A group of anti-gay activists in the Dominican Republic has posted a petition on the White House's website demanding the ouster of the openly gay U.S. ambassador to that nation.
The anonymous petition, posted March 8, said that Ambassador James "Wally" Brewster promotes "an LGBT agenda inconsistent with the Christian cultural values and tradition of the Dominican Republic" in his official duties. Among the protesters' objections are Brewster's support of an LGBT Chamber of Commerce as well as his inclusion of his husband in official duties. As of March 9, 16,872 individuals had signed the petition. In order to compel a White House response, petitioners need to have 100,000 signatures; they'll have until April 7 to reach that goal.
The petition was originally reported March 9 in the Washington Blade.
Brewster, a Chicago businessman who was a key bundler in fundraising for President Obama, was appointed to the post in late 2013. He and his husband, Bob Satawake, were married just hours after Brewster was sworn in for his position by Vice President Joe Biden.
Brewster has endured repeated anti-gay barbs from religious elements in the Dominican Republic since that appointment, especially from Cardinal Nicolas de Jesus Lppez Rodriguez of the Archdiocese of Santo Domingo. At one point, the cardinal used the term "maricones" ("faggots") to publicly refer to Brewster.
Another petition, this one asking that Brewster be retained in the post, was issued March 9 and had 452 signatures as of press time. Posted anonymously, it stated that, "Though some believe [the Dominican Republic] to be a tolerant country, religious agendas are disrespectful to the culture and traditions of educated Dominican families."
The petitions followed a January demand that Brewster be declared "persona non grata" by the government for an initiative that anti-gay activists claimed would "turn our adolescents gay."
[Minor revisions made to this article on March 12, 2016.]
The White House is not backing down from its support of Brewster, however. "President Obama chose Ambassador Brewster to represent the United States government in the Dominican Republic because of his outstanding credentials, integrity and dedication to the advancing the interests of this country," said National Security Advisor Susan Rice in a statement. "He has the full support of this president, this White House and the entire U.S. government and I know he will continue to advocate tirelessly for the interests of the United States in the Dominican Republic.
"It is U.S. government policy to represent all Americans without regard to their race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, age, gender and sexual orientation," added Rice. "Bigotry in any form is against the universal values that we promote and does not support the social inclusion that we believe is important for a free society to succeed. We will continue to support Ambassador Brewster as he advances universal human rights."
Washington Blade's story is at bit.ly/1pydAf8. The original petition is at 1.usa.gov/1W9nUEO, while the supporting petition is at 1.usa.gov/1QN9Ywt .
