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Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko apologized today for a homophobic remark he made to gay German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle, news agency RIA Novosti reports.
Lukashenko said he had upset Westerwelle by telling him "honestly, eye-to-eye, that he had to lead a normal life."
"My words offended him," Lukashenko told journalists today in Minsk, his nation's capital. "I am still repenting my words. I wonder what made me speak up." He did not saying exactly when he made the statement to Westerwelle, but the German official had visited Belarus last November. Lukashenko still "condemns homosexual relations," according to RIA Novosti.
Some news sources had reported several months ago that Lukashenko, during a meeting in Minsk with Westerwelle and the Polish foreign minister, said he did not understand how two men could live together, a remark apparently meant for Westerwelle, who has a partner. Lukashenko reportedly added that he had nothing against lesbians but would send gay men to collective farms with "great pleasure." No word on whether Lukashenko expressed regret about these statements or even admitted making them.
trudestress
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Trudy Ring
Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.
Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.