Should the U.S. use foreign aid to promote gay rights?

Hillary Clinton declares that "gay rights are human rights," and vows that the administration will penalize countries that abuse citizens over sexual orientation

On Human Rights Day on Tuesday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that the U.S. will tie the distribution of its $4 billion in foreign aid to countries' respect for gay rights.
(Image credit: REUTERS/J. Scott Applewhite)

In a landmark speech Tuesday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton promised that the United States would use diplomacy and foreign aid to fight discrimination against gays and lesbians around the world. "Gay rights are human rights," Clinton said, "and human rights are gay rights." President Obama also ordered overseas federal agencies to fight anti-gay violence and provide asylum to gays seeking protection. Is this twisting the purpose of foreign aid, or is it obviously just the right thing to do?

You can't bribe other nations to respect gay rights: Using foreign aid for "social engineering" overseas is bound to be seen as meddling, says Reid Smith at The American Spectator. "The Obama administration cannot adjust distant attitudes about gay and lesbians through bribery." And unless Obama is willing to cut off homophobic allies like Egypt, India, and Saudi Arabia, this is just another "toothless political pronouncement" that will fuel "Americans' dissatisfaction with our global handouts."

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