The Obama Administration has been on a roll naming gay ambassadorial nominees, usually with little notice. Then came the choice of James “Wally” Brewster, a major Obama donor and national LGBT co-chair of the Democatic National Committee, as ambassador to the Dominican Republic.
Religious groups in the country have objected to Brewster solely because he’s gay. Perhaps the biggest offender has been Cardinal Nicolas de Jesus Lopez Rodriguez, the Roman Catholic leader in the country. At a press conference, Rodriguez called Brewster a “maricón,” which is usually translated as “faggot.” Not content to leave it at that, the Cardinal’s sidekick, Monsignor Pablo Cedano decided to chime in.
“I hope he does not arrive in the country because I know if he comes he is going to suffer and will have to leave,” Cedano said. He called it “a lack of respect” that Obama “sent … a person of this kind as an ambassador,” adding, “[W]e don’t despise the person.”
No, why would we ever think that.
How about we take this to the next level?
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Homosexuality is not criminalized in the Dominican Republic, but marriage equality is not the law either. Some critics charge that Brewster’s appointment is a sneaky way for Obama to impose it on the country.
“Obama knows that a large majority of the Dominican population rejects that two people of the same sex can unite in matrimony and form a family,” newspaper columnist José Alberto Ortíz wrote. “As it is not possible to convince the population of his ideology, he has opted to impose it, a typical act of an imperialist government.”
All this, and Brewster hasn’t even been approved by the Senate yet, let alone showed up at the embassy. The Dominican government has said it’s fine with Brewster’s appointment. Still, Brewster has had a bumpy ride for what is usually a cushy thank-you present.
Photo credit: LinkedIn
Dakotahgeo
Yes, the bitching about gay Ambassadors could only come from CPPInc. (Catholic Prelate Perverts, Inc.), whose past record(s) speaks volumes about itself. The only Church Headquarters that runs it’s own Rent-A-Boy Center… you mean THAT RCC? Shaking my head in amazement that anybody in the Roamin’ Catholic Church would have ANYTHING to say to the world regarding gayness and all its gifts! Unnnnngh!!!
Nikkidane
Talk about the pot calling the kettle black…lol. This Cardinal should be ashamed for being so hateful. You’ll probably find him in a public restroom tapping his foot.
Steve Rider
@Nikkidane: Perhaps, as a Cardinal, he feels it is his responsibility to take a wide stance. They have airports in the Dominican Republic, I’m sure. Someone has to make folks passing through the airport restroom feel welcome. Maybe that is all the foot tapping meant. Nudge, nudge. Wink, wink. Say no more.
ouragannyc
Can’t wait that the Catholic church becomes irrelevant in world history.
I think I’ll see it in my lifetime. Marriage equality has passed in Argentina and Uruguay. Brazil could be next.
2eo
Are we really surprised the true face of christianity rears itself in second and third world nations?
sfbeast
I don’t understand why the administration would send a gay man to such a backward homophobic country. Just like Libya. However, maybe the CPP (thanks Dakotahgeo) should worry more about the extent of poverty in that country.
2eo
@sfbeast: Don’t be daft, as quality of life and education rise, belief in religion goes down. All religion is completely reliant on the ill educated and poverty stricken.
Cam
WAIT A SECOND!?!?!?
You are telling me that somebody representing the Catholic church, a church solely based on love and acceptance is verbally attacking a possible ambassador and behaving like the bigoted 7th grade child of two members of the Klan?
SAY IT ISN’T SO!!!!!
hyhybt
I’m curious how they made the jump from “the new ambassador is gay” to “imposing gay marriage on us.” The story doesn’t even say he’s married, and ambassadors don’t have that kind of power. Or any kind of power, really.
2eo
@hyhybt: In the same fashion having one gay kiss a season on prime-time is forcing “it” down the throats of everyone.
Cam
@2eo:
LOL!!!!!!!!!! Nailed it!
Daniel-Reader
We should vote on whether the Dominican Republic should be dissolved – this is an island where the population says larger groups get to dictate the human rights of smaller groups. So clearly it should be subject to the same rules – having a larger group vote on whether it should exist. If a little island violated the human rights of Chinese people, what would China do to it. The GLBTA community is four times larger than China.
seaki
Dominican Republic, please have a stadium worth os seats and DONT get the hell back up!!!! I live in NYC, and have a flat in the BRONX, and Dominican d*k is so easy to be had, all you have your do is blink! These hateful Download nikkas are so quick to mount some man mounds, that they often become TOOOOOOOO aggressive! And go the Dominican Republic with a stack of $100 dollar bills, and you can Literally have sexy with over 90 % of the male population, as they don’t consider it gay if you pay them for sex!!
The hypocritical-in-the-closet idiots are in denial about their natural attraction to men, that they often will marry, have HUGE family,..all just to have a male lover on the side .And as far as the priest, spare me padded, and cut the bullshyt, just about EVERY Dominican and Puerto rican man from a good family that I have had sex with, told me their FIRST sexual experience was with their parish priest! I’m done :::::::?:walks out the room:::::::::
TampaBayTed
Don’t forget the young boys and girls who haunt the tourist compounds looking to sell their bodies to pedophiles for the Yankee dollar or the Euro. What is the Divine Cardinal doing for these poor, neglected, abused children? Nada. The entire sex trade in children in the D.R. is repulsive.
jmmartin
This is most unfortunate, as a colleague went to the D.R. and had a great time, raving about the beaches and pleasant people. Where would he have queer people go, the other end of the island?
Kangol
Excuse me, but why are people like @seaki trashing the Dominican Republic and its people? They didn’t make these hateful statements about the nominated ambassador. They aren’t violently attacking LGBTQ people in the streets like nuts in Russia are, with the complicity of the government. They aren’t abducting LGBTQ people like the crackpots in Iraq, empowered by the last administration, are doing.
The Dominican Republic just had a gay pride celebration in its capital, Santo Domingo, that brought out hundreds of people, and not a single attack or ugly word from the government there, or most of its citizens. I don’t want to get flagged for posting a link, but there are photos online you can Google. It was nothing like the sad horrorshow gay people were subjected to in Moscow, a supposedly advanced, first-world capital.
This Cardinal has repeatedly verbally attacked gay people, and is an arch-homophobe. He needs to come out of the closet and get help, and leave gay people alone. Thankfully DR’s new president, like its last one, and its Congress, and most of its people, are not going on gay witch hunts or finding a scapegoat despite the many economic and social issues the country faces. Like most Americans, they are not spending every waking hour obsessing over gay people as a threat, but the Cardinal apparently does. He is the problem, not Dominican people, nor the Dominican Republic as a country.
And not just Latin American Catholic countries, but predominantly Roman Catholic countries Belgium, Portugal, Spain, and France also recognize same-sex marriages.
Eric Auerbach
@Kangol: Excellent–and perfectly accurate–post, Kangol. Thank you.
FLOGGERDADNYC
does anyone have any idea how many DOMINICAN men there are in NYC alone? And they all came FROM SANTO DOMINGO…SO,puleeze, enuf with the ” we are so macho IN Santo Domingo!”.! And then start counting the LESBIANs froM S.D. !!!!