Religious opposition to James "Wally" Brewster's nomination as U.S. ambassador to the Dominican Republic continues to build, with leaders organizing a "Black Monday" protest demonstrating their disapproval of the openly gay nominee.
Religious leaders reportedly organized a "Lunes Negro" demonstration on Monday, asking religious Dominicans to dress in all black, wear a black armband, or display a black banner or ribbon on their car to show their displeasure with Obama's nominee, according to Foreign Policy's blog, The Cable.
In June, President Obama nominated Brewster, an openly gay former fundraiser and LGBT cochair for the Democratic National Committee, to serve as the U.S. ambassador to the Spanish-speaking Caribbean nation of nine million.
By early July, a high-ranking Catholic cardinal used an antigay slur to refer to Brewster, and implied that Brewster's nomination indicated a "lack of respect" for traditional Dominican values from the Obama administration. Catholic Vicar Pablo Cedano issued a vague threat when Brewster's nomination was first announced, telling the Associated Press "If he arrives, he'll suffer and be forced to leave," according to The Cable.
The Dominican Embassy in Washington, D.C., however, expressed support for Brewster's nomination to The Cable, noting that the "Government of the Dominican Republic [believes] that a person's sexual preference is strictly a personal matter and looks forward to working constructively with Mr. Brewster in his official capacity once his nomination is confirmed by the U.S. Senate."
