The U.S. Senate on Wednesday narrowly
confirmed Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions to head the Department of
Justice.
One Democrat, Senator Joe Manchin of
West Virginia, crossed party lines to vote with Republicans, who were
united in their support for Sessions as the nation's attorney
general.
LGBT rights groups criticized the 52-47
vote, noting Sessions' long record in Congress opposing LGBT rights.
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the
nation's largest such group, said in a statement that the
confirmation of Sessions “places civil rights and equality in
jeopardy.”
“It's deeply disturbing that Jeff
Sessions, who has demonstrated a clear animus against so many
Americans – including the LGBTQ community, women and people of
color – could be charged with running the very system of justice
designed to protect them,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “The
man now in charge of enforcing hate crimes protections doesn’t even
think they should exist – or that LGBTQ people need them. The man
now in charge of enforcing civil rights laws is a man who has a
history of undermining the rights of African-American voters. Our
message to Donald Trump and Jeff Sessions is this: we’re going to
fight any attempt to roll back our rights with every resource that we
have. We will not give one inch.”
During his confirmation hearing,
several senators quizzed Sessions about his record on LGBT rights,
which includes opposition to marriage equality, repeal of “Don't
Ask, Don't Tell” – the military's previous ban on gay troops
serving openly – and hate crimes protections.
When Senator Dianne Feinstein, a
Democrat from California, asked Sessions about the Supreme Court's
landmark finding that gay and lesbian couples have a constitutional
right to marry and his opposition to such unions, Sessions replied
that he would “follow the decision.”
Janson Wu, executive director of the
GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders, said in a statement that his
group would hold Sessions accountable.
“It is our hope that, now confirmed,
Attorney General Sessions will recognize the magnitude of his
obligation to all Americans, and will seek to carry out the duties of
his office accordingly,” Wu said. “But our Constitution’s
guarantees of liberty and equality apply regardless of who holds that
office. As advocates for LGBTQ Americans and Americans living with
HIV, we stand ready to hold Attorney General Sessions accountable,
and to defend those constitutional guarantees at every turn.”
1 comment:
now that Trump has filled the administration with absolute garbage, it is up to the American people to force change. We The People has to become a "thing" again. no more sheep following the status quo. it has begun already, with judges blocking the travel ban. Trump's targeted countries does not stand up to scrutiny: he can't say that it is to block terrorists from entering because the terrorists from 9/11 came from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt and Lebanon. none of these are on his list. his ban is a ham-fisted attempt to appease his voter base
Post a Comment