So many things to love about Hillary's speech

The last time I blogged about Hillary Clinton, I wasn't exactly complimentary.  I'm happy to say that today I can change my tune.

For those who don't follow the LGBT mediasphere religiously, Hillary gave a 30 minute speech to the UN Human Rights Council on International Human Rights Day ENTIRELY DEVOTED to the fight for global LGBT rights and equality.  It was greeted with a standing ovation.  Rather than make poorly crafted attempts to paraphrase her, I'll simply point out my favorite quotes, and let you check out the full video and transcript here.  (Or the NYT coverage of the new global US foreign policy implications here.)

On the costs of inequality: 

"…in all countries, there are costs to not protecting these rights, in both gay and straight lives lost to disease and violence, and the silencing of voices and views that would strengthen communities, in ideas never pursued by entrepreneurs who happen to be gay. Costs are incurred whenever any group is treated as lesser or the other, whether they are women, racial, or religious minorities, or the LGBT."

On religious and cultural influences:

"[The most challenging] issue arises when people cite religious or cultural values as a reason to violate or not to protect the human rights of LGBT citizens. This is not unlike the justification offered for violent practices towards women like honor killings, widow burning, or female genital mutilation. Some people still defend those practices as part of a cultural tradition. But violence toward women isn’t cultural; it’s criminal. Likewise with slavery, what was once justified as sanctioned by God is now properly reviled as an unconscionable violation of human rights."

"…no practice or tradition trumps the human rights that belong to all of us."

"…our religion and our culture are sources of compassion and inspiration toward our fellow human beings. It was not only those who justified slavery who leaned on religion, it was also those who sought to abolish it. And let us keep in mind that our commitments to protect the freedom of religion and to defend the dignity of LGBT people emanate from a common source."

"It is because the human experience is universal that human rights are universal, and cut across all religions and cultures."

On the overly self-righteous among us:

"Progress starts with honest discussion."

"… [anti-gay] views are unlikely to disappear if those who promote or accept them are dismissed out of hand, rather than invited to share their fears and concerns. No one has ever abandoned a belief because he was forced to do so."

On doing what is unpopular:

"Many in my country thought that President Truman was making a grave error when he ordered the racial desegregation of our military. They argued that it would undermine unit cohesion. And it wasn’t until he went ahead and did it that we saw how it strengthened our social fabric in ways even the supporters of the policy could not foresee. Likewise, some worried in my country that the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” would have a negative effect on our armed forces. Now, the Marine Corps Commandant, who was one of the strongest voices against the repeal, says that his concerns were unfounded and that the Marines have embraced the change."

On the importance of the majority...

"LGBT people must help lead this effort… but often those who are denied rights are least empowered to bring about the changes they seek. Acting alone, minorities can never achieve the majorities necessary for political change. So when any part of humanity is sidelined, the rest of us cannot sit on the sidelines. Every time a barrier to progress has fallen it has taken a cooperative effort from those on both sides of the barrier. In the fight for women’s rights, the support of men remains crucial. The fight for racial equality has relied on contributions from people of all races. Combatting Islamaphobia or anti-Semitism is a fight for people of all faiths. And the same is true with this struggle for equality."

On the importance of communities...

"Eleanor Roosevelt, who did so much to advance human rights worldwide, said that these rights begin in the small places close to home: the streets where people live, the schools they attend, the factories, farms and offices where they work. These places are your domain. The actions you take, the ideals that you advocate, can determine whether human rights flourish where you are."

...and on the importance of the big guys.

"The Obama administration defends the human rights as part of our comprehensive human rights policy, and as a priority of our foreign policy."

And they're actually putting their money (a little bit, at least) where their mouth is: the administration has set up a $3M global equality fund to support civil society organizations working on issues of LGBT equality around the world.

3 big, rainbow-colored cheers.