropped off.
 
The fiscal drain on the partners at the onset made success a struggle. Eventually, a church bought the property, thus eliminating a much needed source of property taxes. That's a big chunk of commercial property too!
 
I bring this up in these last days before we head to the voting booth once more, because one of the lowest points in our County Legislature's history was also about this time.

Remember 1993? Yeah, It was only two years earlier when gay residents petitioned for a bill outlawing discrimination in employment and housing and the Ulster County Legislature refused even to debate it. One legislator, Attilio Contini, told his colleagues that homosexuality was "an illness and handicap." He added, "We don't pass laws giving special privileges to people who are retarded, criminally insane or demented." 
It's not really that long ago folks.

This Contini is running for the same position once again. His views on equality are no different today than they were back in those "Good ol Days". Ironically, he is running in District 19 (consisting of Rosendale and part of Marbletown) against incumbent Robert Parete, one of the Legislature's hardest working Democrats.

Let me say, in the short time I've been on the sixth floor, Rob has impressed me the most. As issues come up for review in committee, successful programs and past reforms have Rob's fingerprints all over them. The more I research, the more I appreciate the amount of work he and a select few accomplished in the 4 short years the Democrats held the majority.

The idea that someone like his opponent, who still harbours such regressive ideals, would feel his place is back on the Legislature is somewhat surprizing. However, after watching those GOP debates in recent months, maybe not.

INTERNATIONAL EQUALITY & PROTECTION

Here is something startling that I never saw coming. President Obama's administration is expected to introduce a declaration to the United Nations calling for better treatment and protections for LGBT people internationally. 
It's a little bit of a surprize since we've been watching certain State Governors at home resemble foreign dictators in recent months. 

The big day is Tuesday. The declaration will be announced at the Human Rights Council in Geneva. The AP has done a head count and it looks like it has the support of more than 80 countries. 
Whodda thunk? 

In a complete reversal of how the past administrations treated gays & lesbians, this document demands that countries end such persecution. It makes sense in that we should expect all of our trading partners to respect equality amongst their citizens as much as we expect humane working conditions. 

Some of you may not realize that in some countries, It's illegal just to look gay. You would be hauled off and executed if suspected of having a relationship with the same gender and sometimes, they punish the families as well. A concern many people have with Qatar as the location of World Cup in 2022.
Considering their history on this subject. 
 
I find it remarkable that there are still countries living in the 15th century  when it comes to Human Rights. Only three years ago, the French government offered a similar proposal. Russia, China, several Islamic countries, and the Vatican were among some of the other opposing nations. With this shift in opinion by the United States, how will those countries respond this time?

Also reported by the AP; The new resolution now has support from Thailand, Rwanda, 
El Salvador, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic, which did not support the 2008 document. 

A quick search online reveals Homosexuality is still punishable as a crime in at least 85 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Sudan, and Ghana. 
As we witness regime change in Tunisia, Egypt and now Libya...who knows what support or opposition the declaration will face.

Either way, I'm impressed.

GILLIBRAND AT HRC DINNER 2010

This is a video of our Junior Senator, Kirsten Gillibrand at the February 6th GALA Dinner in NYC: