State-Sponsored Homophobia Provides Common Ground for US-Iran Relations

General Pace has something in common with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Both are incapable of dealing with gay and lesbian people in a realistic and respectful way, and both were mocked and derided by ordinary Americans. At least Pace didn't attempt to deny the existence of gay and lesbian Americans serving in the military as Ahmadinejad attempted to deny the existence of GLBT Iranians living in Iran.

Yesterday NYC cops arrested and detained human rights activists, including a rabbi and the president of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, who were protesting a bigoted diatribe against gay and lesbian service members, which was recently delivered by the chairperson of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The protest was organized following a speech given by Larry Kramer on the 20th anniversary of ACT-UP. I read a transcript of the speech and actually posted it.