Top Contender For Mayor in NYC Chris Quinn Writes to Pres.Obama About Russian Anti Gay Laws

Dear New Yorker,                                                 

I wanted to share with you the attached letter  (also pasted below)  that my colleague s and I sent to President Obama urging him to cancel his planned diplomatic trip to Russia in light of the country's crackdown on LGBT people and their supporters.     

We encourage you to add your voice by writing to President Obama and urging him to refuse a diplomatic mission to Russia until President Vladimir Putin restores civil rights to Russia's LGBT citizens.

Thank y ou.

Sincerely,

Christine C. Quinn

Speaker

NYC  Council

August 4, 2013

Hon. Barack H. Obama

President of the United States of America 

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW 

Washington, DC 20500

Dear President Obama:

We write as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) elected officials from New York City in anticipation of your deciding whether to continue or cancel plans for an upcoming diplomatic trip to Russia to meet with Ru ssian President Vladimir Putin.   While you are considering whether to cancel that trip in light of Russia's decision to give asylum to Edward Snowden, we also urge you to consider the country's horrendous treatment of members of the LGBT community and its clear human rights  abuses aimed at our community.

Russia has become a country that persecutes anyone who might be LGBT or supports gay rights.    As then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on behalf of your administration, "Gay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights. It should never be a crime to be gay. "

Given that President Putin and Russia have enacted laws to criminalize gay people and supporters and deny human rights to their LGBT citizens, they should not be the beneficiary of any trip by your office until they fully restore all civil rights to LGB T people in their country.

Recent actions taken by the Russian government have led LGBT citizens to face not only a society that is intolerant of their basic civil rights, but also a country that would imprison them for declaring support for their own fundamental rights as humans.    This has promoted an atmosphere of hate where gay people fear  for their own lives and safety.   Police are allowed to arrest foreigners who are considered gay or pro-gay and detain them for up to 14 days.    Under their new law, as a pro-gay supporter even you could be subject to arrest and  imprisonment while in Russia.

Mr. President, you will remember that in December 2011 the White House released a presidential memorandum directing executive officers and agencies that deal in foreign affairs to address human rights abuses against LGBT people abroad and to pressure foreign governments  to decriminalize homosexuality.   Now it is time for you and your administration to d irectly act on this memorandum.   The LGBT community and its allies in Russia are under attack and the victims of clear human rights abuses.

We urge you to stand in solidarity with us. Refuse any diplomatic mission to Russia until President Putin stops these abuses now and agrees to make Russia a country that proudly supports its LGBT community and its allies worl dwide.  We expect nothing less.

Sincerely,

Brad Hoylman

NYS Senator

Deborah J. Glick

NYS Assembly Member

Daniel J. O'Donnell

NYS Assembly Member

Matthew Titone

NYS Assembly Member

Micah Kellner

NYS Assembly Me mber

Christine C. Quinn

NYC Council Speaker

Rosie Mendez

NYC Council Member

Daniel Dromm

NYC Council Member

Jimmy Van Bramer

NYC Council Member