Emails haven’t exactly been assets to Hillary Clinton as she carries on with her Odyssean march to claim the Oval Office, but it looks like there are a few golden nuggets hiding in her past correspondence that could prove helpful.
Newly-released emails from Clinton’s time at the State Department reveal the then-Secretary urged the Obama administration to take a tough stance against antigay laws in Africa, and that she was tickled pink to be honored by World Pride.
Responding to the brouhaha over the so-called private email server controversy, the State Department continues to release batches of non-classified communications.
Related: Hillary Clinton Endorsed By Human Rights Campaign
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
One thread reveals that about a year into her job as Secretary, Clinton pushed for a harder stance on global LGBTQ rights after butting heads on the subject with the president of Uganda.
A meeting summary Clinton received in December 2009 states:
“Cheryl [Mills, Clinton Chief of Staff] noted that she had raised with Johnnie Carson [African Affairs Secretary] the need to look at what anti-gay laws other African countries, besides Uganda, had adopted or were considering.
“In the subsequent Deputies Meeting, Johnnie noted the proposed draconian legislation in Uganda as well as the Secretary’s intervention with Museveni.
“He indicated he would send a message to all our African posts asking them to report on similar legislation or efforts in their countries and to provide their thoughts on a strategy, including public diplomacy efforts, to counter this trend.”
It’s not exactly the stuff of a future Oscar-winning political drama, but it’s nice to see the Democratic frontrunner walking the walk.
Another thread shows staffers and Clinton herself positively discussing a 2012 gift from London’s World Pride honoring the Secretary’s landmark speech before the United Nations in Geneva in which she rallied world leaders to get behind LGBTQ rights.
Related: 5 Times Bernie Sanders Championed Our Cause Before It Was Popular
They sent her a flag with the words of the speech sewn into the fabric.
Clinton speechwriter Megan Rooney said, “This is kind of neat”, to which foreign policy adviser Jacob Sullivan responded, “Very cool.”
Clinton then responded to the thread, suggesting they all see the artwork in person during her next trip to London.
Huma Abedin, Clinton’s Presidential campaign chair, responded, “pretty amazing. we should frame it and hang it somewhere!”
H/t: Pink News
1EqualityUSA
The experiences Clinton has had will help her formulate decisions faster. It’s like dial-up v. high speed.
Will L
Obama was already an ally. I bet she had some real tough convincing to do in those emails.
Better yet, why don’t you share the emails that she sent to Bill Clinton convincing him against Don’t Ask Don’t Tell?
I will vote for that old hag only if I have to.
montydaman
This was a very eye opening story. Hilary has been an Allie longer than the LGBT community thought and may have been Obama’s eye opener as well. “The Times They Are A Changing!” But if Ted the Canadian cheats the “natural born” constitutional words on the subject and gets in as President he will rip a lot of new laws to shreds. A while back Ted said he also wants to “recover children from gay adoptions!” Can you imagine the heart break this man would cause this country? I would be on a great magnitude!Hope Hilary wins to “KEEP AMERICA GREAT”!!! Trump wants to “make America great AGAIN” but what era? The Confederacy? The witch hunt era?
DarSco
Voting for Hillary is a Vote for COMMON SENSE!
DCguy
@Will L: you stated that:Obama was already an ally. I bet she had some real tough convincing to do in those emails.
If you look back at the history, the White House said that there would be zero movement on gay rights at the current time, Clinton made a change for State Departmtne employees before the White House made any similar move for other employees.
Obama wasn’t an enemy but remember, there was going to be no movement on Gay rights until groups like Get Equal started embarrassing members of congress and Pelosi finally forced the DADT vote and brought the White House around.
Just because you don’t like a candidate, don’t rewrite history.
William Brogan
Nice. Hillary 4 president!
Billy Budd
Hillary may be a bitch but she is tough and open minded. I vote for Hillary.
Ronbo
Sen. Bernie Sanders supported gay rights In 1983, during his first term as Mayor of Burlington, Sen. Sanders supported the city’s first ever Pride Parade. He later signed a city ordinance banning housing discrimination.
Hillary supported her husband signing both DADT and DOMA. In 2014, Hillary was STILL against marriage equality. Her recent conversion is merely Hillary saying anything to win. http://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2015/04/11/395302391/5-things-you-should-know-about-hillary-clinton
Please don’t be fooled into thinking that she has core values of equality. In college she was the President of her college, Wellsley’s Young Republicans supporting Barry Goldwater who voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1964. At about that same time, Sanders was protesting at a sit-in for civil rights where he was arrested for his beliefs. http://www.politico.com/magazine/gallery/2015/07/bernie-sanders-the-early-years/002279-032662.html?ml=po_g#.VsuMnPkrLIU
1EqualityUSA
Bern won’y fare well in the feeding frenzy, led by an ancient snapping turtle. He’ll get mired down in the GOP-do-nothing-bog. No, thanks. I don’t want a revolution. Build on the progress we made
Hogwasher
@Ronbo: In 1999, Bernie Sanders supported the bombing of Kosovo where over 500 innocent civilians were killed. When anti-war protesters occupied his D C office, Bernie had them arrested. A top aide of Bernie’s resigned in protest. He also voted to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan even though he loves to brag he voted against the Iraq War. He refused to condemn Israel after their assault on Gaza. Bernie, you are one giant hypocrite. He also voted against the Brady Bill and voted for a bill that exempts gun makers and dealers from lawsuits of any kind, i.e. victims of gun violence.
Bernie you are one giant fraud.
mezzacanadese
Hillary Clinton is the real thing. She is a true friend of the gay movement. And I believe she can work best with the obstructive Republicans. Imagine if Sanders gets in. There’s no way they’d be willing to work with him. Plus Hillary has the experience and smarts we need. She is a strong woman, so she gets called a bitch.I think she is wonderful, so Hillary is getting my vote.
mezzacanadese
@Hogwasher: I wish you would post your comments on Facebook, so more people could see them, especially those who think Sanders is the best thing since sliced bread.
strix1
Every election we are not left with a great selection of candidates…but if it ends up with Hillary & Trump…OMG, can you imagine, it will make for great TV ratings, but I will for sure go with Hillary. I fear many will vote for Trump because he is a…”celebrity”…”tv personality”…just says what people want to hear. Our country is f…screwed if Trump wins!! ***VOTE***
Bob LaBlah
This woman is scared, and she ought to be. She realizes the painted on smile and VHS sounding message isn’t exactly winning converts from the Sanders side. Sorry honey, I aint buying it. Too little, too late.
jonjoe
@Bob LaBlah: That’s ok. Save your outrage for the new Republican President and several generations of rightwing rule via the Supreme Court and the loss of all your individual rights. You’re going to need it.
miguel
Nice. I’m not surprised. Mrs. Clinton is the only candidate I care about. I grew up on her and know her record. Even before getting into this race, she was one of the most vetted politicians in history lol. The general election could very well be her and Marc Rubio. Rubio to me is a young Antonin Scalia. His draconian thoughts and ideas would send LGBT rights, healthcare, and numerous other progress back to the stone age if he gets his Christmas wish. Bernie Sanders I respect, but have no desire to president.
Wil Chaney
And the gays eat it up.
1EqualityUSA
Marco Rubio says “no abortion,” even in the case of rape. When the zika virus has finally made it to the States, what will the little imp say then? Rubio is a faketard.
Alistair Wiseman
@miguel:
You stated that Hillary, “was one of the most vetted politicians in history….”
She was also one of the most “vetted” First Ladies in American History.
There is a reason Hillary Clinton is the only First Lady in American history to be, on separate occasions, subpoenaed and fingerprinted by the FBI.
1EqualityUSA
Republicans are catching their own smell of decomposition on the wind and it’s freaking them out, so expect vileness for the next few months.
Timmie Trash
She opposed gay rights until 2010, sanders has always been a supporter
1EqualityUSA
Sanders will be bowled over by the dark ones, the evil party, the GOP. Feeding frenzy. Ineffectual. His calls for revolution will be drowned out by the machine. Give me someone who knows which manufactured icebergs to circumvent, who knows the players beyond our border, and has a plan. I’m with her.
Blake Jordan
So she wrote some emails…she speaks out of both sides of her mouth..she was just covering all the bases for her future run for Prez…since she lost the last election she tried to rig… to a no name in Obama…how embarrassing..now she is getting her butt kicked by Bernie…a no name democratic socialist…so she urged Obama to counter antigay laws in another country…but when her and hubby had control of the most powerful job in the world…they signed Antigay laws into place. DOMA!!! Now she has taken many of Bernie’s positions as her own…I wonder if she will revert to a bigoted Republican when the wind blows and she matches up with Trump. No Thank You! Bernie for Prez!
DCguy
@Alistair Wiseman:
And once again, the right wing makes a vague statement with no details.
What I find interesting is, if everything that the GOP says about her is true, how come after over a dozen hearings, and millions of dollars spent they have nothing? How come Condoleeza Rice and Colin Powell are saying that they did the exact same thing with their e-mail and they weren’t investigated?
So where is the smoking gun?
1EqualityUSA
Politicians are not my favorite kind of people, though ineffectual politicians are worse.
GayEGO
Hillary Clinton is the most reliable candidate to be our president. She faced the GOP created Benghazi committee for 11 hours and did not flinch as she had no reason to. The GOP candidates are too munch entwined in their rhetoric and they do not support marriage equality.
Hogwasher
@Timmie Trash:
Hillary stood up to the republicons for 11 hours.
Bernie would have fallen asleep on the table, snoring, his dentures in a pile of his drool.
Ronbo
@Hogwasher: Your half-truths are well noted. But voting to fund the military is certainly NOT voting to invade a nation.
Hillary voted to invade Iraq after 15 Saudi terrorists, led by Saudi Bin Laden, and funded by Saudi Government… whereas, Sanders voted against the non-sense.
Please, pay attention to the fact that Clinton is a Reagan Democrat who, unlike Sanders, voted to give government money to the same Wallstreet banksters who caused the melt-down and NOTHING to the people who lost their jobs and homes. We are still waiting for their jobs to trickle-down. http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS12300000
Ronbo
@Hogwasher: “Bernie would have fallen asleep on the table, snoring, his dentures in a pile of his drool”. Is this truly your measure of maturity? You represent Hillary very, very poorly with your personal attacks.
In 1983, during his first term as Mayor of Burlington, Sen. Sanders supported the city’s first ever Pride Parade. He later signed a city ordinance banning housing discrimination. That was a act of political bravery in 1883. Hillary just agreed to tolerate our marriage equality in 2013.
scotshot
@Alistair Wiseman:
So says the who supports the crowd in favor of executing homosexuals.
dwes09
@Will L: “Better yet, why don’t you share the emails that she sent to Bill Clinton convincing him against Don’t Ask Don’t Tell?
I will vote for that old hag only if I have to.”
Always amusing when people try to use someone’s past mistakes to discredit their intellectual growth and current positive actions. Most people evolve in their beliefs. Your disingenuous comment shows simply that you are not one of them.
scotshot
@dwes09:
How right you are!
He/she is not one to waste a lot of time on.
dwes09
@Wil Chaney: “And the gays eat it up”
Spoken like a true right wing hetero troll. Since you have no substance to offer… I guess you think a really lame comment is just as good.
Alistair Wiseman
@scotshot:
The content of your post is as pathetic as its grammar.
Better luck next time.
dwes09
@Alistair Wiseman: That he made an obvious typo is hardly “pathetic”. It is simply the passion in response to a right winger that makes one forget to proofread. He is correct to question the toadies who so eagerly lick the asshole of those who want to force them back onto the closet (or worse).
As for why she is so heavily vetted, it is because the right begins to believe their own lies, and feels compelled to waste money in an attempt to either prove them or make the lies stick. Over and over they have had not success in proving their lies and delusions. But they continue to flush taxpayer money down the toilet. This is no different from the “truthers” who still insist that Obama is a Kenyan and a Muslim. Get a grip on reality, folks are laughing at you.
Realitycheck
@Ronbo:
As a first lady Hillary had no control over her husband politics.
Sanders is not electable he is a commie, and America doesn’t do that, he is way to old,
and he already promised to raise taxes, according to CNN he took money from Wall street.
Hillary will be a great president not a looney toon like Sanders “Mr promise everything but cannot deliver anything”
Vincent Medina
Yeah this is a bad piece. They take like 5 sentences and make a plethora of stretches about what she meant and what she was saying. Why not just include the actual text and ket america decide? Propoganda?
David Myers
@dwes09: Actually at the time both, Hillary and Bill worked hard to head off a republican effort to ban gays and lesbians in the military and make it illegal to be in the military if you were gay or lesbian. Their hard work got us “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” instead of “Kick out every gay and lesbian you can find.” Given the times and the hysteria it was a saving grace maneuver that averted a disgraceful witch hunt. People either don’t bother to study history or research it, or they don’t care what the truth is if they can make an unwarranted (and false) point against Hillary.
1EqualityUSA
I look forward to the debates. Republicans talk about Trump.
dwes09
@David Myers: “Actually at the time both, Hillary and Bill worked hard to head off a republican effort to ban gays and lesbians in the military and make it illegal to be in the military if you were gay or lesbian.”
I am well aware of the intention of DADT and how it backfired in practice. I had friends at the time who were career military and saw how it affected them. I was responding to a specific and vexing inability of the right wing to acknowledge that both people and things evolve and change over time. I am very much a Hillary supporter seeing her as both more pragmatic and skilled in government, and more electable than Bernie. The imperative in this election is to keep the white house and continue the shift of the country back towards the center and away from the right.
1EqualityUSA
The Republicans will use the Supreme Court vacancy to generate more fervor in 2016, deeming it a referendum on Obama’s legacy. This may backfire, as Scalia’s Union busting may not go over very well. (Is a hick’s hatred of gays stronger than the need for labor protection?) Friedrich v California Teachers may be decided differently if the Republican political oxen are told to sit down. Can the Democrats convey the importance of this election to their voting block? I told seven people that Scalia had died, only one knew he was a Supreme Court Justice, but couldn’t articulate anything significant about him. This rocks my world almost as much as my mother-in-law, who attended our wedding, genuinely asking what LGBT stood for during the Prop H8 debacle. We need to hustle. 2016 must be referendum on the dark party. The Republicans abuse their power when they have it. Let’s make sure they are the one’s analyzing the country’s referendum on them. We have work to do. Enough with this obstructionist do-nothing party. Vote! Apply for absentee, if you’re too busy to go into the booth.
Periwinkle
@mezzacanadese: bernie sanders fans are worst than religious types when it comes to their messiah, even the trumpeters take a step back.