by Rex Wockner
National News Briefs
The vice president for policy at the Family Research Council, Peter Sprigg, apologized March 27 for having said he wants to export gays from the U.S.
In a March 19 interview with Medill News Service, while speaking against a pending bill that grants immigration rights to gay Americans' foreign partners, Sprigg said, "I would much prefer to export homosexuals from the United States than to import them into the United States because we believe that homosexuality is destructive to society."
The gay group Immigration Equality said it demanded an apology for the crack, and got one.
"I used language that trivialized the seriousness of the issue and did not communicate respect for the essential dignity of every human being as a person created in the image of God," Sprigg said. "I apologize for speaking in a way that did not reflect the standards which the Family Research Council and I embrace."
Immigration Equality Executive Director Rachel Tiven commented: "This is a welcome apology in response to a chilling statement that should have never been uttered. Still tonight, loving families ripped apart by discriminatory immigration laws will keep fighting for equal rights. We look forward to the day when everyone joins Peter Sprigg in his recognition of the essential dignity of every human being — regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity."
