Politicians, Twittersphere Support Embattled Gay Ambassador 

James "Wally" Brewster, the out ambassador to the Dominican Republican, may not be popular with Catholic leaders, but two powerful legislators and many on Twitter think he's doing a good job.

U.S. Reps. Joe Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) recently wrote a letter of support for Brewster to Dominican president Danilo Medina; fellow House representatives from Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., signed the letter, along with members of the Congressional LGBT Caucus, reports the Washington Blade.

"Ambassador Brewster and his husband (Bob Satawake) are my personal friends and he is an outstanding representative to the United States and our domestic values," Schakowsky said in a press release. "I am proud to stand with my colleagues in sending this letter to the president of the Dominican Republic, calling on him to express support for Ambassador Brewster and reaffirm the relationship between the United States and the Dominican Republic."

The letter was prompted by a petition posted to the White House's website that called for President Obama to fire Brewster for "an LGBT agenda inconsistent with the Christian cultural values and tradition of the Dominican Republic."

Though anonymous, the petition has been signed and promoted by numerous Catholic leaders in the island nation who take umbrage with Brewster bringing his husband, Bob Satawake, to official events. A school ceremony that Satawake attended especially upset the evangelical leaders, who have taken to publicly disparaging the official. Catholic Cardinal Nicolas de Jesus Lopez Rodriguez of the Archdiocese of Santo Domingo called Brewster the Spanish equivalent of "faggot" in a newspaper interview.

Brewster, who has dismissed the antigay campaign and said the president is on his side, is getting much love on Twitter. The hashtag #ImWithWally is showing support for the ambassador, with leaders like House minority leader Nancy Pelosi standing by Brewster, along with Senator Dick Durbin, and California State Representative Mark Takano, among others.