Christian conservative Tony Perkins has
cheered the U.S. recall of its ambassador to Zambia after he spoke
out in support of a gay male couple.
U.S Ambassador Daniel Foote spoke out
against a 15-year prison sentence given to the couple under Zambia's
colonial-era law that prohibits gay sex. According to local media
reports, the couple was caught having sex in a lodge in the town of
Kapiri Mposhi.
Foote said that he was “horrified”
by the sentence and criticized corruption in the nation. Foote said
that he received death threats after speaking out in support of the
couple.
In an email to supporters, Perkins,
president of the Family Research Council (FRC), said that recalling
Foote was “the right move.”
“Recalling Foote is the right move
when he has broken trust with his hosts and can no longer effectively
serve as our representative overseas,” Perkins wrote. “America
respects everyone, but it won't promote values that are inconsistent
with what this president stands for.”
Perkins also criticized the
administration of former President Barack Obama for its efforts to
promote LGBT rights around the globe.
“The move was a shocking contrast to
the last administration, which not only ignored – but mocked –
their host country's beliefs in places like Latin America. In fact,
Barack Obama's efforts to radicalize other nations was so offensive
that citizens of other nations openly celebrated when Donald Trump
was elected.”
However, Foote's comments are in line
with administration policies. The president has said that his
administration is opposed to laws that criminalize gay sex and is
working to end them. Consensual gay sex is a crime in more than 70
nations.
FRC has been labeled a “hate group”
by the Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil rights group that tracks
hate groups in the United States.