Richard Grenell, the acting Director of National Intelligence, has suggested the US may stop sharing intelligence information with countries where it is illegal to be gay.
His comments were reported yesterday by the New York Times. He said the intelligence community can do more to push American values abroad.
“We can’t just simply make the moral argument and expect others to respond in kind because telling others that it’s the right thing to do doesn’t always work,” he said. “To fight for decriminalization is to fight for basic human rights.
“If a country that we worked in as the United States intelligence community was arresting women because of their gender, we would absolutely do something about it. Ultimately, the United States is safer when our partners respect basic human rights.”
Grenell, who is gay himself, was appointed to his current role by President Donald Trump in February. He has also been the US ambassador to Germany since May 2018. He is believed to be the first openly-gay cabinet member.
Related: Trump makes Richard Grenell first openly gay cabinet member in history
Grenell said he has the President’s backing to withhold intelligence: “We have the president’s total support. This is an American value, and this is United States policy.”
Grenell posted a photo of the New York Times article on his Instagram, with a comment stating: “I am forming a working group across the intelligence community to look at how we can help combat the criminalization of homosexuality. 69 countries currently will arrest someone for being gay (10 of these countries can kill you as a punishment).”
Among the countries in the world that criminalize same-sex sexual behavior are key US intelligence partners like Saudi Arabia and Kenya.
Grenell’s comments come a week after he sent a letter out to the agencies he oversees.
“Last year, the President charged me with leading the U.S. government’ s efforts to help decriminalize homosexuality in the 69 countries that currently make being gay a crime. In line with this, I have directed our team to establish an interagency working group to fully leverage the expertise of the IC [Intelligence Community] and will further advance these efforts through membership on the National Security Council.”
Whether Grenell’s suggestions are implemented remains to be seen. As ‘acting’ Director of National Intelligence, the Senate will vote on a full-time replacement in September – a point Grenell referenced in his letter last week while pledging to do more to end discrimination and harassment of LGBTQ people in the intelligence community.
“While I will likely not be in this role for long,” he said, “I plan to use this opportunity to drive lasting impact for the IC Pride community … I am committed to doing more to detect and respond to all discrimination and harassment within the workforce. I expect every IC agency to ensure policies are specific and deliberate in protecting the LGBT workforce.”
Related: Trump’s gay press aide says it’s wrong to link President to rise in anti-LGBTQ hate
The Trump administration’s apparent push to end anti-gay laws abroad has raised eyebrows among some LGBTQ advocates in the US. Advocacy group GLAAD is keeping a running count of attacks the Trump administration has made on LGBTQ people since taking office. It currently stands at 136 anti-LGBTQ statements or measures over the 1,189 days of his Presidency so far.
Bob LaBlah
Richard, come back when we ARE going to stop sharing intelligence with anti-gay countries, beginning with those useless royals who run Saudi Arabia. They are no different than the very people we are there to protect them from, the Iranians.
Cam
Saying something MAY happen is the same B.S. politicians always do when they are lying. They get good coverage in the media and then it never happens.
This is an easy way for Republicans to use their token gay guy to give them cover for their bigotry.
enlightenone
And that’s the long and short of it! ALL the Dictatorship countries that Trumpf admires and is indebted to are anti-gay countries.
RomanHans
Huh. Somebody put a rosette on a giant turd cake.
Josh447
Josh447
Josh447
Josh447
I wonder if picking Pence as Trump’s running mate qualified as an “attack” by GLAAD. And all the other religious hatchet men against gays he supports in his cabinet. I have no doubt if the RR could legally murder gays in this country, they unfortunately would be front and center.
HEY QUEERTY—please fix your comments section so you’re not gaining clicks by requiring constant reposts that don’t stick, with moderation notices coming up instead that never get resolved. It takes a lot of time to get one comment to post with sometimes up to 6 tries before it publishes. That’s 30 mins of wasted time!
Please deal with this issue. You’re the only site I have found that has this problem. It’s very annoying and deserves your attention now as you’ve known about it since it started long ago.
Guys if you like please join me on a crusade to get this fixed. We are why advertisers buy here. Our clicks make Queerty’s quota to sell advertising. We deserve to be respected as an integral part of the money making potential of this site. Thx.
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Josh447
HEY QUEERTY—please fix your comments section so you’re not gaining clicks by requiring constant reposts that don’t stick, with moderation notices coming up instead that never get resolved. It takes a lot of time to get one comment to post with sometimes up to 6 tries before it publishes. That’s 30 mins of wasted time!
Please deal with this issue. You’re the only site I have found that has this problem. It’s very annoying and deserves your attention now as you’ve known about it since it started long ago.
Guys if you like please join me on a crusade to get this fixed. We are why advertisers buy here. Our clicks make Queerty’s quota to sell advertising. We deserve to be respected as an integral part of the money making potential of this site. Thx.
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PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
Josh: it is maddening, however the work around is simply copy and repost.
Queerty is still the most accessable site for commenters to post their opinions and express their ideas without moderators impose their own biases and beliefs on the comments in the threads.
I had a joke of an experience with LBQT Nation the snowflake smcubag puddle of puke moderator got offended that I called out those who spew hatred and bigotry upon our community. They have a like and dislike feature on comments you post I received a significant amount of likes on my posts but yet the repugnant noxious *Editor” agreed with the snowflake smcubag moderator. I look forward to the day that reprehensive site goes dark
Sister Bertha Bedderthanyu
Play, their “final straw” with me came when I (as did several others) asked why was the reason a trans woman arrested omitted in the article as she whined about not getting her meds and being housed with “male” prisoners. I guess I was supposed to just join the chorus and sing That Poor Girl. The pic they posted had me wondering what the hell hadn’t “she” been arrested for.
Kangol2
Let’s see: the US shares intelligence with Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Kenya, Poland, Hungary, Armenia, etc. All have anti-gay policies or allow anti-gay violence, attitudes, etc. to flourish. Grenell is full of sh!t, like his boss, who is packing the courts with anti-gay judges. The entire GOP should receive a complete housecleaning ASAP.
Also: the bipartisan US Senate Intelligence Committee, led by Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), just issued its fourth report underscoring that Russia did actively help Don the Con (barely) win the presidency in 2015-16, and is actively helping him now. Russia is proudly and rabidly anti-gay. Putin even wants to institute new anti-gay laws. Are Grenell, Don the Con and the GOP going to publicly denounce them for being homophobic and promoting anti-gay oppression?
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
Immediately after his appointment and Dontard Jr tweeted how wonderful and “groundbreaking” it was that there was a Gay member of the cabinet, the Reich
Wing smcubag nutbags began denouncing the temporary appoint.
This is nothing more than yet another false flag attempt to curry favor with ignorant Gays who inexplicably support this misadministration
dre23222
I try to leave a comment to ignorance but I just want you know that you are stupid and ignorant
t
Here’s a good place to start before we vilify other countries on their anti-LGBTQ policies: why don’t we stop spreading hate toward the LGBTQ in our own country first? Nothing but pandering dumbasses in IQ45’s administration. ?
DefiantOne
It’s not surprising that the party that still supports conversion therapy and opposes gay marriage is trying (and failing) to gaslight gays on which party supports gays and which does not.
1. Grennell is not appointed. He’s temporary and Trump is already trying to replace him.
2. “Where was Clinton and Obama on this?” Moving public opinion on gay marriage and laying the groundwork for an openly gay cabinet member like racist sellout Grennell to be acceptable, by appointing the first openly gay judges and preventing a total ban on gays in the military (Clinton) and overseeing marriage equality and gays serving openly in the military (Obama).
2. The Trump administration tries to take credit for it, but it was Hillary Clinton added gay rights to the US diplomatic portfolio after she made the Stars Dept the first agency to extend full benefits to families of gay staff. She also issued the passport rule change that first allowed trans to get proper govt ID. Meanwhile, Trump recalled the Nigerian ambassador for challenging the country’s antigay policies.
3. What are Trump’s antigay actions?
– banned trans patriots from military service (though he’s a draft dodger and no one in the Trump crime family has ever served)
– reversed Obama’s gay antidiscrimination order on first day in office
– supports antigay conversion therapy in GOP platform
– supports antigay Chick-Fil-A
– arguing in court to allow businesses to fire gays for being gay
– arguing in court to allow businesses to cherry pick from the Bible to create NO GAYS ALLOWED Jim Crow laws
– removed antidiscrimination language ptotecting gays from all government paperwork
– tried to remove LGBT from the census
– disbanded the White House office on HIV/AIDS
– fired the HIV Advisory Council
I could go on, but don’t need to. Obviously gays know all this, which is why they can’t be fooled by the presence of one Jew for Hitl– I mean, one Gay for Trump like Grennell.
You tried tho. Better luck with your gaslighting next time, Trumpies!
Wicked Dickie
Pff, yeah right. The US values oil, goods, and money more than a few gays.
nmarkwb
Sure? I’ll believe it when I see it.