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Ambassador's Homosexuality
a Big Deal in Romania

Archbishop Desmond Tutu:
'You are What You Are'

By Rex Wockner
International News Report

Ambassador's Homosexuality
a Big Deal in Romania

Ambassador Michael Guest

The United States' new openly gay ambassador to Romania, Michael Guest, has been greeted in Bucharest with "homophobic hysteria," Britain's ^The Guardian~ reported October 3.

Romanian newspapers reported Guest's sexual orientation in banner headlines and the nationalist Union of the Romanian Hearth called his appointment an "affront to Romanian traditions," the newspaper said.

Officially, the government warmly welcomed Guest. Romanian political leaders believe his particular areas of expertise will speed the nation's entry into the European Union and NATO.

In Washington, Romania's ambassador to the U.S., Sorin Ducaru, told the ^Washington Times:~ "This was no surprise to the Romanian government. This is a non-issue. He is a highly respected diplomat, and we knew he would come with his partner. Knowing Ambassador Guest, I very much appreciate his character and his great professionalism."

Archbishop Desmond Tutu:
'You are What You Are'

The Bible's determinations regarding "natural" and "unnatural" aren't worth much, former Anglican archbishop Desmond Tutu said September 30.

Addressing a conference on homophobia in Cape Town, Tutu said:

"I want to say sorry to you and all the others who have been made to suffer so horribly. We in the church have a great deal to answer for.

"Sometimes the Bible says these things are unnatural. But, I ask, unnatural to whom? I support and firmly stand with those who say, 'We are as we are and don't want to apologize for that.'"

Related Sites:
U.S. Embassy: Romania

Archbishop Desmond TuTu

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