FRIDAY FAX

August 8, 2003
  Volume 6, Number 33

US Congressman Threatens Trade Sanctions Against anti-Gay Governments

An openly gay US Congressman announced at the UN this week that he would
seek trade sanctions against US trading partners that oppose UN human
rights measures for homosexuals. Specifically mentioning Egypt as a target
for sanctions, Barney Frank, Democrat of Massachusetts, made the
announcement during a meeting of homosexuals at UN headquarters in New
York on Monday.

Buoyed by a “growing level of success at the UN” and a seemingly
decisive international cultural shift, gay rights advocates met to discuss
a multi-pronged strategy, including attacks on traditional morality and
Christianity, that they believe will advance the complete gay, lesbian,
bisexual and transgender agenda.

During a panel discussion, Paula Ettelbrick, Executive Director of the
International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) announced a
coming “showdown with religion” and that the Pope’s “call to arms” against
homosexual marriage would be successfully combated. Anthony Appiah, a
professor at Princeton University, said that religion posed “a challenge”
to the homosexual agenda, and wondered whether religious freedom ought to
be limited. Svend Robinson, a member of the Canadian parliament, singled
out Bishop Frederick Henry of Calgary for criticism, calling his actions
in defense of traditional marriage “unbelievable.” Robinson also received
thunderous applause from the audience when he told the Catholic Church to
“clean up your own house” before criticizing the morality of homosexuals.
Finally, Robinson mocked “born again” Christians, asking, “Did they have
to come back again as themselves?”

The panel also discussed ways to ensure that the resolution introduced by
Brazil at this year’s UN Human Rights Commission, that sought to expand
the UN’s definition of discrimination to include discrimination based upon
“sexual orientation,” would be successful next year. Robinson blamed the
resolution’s failure to pass this year on the Vatican, which “lobbied
hard” by rallying “top people in Latin America.” In response, Robinson
promised a worldwide lobbying campaign, and announced that a “different
champion” other than Brazil will bring the resolution forward at the next
session of the Commission. There will also be a meeting held in San Diego
this fall of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender parliamentarians in
order to coordinate these efforts.

In a flier distributed at the meeting, IGLHRC listed some of the laws it
considered discriminatory towards homosexuals and that should be changed:
“Sodomy, age of consent and other ‘sex act’ laws…laws on prostitution…laws
penalizing those wearing clothing of the opposite
sex…obscenity/pornography laws…denial of marriage to same sex partners,
denial of marriage to trans [gender] people…laws on parenting/adoption.”

The meeting was sponsored by UN Gay, Lesbian or Bisexual Employees
(UNGLOBE), and illustrates the growing influence of homosexual rights
advocates at the UN. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan briefly attended the
meeting, and Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of the UN Children’s Fund
(UNICEF), sent a message of support.

Copyright – C-FAM (Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute).
Permission granted for unlimited use. Credit required

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