James C. Hormel
Jim Hormel | |
|---|---|
United States Ambassador to Luxembourg | |
| In office September 8, 1999 – January 1, 2001 | |
| President | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | Clay Constantinou |
| Succeeded by | Gerald Loftus (acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James Catherwood Hormel January 1, 1933 San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Alice Turner (divorced) Michael Nguyen Araque |
| Children | 5 |
| Parent |
|
| Relatives | Geordie Hormel (brother) George A. Hormel (grandfather) |
| Education | Swarthmore College (BA) University of Chicago (JD) |
James Catherwood Hormel (January 1, 1933 – August 13, 2021) was an American
Early life and education
Hormel was born in
Diplomatic career
In 1994, President
In October 1997, Clinton nominated Hormel to be ambassador to
- The James C. Hormel Gay and Lesbian Center at the San Francisco Public Library, which Hormel funded, was found to contain Roman Catholic Luxembourg.[7] The Washington Post later wrote that much of the same material could also be found in the Library of Congress, and Hormel said that he had nothing to do with the selection.[8]
- The FRC distributed video tapes[9] of a television interview with Hormel at the 1996 San Francisco Pride parade in which Hormel laughed at a joke about the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a group of men who dress in drag as nuns to mock religious conventions, as they passed by.[8] The Catholic League took this as an indication of approval of what they characterized as an anti-Catholic group.[10] In a meeting with Tim Hutchinson, Hormel declined to repudiate the Sisters.[6] In an interview years later, Hormel objected to the idea that the video clip showed that he approved of the group and that he was anti-Catholic.[8]
- It was revealed that Hormel had contributed $12,000 to fund the production of It's Elementary: Talking About Gay Issues in School, a video aimed at teaching tolerance of homosexuality to grade-school students.[5][6] This especially inflamed Senator Bob Smith of New Hampshire, who was portrayed unflatteringly in the film. Smith contended that he opposed Hormel not because he was gay but because of his "advocacy of the gay lifestyle".[5]
Trent Lott, the Republican majority leader, worked to block the vote and publicly called homosexuality a sin and compared it to alcoholism and kleptomania.[3]
Concerns about Hormel's reception in Luxembourg were "blunted when officials of the country, which has laws against discrimination based on sexual orientation, indicated that he would be welcome."
Philanthropy and advocacy
In 1981, he was one of the founders of the Human Rights Campaign.[20] He was a member of the boards of directors of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce and the American Foundation for AIDS Research. Hormel contributed $500,000[5] to fund the creation of the James C. Hormel Gay & Lesbian Center at the San Francisco Public Library in 1996 (renamed the James C. Hormel LGBTQIA Center in 2016).[21]
Hormel participated in numerous events, including a conference organized in 2004 by Amnesty International in the frame of the Geneva Gay Pride. In 2010 he was given the Lifetime Achievement Grand Marshal Award by San Francisco Pride Board of Directors for his LGBT activism over several decades.[22]
Personal life and death
Hormel's brother,
James Hormel died in San Francisco on August 13, 2021, at the age of 88.[25]
See also
References
- ^ Seelye, Katharine Q. (5 June 1999). "Clinton Appoints Gay Man as Ambassador as Congress Is Away". The New York Times.
- ^ Grullón Paz, Isabella (August 13, 2021). "James Hormel, America's First Openly Gay Ambassador, Dies at 88". The New York Times. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
- ^ ISBN 1-57607-256-8.
- ISBN 0-312-42030-7.
- ^ a b c d e Novak, Robert D. (15 January 1998). "A Gay Ambassador?". The Washington Post.
- ^ a b c "Republicans delay Hormel vote - Heir seeks to become first gay ambassador". Post Bulletin. 13 February 1998.
- ISBN 0-8147-8149-7.
- ^ a b c Kupfer, Peter (20 June 2001). "After a Diplomatic Silence, The Gay Ambassador Speaks". The Washington Post.
- ^ Curtis, Kim (June 6, 1999). "Gay Philanthropist's Appointment as Envoy Causes Controversy". Seattle Times. p. A15.
- ^ "White House Lies About Hormel". 26 May 1999.
- ^ Rapp, Linda (1 March 2004). "Hormel, James C. (b. 1931)". glbtq: An Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Culture. Archived from the original on 14 April 2009. Retrieved 6 April 2009.
- ^ Kupfer, Peter (June 20, 2001). "After a Diplomatic Silence, the Gay Ambassador Speaks; James Hormel Responds to His Vociferous Critics". The Washington Post. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
- ^ Leahy, Patrick (29 January 2001). "Floor Statement on the Nomination of John Ashcroft to the Office of Attorney General". Senator Patrick Leahy. Archived from the original on 2008-06-08. Retrieved 2008-07-07.
- ^ Nichols, Jack (22 June 1998). "Republican Demagogue: 'Ambassadors Shouldn't Be (Immoral) Gays!': Senator Don Nickles (R.-Okla) Steps Up Declared War on U.S. Gays: Franklin Kameny on Nickles: 'He's a Two Bit Little Public Servant!'". Gay Today. Retrieved 2008-07-07.
- ^ Rich, Frank (3 July 1999). "Journal; Summer of Matthew Shepard". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-07-07.
- ^ "Human Events". The New York Times. 16 July 1999. Retrieved 2008-07-07.
- ^ Holland, Judy (1 July 1999). "Hormel's partner sees win for minorities; Mainstream America rejected anti-gay comments, Timothy Wu says". The San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved 2008-07-07.
- ISBN 1-84728-348-9.
- ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2020-12-17.
- ^ Bibi, Elizabeth (August 13, 2021). "Statement On The Passing of a Human Rights Campaign Founder, LGBTQ+ Advocate, and Former Ambassador Jim Hormel". Human Rights Campaign. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
- ^ Whiting, Sam (21 June 2016). "'Queerest. Library. Ever.': Preserving gay history for 20 years". SFGate.
- ^ "Grand Marshals". San Francisco Pride. 2010. Archived from the original on January 14, 2013. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
- ^ Rich, Frank (18 April 1998). "Journal; All in the Family". The New York Times.
- ^ "Alfred Bloom, Mary Schmidt Campbell '69, and James C. Hormel '55 to Receive Honorary Degrees at Swarthmore's 137th Commencement". Swarthmore College. Archived from the original on 14 October 2011. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
- ^ Grullón Paz, Isabella (August 13, 2021). "James Hormel, America's First Openly Gay Ambassador, Dies at 88". The New York Times. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
External links
| Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | |
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| Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | |
| International | |
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| National | |
