Former President George W. Bush has
praised the work of the World Congress of Families, a Rockford,
Illinois-based conservative group opposed to LGBT rights.
The group had planned to honor Bush for
his “pro-life work” at its conference in Tbilisi, Georgia.
According to The
New York Times, the former president declined to attend but
wrote a note at the group's request praising its work.
“I commend your efforts to recognize
the importance of families in building nations,” Bush wrote. “Your
work improves many lives and makes the world better.”
Bush wrote similar sentiments about the
group in 2004, while he was in the White House and backed an
amendment to the U.S. Constitution which would define marriage as a
heterosexual union.
“Our knowledge of the group is
limited to their work to encourage adoption,” a spokesman for Bush
said in an email to the paper.
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC)
has accused the group of exporting “homophobia and sexism” around
the globe.
While the group has disputed the SPLC's
designation as a hate group, it has a record of supporting laws that
criminalize homosexuality.