(单词翻译:单击)
The US has publicly declared it will fight discrimination against gays and lesbians abroad by using foreign aid and diplomacy1 to encourage reform.
美国公开宣布,将通过国外援助和外教手腕抵制外国对男女同性恋的歧视。
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told an audience of diplomats2 in Geneva that "gay rights are human rights".
A memo3 from the Obama administration directs US government agencies to consider gay rights when making aid and asylum4(庇护) decisions.
Similar policies already exist for gender5 equality and ethnic6 violence.
"It should never be a crime to be gay" Mrs Clinton said at the United Nations in Geneva, adding that a country's cultural or religious traditions was no excuse for discrimination.
Her audience included representatives from countries where homosexuality is a criminal offence.
Many ambassadors rushed out of the room as soon as Mrs Clinton finished speaking, the Associated Press news agency reported.
'Human reality'
The announcement, cited by the White House as the "first US government strategy to combat human rights abuses against gays and lesbians abroad", is also being seen as part of the Obama administration's outreach(超越) to gays and lesbians ahead of the 2012 election.
The official memorandum7(备忘录) does not outline consequences for countries with poor records on gay rights. But it allows US agencies working abroad to consult with international organisations on discrimination.
"Gay people are born into and belong to every society in the world," Mrs Clinton said in Geneva. "Being gay is not a Western invention. It is a human reality."
The new policy could pose awkward(尴尬的) questions for US officials formulating8 policy towards some regular allies and regional powers.
In 2011, the state department's annual human rights report cited ally Saudi Arabia's abuses against gays. The country bans homosexuality outright9.
Afghanistan also prohibits homosexual activity, and the same report found that authorities "sporadically10(零星地) " enforced the prohibition11.
In the US, Republican presidential candidates criticised the administration's decision, with Texas Governor Rick Perry saying in a statement that "promoting special rights for gays in foreign countries is not in America's interests and not worth a dime12 of taxpayers13' money".
Mrs Clinton acknowledged the US had its own mixed record on gay rights. As late as 2003, some states had laws that made gay sex a crime.
Earlier this year President Barack Obama signed into law a bill repealing14 the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" law and allowing homosexuals to serve openly in the US military.a
收听单词发音
1
diplomacy
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| n.外交;外交手腕,交际手腕 | |
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diplomats
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| n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 );有手腕的人,善于交际的人 | |
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memo
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| n.照会,备忘录;便笺;通知书;规章 | |
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asylum
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| n.避难所,庇护所,避难 | |
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gender
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| n.(生理上的)性,(名词、代词等的)性 | |
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ethnic
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| adj.人种的,种族的,异教徒的 | |
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memorandum
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| n.备忘录,便笺 | |
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formulating
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| v.构想出( formulate的现在分词 );规划;确切地阐述;用公式表示 | |
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outright
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| adv.坦率地;彻底地;立即;adj.无疑的;彻底的 | |
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sporadically
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| adv.偶发地,零星地 | |
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prohibition
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| n.禁止;禁令,禁律 | |
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dime
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| n.(指美国、加拿大的钱币)一角 | |
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taxpayers
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| 纳税人,纳税的机构( taxpayer的名词复数 ) | |
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repealing
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| 撤销,废除( repeal的现在分词 ) | |
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