U.S. Ambassador to Germany Seeks to Decriminalize Homosexuality Across the Globe
- By Nathan Glover --
- 25 Feb 2019 --
Grenell claims the backing of religious conservatives at home for this measure
Richard Grenell, the Ambassador of the United States to Germany, claimed the President Donald Trump-led administration has strong bi-partisan support and the backing of religious conservatives in the U.S. Government’s push to declaw laws in foreign countries which criminalize homosexuality in those sovereign states. There continues to be several countries where gay behavior is illegal. Grenell himself is openly gay. He is regarded as the highest profile gay individual in the Trump administration.
U.S. Ambassador to Germany Seeks to Decriminalize Homosexuality Across the Globe[/tweetthis]
The U.S. Embassy has invited European LGBT activists from all over the continent to attend a dinner for invitees to strategize on the ways and means to decriminalize being gay in nations that continue to outlaw homosexuality. These countries are generally found in the Middle East, the Caribbean, and Africa. According to an American official tasked with organizing the event, it is a matter of concern that about 70 countries even in the 21st century continue to have and exercise laws which criminalize LGBT conduct or status. The decriminalization strategy is now in the creation process.
When asked about the pushback from political forces within the United States, Grenell expressed zero concerns about the campaign inviting resistance from President Trump's core voting base, the evangelicals. The latter has previously pushed back hard against gay-friendly laws in the U.S. He insisted that the authorization given to him to execute such a task has come from the top itself and religious conservatives are in line. He mentioned Iran and said it is unbelievable that the Iranian Government could hang a man simply for being a homosexual. The present U.S. administration has plans to pressurize about 71 countries to edit their anti-gay laws.
The move to decriminalize homosexuality, however, has not been welcomed, contrary to Grenell’s claims, by many in the president’s evangelical advisory circle. One prominent nay-sayer is Tony Perkins, who is a member of Trump’s religious freedom commission. He questioned the validity of the move and asked whether the president has authorized such a step. Perkins also holds the presidentship of Family Research Council, a known anti-LGBT group.
Is there no end to Trump’s homophobia? cc: @RichardGrenell https://t.co/G1c1qQCeFd
— Dave Rubin (@RubinReport) February 19, 2019
For Grenell, the result of his present actions could play a major role in his subsequent career. He has been tipped off as Trump’s next representative to the United Nations. When asked about the possibility of his new position of being a U.S. Ambassador to the UN, the top diplomat side-stepped the subject, saying he serves at the president’s pleasure.