Posted on 10/03/2001 9:59:43 PM PDT by kattracks
Gay rights are not high on the agenda in Romania, not even where American diplomats are concerned, writes Kate Connolly The fact that the sexual orientation of Michael Guest, America's new ambassador to Romania, triggered such banner headlines, illustrates just how far many Romanians have to go before they accept even the concept of homosexuality, let alone having gay people in their midst. A nationalist group, the Union of the Romanian Hearth, which claims to protect Romanian values, criticised the appointment as an "affront to Romanian traditions". In a letter to the daily Ziua, in which he addressed America, the group's head, Ion Coja wrote: "Through tradition and vocation, Romanians have created a society ... and mentality which puts duty and obligations above anything. The supreme duty of any living being is to procreate." In contrast, most politicians have welcomed the ambassador. They are keen to court the Nato expert who may well speed their entry into the military alliance. Denouncements on homosexuality could jeopardise Romania's chances of joining the European Union and Nato, and leading politicians have been keen to point this out to heads of the Orthodox church who continue to speak out against such "evils". Romania was one of the last countries to legalise homosexuality and to - theoretically - end discrimination against gays and lesbians. In 1994 the country was praised for taking what seemed to be the first step towards establishing a more tolerant attitude towards homosexuality as the constitutional court suspended the communist-era legislation under which homosexual acts were prohibited. It suggested new legislation should be drafted to bring Romania in line with the recommendations of the European Convention on Human Rights. But in 1996, parliament adopted an even more draconian law. Even if practised in private, homosexuality was a crime. Marian Cetiner was the first person to be imprisoned under the new legislation and suffered police brutality and abuse during the two years of a three-year sentence she spent in jail. She was adopted as one of Amnesty International's prisoners of conscience, and protests were triggered around the world. In London protesters stormed the stage of a production of Aida by the Romanian National Opera, a government-sponsored body. In the Netherlands gay rights protesters jeered the Romanian president. Since then, as part of a general overhaul of its crime-fighting legislation, Romania has decriminalised homosexuality, adopting the French legal model. How much the government is just doing this to appease the western clubs it's so desperate to join, and how much the new legislation reflects a new, tolerant society, remains open to examination. Gay rights activists are not optimistic, but at least admit that if the elected representatives of the country have said it's tolerable, slowly the message might filter down. But you do not change a population's entire system of belief over night. That is evident across the region. A Sky television crew in Belgrade this spring to cover events as Slobodan Milosevic was sent to the Hague, happened to find themselves in a city square just as gay rights activists were marching through. As if out of nowhere, a band of thugs descended on the group, knocked them to the ground and started beating up both men and women. The reporter, Tim Marshall, said what appalled him most was not so much the attack as the people sitting in the cafes around the square who laughed and chortled at the spectacle. In Poland things are only mildly better. The rightwing Solidarity bloc government which enjoyed the overwhelming support of the Catholic church, used to openly denounce homosexuality as an "illness" requiring medical treatment - a view that surveys show is supported by one third of Poles. Towards the end of its governing days, playing that card was also seen as an effective way for the conservatives to boost their flagging popularity. As a combined result of decades of communism and the influence of the church, only 27% of Poles express tolerance towards gays, while 88% say they don't know anyone who's gay. In July a survey by the Warsaw-based Lamda lesbian and gay association found that three quarters of Polish homosexuals are unwilling to come out. It also said that gays were not infrequently denied medical attention if they revealed their sexual orientation. It called on the government to introduce legislation to ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Whether the two-week-old government, the Alliance of the Democratic Left, will act on this remains to be seen. The message from its central office was simply: "We're looking at some sort of 'don't ask, don't tell policy'." And then the spokesman added quickly: "Of course, we'll quash any legal charges against gays."
Wednesday October 3, 2001
No sooner had he got off the plane at Otopeni airport in Bucharest than the newspapers were trumpeting the news: "American ambassador is homosexual!"
Last week, Secretary of State Colin Powell presided over the swearing in of Michael Guest, an openly gay man, as U.S. Ambassador to Romania. Guest, a career foreign service officer, won easy confirmation from the Senate last month. At the ceremony, Secretary Powell acknowledged Guest's domestic partner of six years, teacher Alex Nevarez, who plans to join Guest in Bucharest.
Hmmm.. Social functions could be awkward. Lord help us if Alex shows up in a evening gown.
"Homosexual," "gay," and "lesbian have reference to behaviors and inclinations to behavior. They do NOT denote some exotic and separate genders of the human species. There are men and there are women--period.
Men and women who feel it necessary to trumpet their private sexual perversions publically, who demand public acceptance of disease-ridden and death-inducing sexual behaviors, should not be surprised if their public responds negatively and resists their foul message--espacially in countries such as Romania which haven't been desensitized to the issue by Whoreywood and MTV.
Muddy-brained people who buy into the gay-activist lie that "gay" and "lesbian" denote exotic and separate genders of the human species are hoplessly deceived and are destined to extend the lie to (and will publically embrace and celebrate) pedophilia, bestiality, and necrophilia etc. in due time.
That is not true.
Malachi 1
2 I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob,
3 And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.
4 Whereas Edom saith, We are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places; thus saith the LORD of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall call them, The border of wickedness, and, The people against whom the LORD hath indignation for ever.
Ya just GOTTA love a God that's a good hater!
I can't speak for them,but I can speak for me. To ME,it is the heighth of arrogance to send a homosexual ambassador to ANY country where homosexuals are not welcome. I'll take it ever further than that and state that we should not send known homosexual Ambassadors to ANY country,as these Ambassadors are representatives of our country.
Unlike people who are members of YOUR cult,who have no tolerance for people who don't understand your version of "peace,love,and happiness",right?
Then again,what are these rumors I keep hearing about how the Catholic Church keeps hiding and defending certain Priests and nuns nobody wants to talk about? Know anything about this?
Where did you get THAT number from. I find it highly suspect that 1 in 3 Romanians have HIV/AIDS. I know HIV/AIDS is on the rise all through eastern Europe now due to the increase in tourism (tourists with HIV/AIDS)and IV drug use,but flat-out don't believe that figure
I would like to know exactly what this means. If Powell privately and personally, one-on-one, glad-handed Nevarez and wished him the best--that's one thing. But if he acted publically, under the aegis of his office, to acknowledge this foul partnership and implied in any way, shape, or fashion that gay partnerships are acceptable fare within the State Department I want him replaced at Secretary of State at earliest convenience.
Gay partnership, like abortion, is a bright line issue with many of us. This adiministration will lose our support if they tolerate this abomination. They will have to try to recruit votes from the pro-sodomy libertarians or morally relativistic liberals to remian in contention in the next national election.
And I would feel exactly the same way if Powell had acknowledged an adulterous relationship by an ambassador.
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.02% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 7,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 350 (1999 est)
for the U.S.:
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.61% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 850,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 20,000 (1999 est.)
So we have, what, 30X their HIV/AIDS prevalence? Even if their reporting is too low by half due to inadequate diagnosis, we're still 15X higher. We wouldn't be so high if HIV/AIDS were properly dealt with as a public health issue. It is not due to homosexual political efforts.<p. I don't blame them for taking rational steps to reduce the impact of a nasty disease. Would that we would do the same. We shouldn't allow most HIV+ visitors into the country, for instance. I don't blame them at all for not wanting a gay ambassador who by his actions promotes this lifestyle.
You are so full of it. I am a tired of innocent Americans being targeted because of bad foreign policy. By sending a gay Ambassador we insult Romania, embarrass America and threaten the lives of innocent civilians through terrorist retribution. How many must die before the lesson is learned, that for America to have foreign friends it must first be a friend to foreign nations?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.