US Ambassador Recalled from Zambia After Speaking Up for LGBTQ Rights
Foote sits in a Senate Foreign Relations Committee meeting in his former position as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement at the U.S. Department of State. Source: Drew Angerer/Getty Images North America)
By: Julian Mok
Lexington — In December 2019, the US Department of State recalled the American ambassador to Zambia, Daniel Foote, after he received scathing public backlash for criticizing Zambia’s anti-LGBTQ policy. Foote had previously been outspoken about the country’s conservative policies, although it was his remarks on the eve of World AIDS Day that led to his ultimate withdrawal from Zambia.
Following the sentencing of two gay men for having consensual sex, Foote released a statement protesting the decision. The ambassador said he was “horrified” by the imprisonment of Japhet Chataba and Steven Samba, who were caught in a hotel room by a worker who had spied on them through an open window.
After being told by the Zambian government to back down from his protests, Foote unloaded a diplomatic dispatch, writing that while sexual relations between two adults won’t hurt anyone, “government officials can steal millions of dollars without prosecution” suggesting a deeply corrupt Zambian government.
He later said that the Zambian government had misappropriated millions of dollars of donor aid with officials enjoying impunity.
This led Zambian President Edgar Lungu to write a letter to the Trump team demanding them to recall the ambassador, stating, “We don’t want such people in our midst. We want him gone.” Zambian officials then declared Foote a persona non grata – a diplomatic declaration prohibiting certain individuals from entering their country.
Daniel L. Foote takes the oath of office as ambassador to Zambia (Photo: The Buffalo News)
Ambassador Foote is not the first ambassador the Zambian government has condemned for supporting gay rights. In 1998, Norwegian ambassador to Zambia, Jon Lomøy, faced expulsion when then-President Frederick Chiluba declared that Lomøy’s views went against Zambia’s Christian values. Lomøy had made a $1,000 donation to a Zambian NGO that enabled LGBTQ citizens to fight for their rights.
While he was not officially expelled from the country, Lomøy faced nation-wide criticism and returned to Norway two years later. In a statement earlier in December, Foote suggested that Zambia was highly sensitive to any opposition and criticism, saying that the government only wanted compliant diplomats “with open pocketbooks and closed mouths.”
The landlocked country of Zambia is deeply conservative with colonial-era laws prohibiting homosexual sexual relations still in place. Homosexuality is a criminal offense, carrying a 14-year prison sentence. President Lungu has publicly denounced LGBTQ rights, stating that they are not welcome in Zambia, even if that means not receiving any international financial aid.
As a result, Zambia’s homosexual community remains highly secretive. In Zambia, many LGBTQ people suffer emotional and physical trauma because the communities they live in don’t believe they deserve human rights – many of these sexual minorities turn to drugs and alcohol to cope with the isolation. Suicide is also common.
Upon withdrawing Ambassador Foote from Zambia, the US Department of State released a statement that while America “firmly opposes abuses against LGBT persons,” the US also remains committed to a partnership with Zambian people. Some groups in Zambia also lament the event, asking for bilateral talks to ensure the future strategic partnership between the two countries. Both sides have significant interests in a positive partnership and a new ambassador is expected to be named.