So Hillary Clinton Gave a Speech Yesterday

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave a landmark speech on LGBT rights yesterday, in which she reasserted that LGBT rights are human rights and cemented the fight against discrimination toward LGBT people as a plank of US foreign policy, pledging to use diplomacy and dedicating $3 million in foreign aid to help expand LGBT rights globally.

This, Shakers, is a politician who keeps her campaign promises, even when she doesn't win the election.

It is a remarkable and moving (if imperfect) speech, and I can't even begin to choose what I would excerpt (I encourage you to watch/read the whole thing), but this is pretty good: "When any part of humanity is sidelined, the rest of us cannot sit on the sidelines. ... When we see denials and abuses of human rights and fail to act, that sends the message to those deniers and abusers that they won't suffer any consequences for their actions, and so they carry on. But when we do act, we send a powerful moral message. ... To people of all nations, I say supporting human rights is your responsibility too. ... The actions you take, the ideals that you advocate, can determine whether human rights flourish where you are."

So much blub.

In an email, which I am quoting with his permission, Shaker GoldFishy said: "THIS is the speech that Obama needs to give. THIS is the speech that my governor needs to give. THIS is the speech that any fair-minded leader with a platform should give. THIS is the speech that can change the world. A failure to lead doesn't mean that leadership doesn't happen—it just happens at the hands of someone else, probably with less than ideal goals."

Secretary Clinton reminds us we all have the ability to lead.



Full transcript available here.