Former Ecuador Presidential Candidate Banned for Homophobic Opinions

A political candidate in Ecuador is fined and reprimanded for making anti-gay remarks.

In Ecuador, where it is illegal for political candidates to publically express discriminatory opinions, religious leader and former presidential candidate Nelson Zavala has been fined and had his political rights revoked after repeated homophobic comments during his political campaign.

Zavala was fined $3,000 and has been banned from any affiliation with a political or government group for a year for saying being gay is “immoral”, a “sin” and a “deviation of conduct” according to BBC News.

Zavala told El Universo he does not regret the remarks and plans to appeal the judge’s decision saying the sentence is not against him but against “all heterosexual families.”

“On what they judge me, they will be judged,” Zavala said. “They don’t have interference in heaven. One day God will judge everything, and be prepared to explain to God why you called evil good, and good evil.”

Equal Right Now, a gay equality group in Ecuador, is making a push to have Zavala charged with a hate crime as well.

The news of this ruling comes as Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa apologized to the gay community for homophobic comments he made in 2012 in his reelection speech earlier this year. Ryan Dixon