Former Dominican President Tells Audience He Won’t Act Like a ‘Little Faggot’

Apr 6, 2015
8:32 AM

The following video was posted yesterday by the fabulous @Blabbeando. It shows Hipólito Mejía, President of the Dominican Republic from 2000–2004, talking at an event in New Jersey this month. As @Blabbeando writes:

Standing before a campaign flag that promises “equality,” Mejía doesn’t mention same-sex marriage but jokes that his campaign handlers wanted him to wear a wig during media appearances if he wanted poll numbers to improve. Then he says: “There are people who can change everything about you, even the way you sit down” and says they tried to convince him to sit “the way a little faggot does.” The place erupts in laughter.

You can read more about Mejía’s comments at @Blabbeando’s post.

UPDATE
New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito issued the following statement earlier today:

I am appalled that a former Dominican Republic president and a potential future presidential candidate has used a derogatory term that is offensive, inappropriate and hurtful toward LGBT people. President Mejia needs to apologize to the LGBT community in his country and here in New York, where he made this unacceptable statement. Leaders are called to unite people, not divide us. That includes those who invited him here and stayed silent when discrimination occured and even worse, laughed at it. I stand with the LGBT community here, in the Dominican Republic and elsewhere, and I will not be silent when bigotry shows its ugly face.