Christian group castigates Obama for urging tolerance toward gays

A right-leaning Christian group is outraged that that an Obama administration joint statement with the United Nations opposes the criminalization of homosexuality.

The Family Rights Council (FRC) has taken to calling the resolution "Operation International Tolerance."

"While American forces bomb away at Libya, the Obama administration is launching another global offensive: Operation International Tolerance," a FRC report said. "As he looks on from South America, the President put troops on the ground today for a meeting of the U.N.'s Human Rights Council, where his diplomats plan to strong-arm other countries into embracing homosexuality."

"In a major U-turn from the Bush years, the Obama administration is actually initiating an 'anti-discrimination' resolution to force acceptance of the world's gays and lesbians."

"Obviously, FRC believes that homosexuals and transgenders shouldn't be subjected to violence," the conservative group added. "No binding document of international law has ever recognized a universal 'human right' to engage in sex with a person of the same gender."

"Our global neighbors have the freedom to believe that homosexuality is wrong--just as they have the freedom to legislate against any behavior they think is harmful to society," FRC continued.

"FRC's condemnation of the resolution underlines the organization's basic hypocrisy," the blog Pam's House Blend noted. "Nowhere in it does FRC give a clear indication of just what the resolution says. It doesn't even provide a link to the policy and I think this is intentional."

While the joint resolution would not have the force of law, it does decry persecution based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

"We express concern at continued evidence in every region of acts of violence and related human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity brought to the Council’s attention by Special Procedures since that time, including killings, rape, torture and criminal sanctions," the resolution (.pdf) said.

"FRC's duplicity is astounding. The organization claims that it opposes violence against lgbts but it actually supports countries which would subject the lgbt community to violent persecution," writer Alvin McEwen opined.

Last July, the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission won accreditation from the U.N.'s Economic and Social Council, in spite of the opposition of two prominent Republicans.

Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Trent Franks (R-AZ) wrote a letter urging countries that opposed the accreditation to vote against the application.

In many of those countries, such as Egypt, Angola, Burundi, Pakistan, Qatar and Sudan, "LGBT people can be jailed, fined, whipped or killed if they are caught by authorities," according to Talking Points Memo.