George Bush tells anti-LGBT hate group: Your important work makes the world better
George Bush has again praised an anti-LGBT hate group for their ‘important’ work.
The former President was announced earlier this month as the winner of the ‘Family and Democracy’ award presented by the World Congress of Families.
The US-based WCF is listed as an active anti-LGBT hate groups by extremism watchdog the Southern Poverty Law Center.
The WCF has been behind attempts to coordinate with hardline evangelical movements across the world, pushing anti-gay laws in developing countries. It previously worked closely with Russia’s anti-LGBT lobby to secure the country’s ‘gay propaganda’ law, and has backed a push to keep homosexuality criminalised in other countries.
Bush this week sent a hand-written letter to the WCF to thank them for the award, according to the New York Times.
The letter, dated May 2016, reads: “I commend your efforts to recognize the importance of families in building nations. Your work improves many lives and makes the world better.”
When challenged, a spokesperson for the former President claimed he was praising their work on adoption issues – somehow claiming: “Our knowledge of the group is limited to their work to encourage adoption.”
A cursory Google search would have revealed plenty about the group’s anti-LGBT works.
Bush’s term in office saw a renewal of anti-LGBT sentiment in the US, as he backed a mooted amendment to the US Constitution to ban equal marriage, opposed anti-discrimination protections, and resisted a push to allow gay soldiers to serve in the military.
He was the last hold-out in his family on same-sex marriage after his wife and daughter came out in favour in 2011.
The former President is comparatively moderate given some of the current Republican crop – and leaked conversations during his term in office showed he insisted on not “kicking gays” to appease evangelicals.
The former President’s brother Jeb! Bush made an ill-fated run for President himself earlier this year.
