Special US Envoy On LGBTI Rights Randy Berry To Begin Tour Of Latin America

Via White House press release:

Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTI Persons Randy Berry will travel to Chile from June 1 – 2, Argentina from June 3 – 4, Uruguay from June 4 – 5, Brazil from June 6 – 9, and the Dominican Republic from June 10 – 11 to discuss the human rights of LGBTI persons and other historically marginalized groups. During the 11 day visit, Special Envoy Berry will participate in LGBTI Pride Month activities and meet with government representatives, in addition to members of religious, business, academic, and civil society organizations.

Follow Berry on Twitter here. Below is his introduction clip.

Candidate For Dominican Presidency: I Won't Act Like A Faggot To Win Polls

Andres Duque reports at Blabbeando:

Last week former Dominican Republic president Hipólito Mejía brought a new bid for the Caribbean nation's presidency to the United States. I hadn't paid much attention until NY1 Noticias played a clip of statements he made while in New York citing the Bible and saying he opposed same-sex marriage. "I call bread 'bread' and wine 'wine.' The other day [Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr.] asked my opinion regarding same-sex marriage," Mejia says, "Be fruitful and multiply? There is no way you can do it that way!" meaning gays cannot procreate and, hence, should not be able to marry. Neither the statements nor the setting were a surprise. Mejía enjoys a strong relationship with Senator Diaz, perhaps the leading Latino anti-marriage equality voice in the nation, and has allowed the Senator to host previous press conferences.

At the Diaz event Mejía admitted he once confronted gay issues with overt homophobia. "In the past I used to have a have a deadly antagonistic stance [against gays]" he says, "Nowadays I can even laugh about it." If that was in the past, he seems to have forgotten about it the next day when he made a campaign appearance in New Jersey. Standing before a campaign flag that promises "equality," Mejía doesn't mention same-sex marriage but jokes that his campaign handlers wanted him to wear a wig during media appearances if he wanted poll numbers to improve. Then he says: "There are people who can change everything about you, even the way you sit down" and says they tried to convince him to sit "the way a little faggot does." The place erupts in laughter.

RELATED: The speaker of the New York City Council reacts:

"I am appalled that a former Dominican Republic president and a potential future presidential candidate has used a derogatory term that is offensive, inappropriate and hurtful toward LGBT people. President Mejia needs to apologize to the LGBT community in his country and here in New York, where he made this unacceptable statement. Leaders are called to unite people, not divide us. That includes those who invited him here and stayed silent when discrimination occured and even worse, laughed at it. I stand with the LGBT community here, in the Dominican Republic and elsewhere, and I will not be silent when bigotry shows its ugly face.”

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Massive Child Porn Stash Found On Archbishop's Computer

Tens of thousands of child porn photos and videos have been discovered on the computer of the Vatican's former envoy to the Dominican Republic.

Details of Jozef Wesolowski's massive child porn stash have been revealed after the 66-year-old was arrested at the Vatican earlier this week. He is the highest-ranking Vatican official ever to be investigated for sex abuse, and the first top papal representative to receive a defrocking sentence. He has been charged with sexually abusing minors and child porn possession and might face up to seven years in the Vatican's tiny jail. Vatican detectives analysed the PC Wesolowski used in his office in Santo Domingo, where he served as Holy See envoy from 2008 to 2012 as part of an investigation into the alleged sexual abuse of underage boys. The probe reportedly revealed a collection of horrors. The Polish native held more than 100,000 sexually-explicit files, Il Corriere della Sera newspaper reported. Some 160 videos showing teenage boys forced to perform sexual acts on themselves and on adults and more than 86,000 pornographic photos were meticulously archived in several category-based folders, the paper said. Investigators said that at least another 45,000 pictures were deleted, while a second stash of material was found on a laptop Wesolowski used during his trips abroad.

Wesolowski was recalled to the Vatican last year after the local media accused him of hiring rent boys.

Dominican Republic Bans Miley Cyrus Concert For Promoting Lesbian Sex

Andres Duque reports at Blabbeando:

The National Commission for Public Performances in the Dominican Republic announced today that they were banning a September 13th Miley Cyrus concert for, among other things, promoting lesbian sex. "The National Commission for Public Performances in the exercise of the powers given by the Constitution of the Republic through Regulation 824 of Law Number 1951Article 4306 - the purpose of which is to prevent public performances that offend the morals, good customs and relationship between friendly countries - imposes this ban based on Miley Cyrus' common engagement in acts during her concerts that defy morals and customs in ways usually penalized by Dominican law," a statement reads. They add that Cyrus "uses inadequate attire, corrupts language, uses perverse imagery and phrasing, uses phrases with double meanings, glorifies crime, violence and denigrating acts against civility and promotes sex, lesbian sex and the use of inadequate objects in public."

Duque notes that homosexuality is not illegal in the island nation but there has been significant anti-gay sentiment from religious leaders following the appointment of a gay US ambassador.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: US Ambassador Celebrates Pride Month With Husband, Asks "Isn't It Time To Stop Hating?"

Andres Duque writes at Blabbeando:

Through a tweet sent this morning on the official Twitter account of the U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic ambassador James "Wally" Brewster and his husband Bob Satawake sent this powerful message to all Dominicans in observance of the month of June as LGBT pride month. Since his nomination to the diplomatic post Brewster has weathered constant attacks from conservative and religious fundamentalist in the United States and the Dominican Republic and, in response, he has not shied away from engaging those attacks head on with dignity and, as this powerful video shows, strength.

It's a great clip. "Isn't it time to stop hating?" Watch this.

RELATED: When Brewster was first nominated to the post last year, the local Catholic cardinal held a press conference during which he called Brewster a "faggot." The following week, Dominican Christians were encouraged to wear black armbands in protest of Brewster's nomination.

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.

Senate Confirms Openly Gay US Ambassador To Dominican Republic

The Senate has confirmed Human Rights Campaign board member Wally Brewster as the US ambassador to the Dominican Republic. Brewster becomes the fifth openly gay US ambassador currently serving.  Via HRC:

When nominated for the ambassadorship, Wally Brewster served as Senior Executive for SB&K Global, a global consumer dynamics strategy consulting firm, where he worked with clients on global expansion and growth. Through his professional and personal activities, he has shown an unparalleled commitment to human rights and democracy around the world. Prior to this year, three openly gay people had served as U.S. Ambassadors (Jim Hormel, Michael Guest and David Huebner). Just this year, five openly gay people have been confirmed as Ambassadors (Brewster, along with John Berry in Australia, James Costos in Spain, Rufus Gifford in Denmark, and Daniel Baer as ambassador to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe).

After Brewster's nomination first became known, anti-gay protests lead by the local Catholic Church broke out in the Dominican Republic.  In July, Cardinal Nicolás de Jesús López Rodríguez called Brewster a maricón (faggot) during an interview with local media.  Two weeks later local evangelical leaders called for a national day of protest during which supporters wore black armbands and adorned their cars with black ribbons. During that protest Catholic Bishop Pablo Cedaño warned that if Brewster dared visit, "He's going to suffer and he will have to leave." 

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Vatican Recalls Official Envoy Over Molestation Rumors

The Vatican has abruptly recalled Archbishop Josef Wesolowski, its official envoy to the Dominican Republic, in the midst of child molestation rumors about Wesolowski and another priest. The Associated Press reports:

Wesolowski's sudden departure from the Dominican Republic in recent days has been the cause of feverish speculation in local media. Dominican television network NCDN, citing a statement from the director of a community group, reported that Wesolowski had slept in the same room as several altar boys at his beach house. Shortly before his removal, several residents of the mountain town of Juncalito made allegations of sexual abuse against the Rev. Alberto Gil Wojciech, also a Polish priest and a friend of Wesolowski. The community leader, Pedro Espinal, told reporters that Wojciech took altar boys to the home of Wesolowski.

RELATED: In July, the Dominican Republic's Cardinal Nicolás de Jesús López Rodríguez called openly gay US ambassador nominee Wally Brewster a "faggot" during a press conference. A week later local Catholics staged a protest against Brewster by dressing in black and putting black ribbons on their cars.

Email Of The Day - Eugene Delgaudio

"Dear Joe,  The nominations of homosexual activists Todd Hughes to the U.S. Court of Appeals and James 'Wally' Brewster as the ambassador to the Dominican Republic are both fraught with dangerous implications. Hughes would almost certainly overturn any pro-Family legislation if installed as a judge on the Appeals Court. And the majority-Christian Dominican Republic has been outraged and offended by Brewster's nomination. As a Public Advocate supporter, I am asking you to help me stop these radical nominees from holding office. Will you please call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 to speak to your senators and demand that they force roll call votes to oppose Obama's nominations of Homosexual activists to important offices? President Obama has refused to appoint pro-Family and Christian Americans within the government’s ranks. Instead, he has thrown his full support behind the radical Homosexual Agenda. Won't you please consider chipping in $5 or $10 to help Public Advocate fight Obama's hand-picked nominees from the Homosexual Lobby?" - Disgraced hate group leader Eugene Delgaudio, via email.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Christians To Protest Gay US Ambassador

Christians in the Dominican Republic are being urged to wear black armbands today in a "Black Monday" protest over President Obama's appointment of an openly gay man as the US ambassador to their nation.

Christian leaders are asking people to wear a black arm band, to show a black banner or ribbon on cars, or to dress entirely in black on Monday, to show that the public rejects the US State Department's promotion of its homosexual agenda in their country. Ex-president of the nation’s Evangelical Confraternity, Cristobal Cardozo, called the appointment “an insult to good Dominican customs” and said it is inappropriate to send such an ambassador to “a country where homosexual relationships are not approved, neither legally nor morally.” “In reality, it’s a lack of respect, of consideration, that they should send us a person of that type as ambassador,” said Catholic Auxiliary Bishop Pablo Cedaño in a recent interview. “I have the hope that he won’t arrive because I know that if he arrives he’s going to suffer and will have to leave.” Cedaño’s sentiments were echoed by Santo Dominco’s Cardinal Archbishop Nicolas de Jesus Lopez. “You can expect anything from the United States,” said the cardinal.

RELATED: Earlier this month Cardinal Lopez called the ambassador a "faggot" during a press conference.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Cardinal Calls Gay US Ambassador Nominee A "Faggot"

Last month President Obama nominated openly gay DNC co-chair Wally Brewster to be ambassador to the Dominican Republic. Here's how the local the Catholic Church reacted this week:

Catholic Cardinal Nicolás de Jesús López Rodríguez referred to Brewster as a “maricón” — which is usually translated as “faggot” — during a press conference. At his side, Monseñor Pablo Cedano promised the nominee such an unpleasant stay in the country that he will have to return home. “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.”

Brewster is one of six openly gay men that the president has nominated to be US ambassadors.