Gay US Ambassador & Husband Send Message To People Of Dominican Republic

Two weeks ago the Senate finally confirmed former HRC board member Wally Brewster as the US ambassador to the Dominican Republic, where local Catholic leaders have denounced his appointment. Shortly after his confirmation, Brewster married his partner, Bob J. Satawake. Brewster and his husband have posted a video message to the Dominican Republic. CNN reports:

The welcome message from America's new top diplomat in the Dominican Republic touched on baseball, culture and trade ties. No surprises there. But U.S. Ambassador James "Wally" Brewster brought one thing with him this week that's a first for a male U.S. ambassador in the Caribbean nation: a husband. "My spouse, Bob, and I have traveled the world, from the far reaches of Asia to the stunning coastlines of southern Europe," Brewster says in a video introducing himself on the U.S. Embassy's website.Then husband Bob Satawake chimes in: "But we always return to the beauty of the Dominican Republic."

After months of pressure from religious groups in the Dominican Republic who protested his appointment, Brewster arrived in Santo Domingo this week to begin his tenure as ambassador. An editorial in the Dominican Republic's El Nacional newspaper this week discussed proposals Brewster outlined in the introductory video and urged readers to stop focusing so much on the new ambassador's sexual orientation, even though it has "generated more attention than his diplomatic mission." His arrival in the Dominican Republic this week was front-page news in many of the country's newspapers, which also prominently discussed the arrival of his spouse.