Everybody here just does their job, right? You know, if you're working here and in the middle of the day you just stopped and said, you know what? I want to get something, but I don't know — I don't know exactly what I'm going get, but — I'm just going to stop working until I get something-- I'm going to shut down the whole plant until I get something. You'd get fired! Right?
"American authorities have long raised questions about human rights and LGBT issues in Russia and Obama sent a clear signal during his visit to St. Petersburg for the G20 summit, where he organized a meeting with human rights and LGBT activists amid a busy schedule and ongoing negotiations regarding the conflict in Syria."I think it's cool and very telling about the global appeal he has.
Mr. Obama, who has criticized Russia’s new anti-gay laws that outlaw “homosexual propaganda,” met with the director of a Russian LGBT network and others at the conclusion of the G-20 summit. He said the work of such activists is “critically important” to an open society.Glad this happened.
“I’m very proud of their work,” Mr. Obama said. “Part of good government is making sure we’re creating a space for civil society.”
Russian human rights leaders praised Mr. Obama for meeting with them.
“Engaging civil society has been a hallmark of this administration and President Obama demonstrated that commitment again today as he met with Russian gay rights and civil society leaders to learn more about the challenges they face,” said Human Right First’s Innokenty Grekov. “Today’s meeting was a terrific first step.”
Mr. Grekov called on Mr. Obama to “double down on U.S. efforts to address the concerns of civil society and LGBT activists, and continue to raise these issues in the administration’s bilateral engagement with Russia.”
