Cuban Embassy Opens In DC

Via USA Today:

Throngs of demonstrators gathered Monday to witness the raising of the Cuban flag over Cuba's embassy, the first time it has flown here since the U.S. broke off diplomatic relations with the communist country 54 years ago. As American and Cuban diplomats stood side by side, three Cuban guards in white uniforms marched out of the building, attached the flag to a recently-constructed flag pole and raised it above Washington's 16th Street, just 2 miles north of the White House, to mark the formal re-opening of the embassy. Monday's events at the Cuban Embassy drew pro- and anti-Cuban protests. Chants of "Viva Cuba" and "Viva Fidel" competed against those of "Free Cuba" and "Cuba, forever socialist." One man was arrested after throwing a red paint bomb into a crowd. "I am here to see a day of infamy," shouted Frank Calzon, executive director of the Center for a Free Cuba, a Washington group that opposes any opening with Cuba. Another protester, Aimel Rios, said the new relationship will only hurt the Cuban people if the U.S. does not force human rights changes on the island, which stands to receive a financial windfall from increased American trade and travel.

Cuba Cruises To Launch In May 2016

Politico reports:

Beginning in May 2016, Carnival plans to run biweekly, seven-night “people-to-people” vacations to Cuba on the company’s 710-passenger Adonia ship that offer “cultural, artistic, faith-based and humanitarian exchanges between American and Cuban citizens,” according to a statement provided to USA Today. The company is still awaiting final approval from the Cuban government. Though pure tourism to Cuba is still banned, despite the Obama administration’s recent decision to restart relations between the United States and Cuba and open an Embassy in Havana, the Treasury and Commerce departments have each approved Carnival’s proposals. U.S. travelers can sign up for a place on one of the trips with a $600 deposit. Ultimately, the trip will cost $2,990 per person with taxes and other fees not included. The price is more than 3 times the typical fare for a similar-length Carnival trip to the Caribbean.

The cruises will operate under a new Carnival flag to be called Fathom.

US Embassy Celebrates Tel Aviv Pride

Tel Aviv Pride was yesterday and in the clip below US Ambassador Daniel Shapiro happily points out the gigantic rainbow flag adorning the US embassy.

Special US Envoy On LGBTI Rights Randy Berry To Begin Tour Of Latin America

Via White House press release:

Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTI Persons Randy Berry will travel to Chile from June 1 – 2, Argentina from June 3 – 4, Uruguay from June 4 – 5, Brazil from June 6 – 9, and the Dominican Republic from June 10 – 11 to discuss the human rights of LGBTI persons and other historically marginalized groups. During the 11 day visit, Special Envoy Berry will participate in LGBTI Pride Month activities and meet with government representatives, in addition to members of religious, business, academic, and civil society organizations.

Follow Berry on Twitter here. Below is his introduction clip.

Today's New York Daily News

Via Talking Point Memo:

The New York Daily News on Tuesday used its front page to condemn Republican senators for signing an open letter to Iran warning that a potential nuclear deal could be null once President Barack Obama is out of office. The tabloid's front page prominently featured Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Rand Paul (R-KY). It also branded the 47 senators who signed the letter as "traitors" who tried to "sabotage" the President's nuclear negotiations.

Twitchy is very upset about this.

UPDATE: JMG reader Chris sends us an interesting post from The Week:

The next time Republicans in the Senate try to explain treaties and the U.S. Constitution to Iranian officials, they may want to pick someone other than a foreign minister with a masters and PhD in international relations from the University of Denver, plus two degrees from San Francisco State University. Javad Zarif, who is also Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, responded to a letter from Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and 46 other GOP senators with an explainer of his own. Not only are the senators shaky on their own Constitution's separation of powers, Zarif wrote, according to Iran's Tasnim News Agency, but "the authors may not fully understand that in international law, governments represent the entirety of their respective states, are responsible for the conduct of foreign affairs, are required to fulfill the obligations they undertake with other states, and may not invoke their internal law as justification for failure to perform their international obligations." That's important, Zarif added, because "the conduct of inter-state relations is governed by international law, and not by U.S. domestic law."

Feds Appoint First LGBT Rights Envoy

The State Department today appointed the first LGBT rights foreign envoy in US history.

Randy W Berry, who is gay, has been appointed to the senior role within the US State Department by President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry. He has previously served as Consul General in Amsterdam, and has also had postings for the State Department in Bangladesh, Egypt, Uganda, South Africa, and Washington DC. John Kerry said: “Randy’s a leader, he’s a motivator. But most importantly for this effort, he’s got vision. Wherever he’s served — from Nepal to New Zealand, from Uganda to Bangladesh, from Egypt to South Africa, and most recently as consul general in Amsterdam — Randy has excelled."

The HRC applauds:

“At a moment when many LGBT people around the world are facing persecution and daily violence, this unprecedented appointment shows a historic commitment to the principle that LGBT rights are human rights,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “President Obama and Secretary Kerry have shown tremendous leadership in championing the rights of LGBT people abroad. Now, working closely with this new envoy, we’ve got to work harder than ever to create new allies, push back on human rights violators, and support the brave leaders and organizations that fight for LGBT rights around the world."

IGLHRC does the same:

“The appointment of Randy Berry as a special diplomatic envoy brings to a pinnacle the historic trend, first put in motion by the 2011 Presidential Memorandum, of integrating the rights of LGBT people into U.S. foreign policy. Having long advocated for this step forward, we at the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission celebrate its arrival and congratulate Mr. Berry on his new role. The U.S. envoy can contribute to a new era in which the conscience of governments everywhere can be focused on the destabilizing impact of prejudice and abuse that inflicts suffering on millions worldwide. Human rights should be a priority for every government in both domestic and foreign policy.

Hate groups have already denounced the creation of the position as yet another example of the Obama administration imposing its homofascist agenda on foreign countries.

Editorial Of The Day

From the editorial board of the New York Times:

American officials have had few opportunities to support Cuba’s gay rights evolution and have been conflicted on how to handle Ms.[Mariela] Castro. When the Philadelphia-based Equality Forum nominated her for an award last year, American officials initially said they would not give her a visa. After the group protested, they relented. Ms. [Yasmin] Machado said most gay rights activists on the island have not accepted support from Washington because its policy toward Cuba was predicated on regime change. “While the United States is the enemy of our state, we can’t work with them,” she said recently in an interview in Havana. “Any support you receive makes you a traitor.” That entrenched view has stymied American efforts to promote things such as freedom of assembly and freedom of the press. President Obama’s changed policy will make engagement with Americans more palatable.

Castro: US Must Respect Our Communism

Teabaggers Have The Cuba Sadz

TURKEY: US Diplomat Charles Hunter To Marry Local Musician Boyfriend

Charles Hunter, US Consul General to Turkey, has confirmed to the local press that he will marry his Turkish boyfriend with the ceremony to take place in Wisconsin.

Hunter was at an event at the Dutch consulate the previous day where he sang at an a capella choir. He responded to reporters' questions afterward. Naturally, almost all questions were about his affair with Turkish artist Ramadan Çaysever, and Hunter spoke about the affair for the first time. He said he "confirmed" all the reports in the press about his affair and planned marriage, but avoided elaborating on the matter. Çaysever, who frequently accompanies the Consul General at events, was absent at Tuesday night's event. Meanwhile, rumors made the rounds in the media about the top diplomat's affair. Some media outlets claimed Çaysever converted to Christianity for his partner. Milliyet, a Turkish daily, claimed Hunter asked for assignment of a bodyguard for Çaysever who has moved in with him, but has not been assigned one yet.

Hunter reportedly met Çaysever at one of his concerts. His music sounds quite like 80s Italo.

Historic Thaw In US-Cuba Relations

Via the Associated Press:

The United States and Cuba will start talks on normalizing full diplomatic relations, marking the most significant shift in U.S. policy toward the communist island in decades, American officials said Wednesday. The announcement comes amid a series of new confidence-building measures between the longtime foes, including the release of American Alan Gross and the freeing of three Cubans jailed in the U.S. President Barack Obama was to announce the policy changes from the White House at noon Wednesday. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, said the U.S. and Cuba were moving toward normalized banking and trade ties. He also said the U.S. was poised to open an embassy in Havana in the coming months. "This is going to do absolutely nothing to further human rights and democracy in Cuba," Rubio said in an interview. "But it potentially goes a long way in providing the economic lift that the Castro regime needs to become permanent fixtures in Cuba for generations to come."

Gay Ambassador To Vietnam Takes Office

Yesterday Ted Osius was sworn in as the US ambassador to Vietnam and in the clip below he introduces himself in Vietnamese. Featured in the video is his husband and their son. Osius is the seventh openly gay ambassador to take office during the Obama administration.

Gay US Ambassador & Husband Send Message To People Of Dominican Republic

Two weeks ago the Senate finally confirmed former HRC board member Wally Brewster as the US ambassador to the Dominican Republic, where local Catholic leaders have denounced his appointment. Shortly after his confirmation, Brewster married his partner, Bob J. Satawake. Brewster and his husband have posted a video message to the Dominican Republic. CNN reports:

The welcome message from America's new top diplomat in the Dominican Republic touched on baseball, culture and trade ties. No surprises there. But U.S. Ambassador James "Wally" Brewster brought one thing with him this week that's a first for a male U.S. ambassador in the Caribbean nation: a husband. "My spouse, Bob, and I have traveled the world, from the far reaches of Asia to the stunning coastlines of southern Europe," Brewster says in a video introducing himself on the U.S. Embassy's website.Then husband Bob Satawake chimes in: "But we always return to the beauty of the Dominican Republic."

After months of pressure from religious groups in the Dominican Republic who protested his appointment, Brewster arrived in Santo Domingo this week to begin his tenure as ambassador. An editorial in the Dominican Republic's El Nacional newspaper this week discussed proposals Brewster outlined in the introductory video and urged readers to stop focusing so much on the new ambassador's sexual orientation, even though it has "generated more attention than his diplomatic mission." His arrival in the Dominican Republic this week was front-page news in many of the country's newspapers, which also prominently discussed the arrival of his spouse.

Quote Of The Day - Sheldon Adelson

"You pick up your cell phone and you call somewhere in Nebraska and you say, ‘OK let it go.’ So there’s an atomic weapon, goes over, ballistic missiles, the middle of the desert, that doesn’t hurt a soul. Maybe a couple of rattlesnakes, and scorpions, or whatever. And then you say, ‘See! The next one is in the middle of Tehran.'" - Billionaire GOP money man Sheldon Adelson, explaining his diplomacy strategy for Iran to Yeshiva University students.

RUSSIA: Dutch Diplomat Attacked In His Moscow Home, "LGBT" Scrawled In Lipstick On His Bathroom Mirror

In what may have been payback for the arrest of a Russian diplomat, a senior Dutch diplomat was assaulted in his Moscow apartment last night. After beating and tying up the man, his assailants used lipstick to scrawl "LGBT" on his bathroom mirror.

The attack happened on Tuesday evening when Onno Elderenbosch, the deputy chief of the Dutch embassy in Moscow, was returning home to his fourth-floor apartment on Povarskaya Street in the Russian capital. He was forced to take the stairs after noticing the elevator in the building was not working and was then met by two men posing as electricians who wanted to check if the electricity was working in his apartment. Once Elderenbosch opened the door to his apartment, the men pushed him inside and knocked him to the floor before using duct tape to restrain him. Vladimir Markin, a spokesman for Russia’s Investigative Committee, said the attackers ransacked the apartment before fleeing the scene. The unidentified men also used lipstick to draw a heart symbol pierced with an arrow on a mirror in the hallway, accompanied by the letters “LGBT” which refers to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. The Dutch government is a strong supporter of LGBT rights and previously criticized Russia for its stance on the issue, which includes a controversial ban on LGBT “propaganda.”

The BBC reports on the incident at The Hague that may have motivated the attack.

Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans apologised last week after a Russian diplomat was arrested. Dmitri Borodin was held for several hours on suspicion of mistreating his two young children, prompting President Vladimir Putin to demand the Dutch apology. Protests were held outside the Dutch embassy in response to the arrest. After an investigation, the Dutch foreign minister conceded that police had breached the rules on diplomatic immunity.

News reports do not say if Elderenbosch is gay. The US ambassador to Russia tweeted a condemnation of the attack this morning.

Israeli US Embassy Cheers Obama

With the theme song from Golden Girls.

U.S. Pulls Out Of Syria

As civil unrest intensifies, the United States has closed its Syrian embassy and ordered diplomats to leave the country.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said President Bashar al-Assad has chosen a “dangerous path” in dealing with the 11-month-old uprising, adding that the United States remains “gravely concerned over the escalation of violence.” On Saturday, Russia and China vetoed a U.N. security council resolution condemning Syria that had been strongly supported by Western countries and the Arab League. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton denounced the vetoes as a “travesty.” The United States wants Assad to cede power and make way for a democratically elected government.

In August last year the State Department ordered all civilians to leave Syria.

Christian TV On Clinton's Speech

FRC's Peter Sprigg Is Ever So Pissed

Remember last year when the Family Research Council paid lobbyists $25,000 to convince Congress NOT to denounce the gay death penalty in Uganda? How fucking DARE the president interfere with their plan to see you dead!

GOProud & The Gaystapo Agree?

Their link goes to the full written text of Clinton's speech.