National leader as fierce advocate.

[Q]

Posted: 7/14/10 at 10:28am

Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner takes on the Mormon and Catholic leaders who have stepped up their attacks before the impending legalization vote:

"Mrs. Kirchner harshly criticized church leaders on Monday, saying that their discourse on the issue resembled 'the times of the Crusades' and that they failed to acknowledge how socially liberal Argentina had become.

'They are portraying this as a religious moral issue and as a threat to ‘the natural order,’ when what we are really doing is looking at a reality that is already there,' the president said from Beijing. 'It would be a terrible distortion of democracy if they denied minorities their rights.'

Gay rights advocates said Mrs. Kirchner and her husband, former President Néstor Kirchner, are responding to polls showing that nearly 70 percent of Argentines support giving gay people the same marital rights as heterosexuals.

Some political analysts see the issue as a political maneuver for the Kirchners to maintain their dynasty in Argentina. Mr. Kirchner, now a congressman, has been spearheading the gay marriage bill to regain the limelight before the 2011 elections, when he is widely expected to try to run for president again, said Carlos Germano, a political analyst in Buenos Aires."

[SNAFU]

Posted: 7/14/10 at 4:29pm

Now there is a "Fierce Advocate". What an enlightened train of thought she has!

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 7/14/10 at 4:48pm

70 percent favor marriage! Wow...and from such a catholic nation.

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 7/14/10 at 4:52pm

She's a right broad.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 7/14/10 at 5:00pm

Pretty soon it's going to be only the US and the Middle East that don't support full marriage equality.

[SNAFU]

Posted: 7/14/10 at 5:19pm

Spain is a very Catholic Country and they have legalized Gay marriage. Seems the Catholicier the country, the more they love their Mos!

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 7/14/10 at 5:44pm

It's pretty astonishing how behind our great, advanced democracy is.

And, yes, President Fernandez does indeed school President Obama on what it really means to be a fierce advocate. Brava!

[StageManager2]

Posted: 7/14/10 at 6:13pm

Sure, it's easy to advocate a position when nearly 3/4 of the country stands behind it. A true test of Cristina's leadership would be if less than half the nation objected and she stood firm. What's inspiring here is that the majority of Argentines support gay marriage.