The Washington Blade, a prominent gay newspaper, asked Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton about criticism the Clinton Foundation has faced over “accepting millions of dollars from countries with laws that punish homosexual acts with death, including between $10-$25 million from Saudi Arabia.”
The paper asked Clinton, “Do the ends justify the means?”
Bear in mind that the interview wasn’t live; the questions were submitted to Clinton in advance. Here’s what she managed to come up with:
I am so proud of the work the Clinton Foundation has done on behalf of vulnerable people all across the world — especially the work to combat HIV and AIDS, an epidemic that disproportionately impacts LGBT communities around the globe. Due to the work of the Clinton Foundation, 11.5 million people in the developing world have access to HIV medication at 90 percent lower cost. That’s more than half of all adults and ¾ of all children receiving treatment today.
I’ve always believed that we shouldn’t shy away from confronting human rights abuses around the world — against LGBT people or anyone else. That’s why, as Secretary of State, I actively stood up to these countries and have advocated for the rights of many, including declaring that “gay rights are human rights,” and made advancing the rights of LGBT people around the world a cornerstone of our foreign policy, including advocating for the first ever United Nations resolution on LGBT rights. Donald Trump, on the other hand, has conducted business deals worth millions of dollars in or with some of these countries and has done it for the sole purpose of padding his own pockets.
Here’s the bottom line: As your president, I will continue to fight for LGBT rights here in the United States and around the globe.
Yup, you read that right — and so did a handful of readers who commented on last Thursday’s interview.