I first got involved in LGBT activism back in 2003 when I worked with Mike Rogers to "out" former Congressman Ed Shrock who had the second most anti-LGBT voting record in Congress at the time yet was trolling for gay trysts. Shrock made the mistake of trying to hookup with someone I knew who told me of the encounter. Then, as now, one of the things that motivated me was the rank hypocrisy displayed by Schrock whom I had known back in my days as a Republican activist (when I came out, to say I was not treated kindly by former colleagues would be an understatement). Nowadays, we see the same hypocrisy on the part of anti-LGBT Republicans and anti-LGBT pastors who demonizes members of the LGBT community and describe us as "groomers" and a threat to children. Meanwhile, in reality there are almost no instances where drag queens or gays have molested children. The same cannot be said about "Christian" and Republican leaders. A piece in LBGTQ Nation looks at data compiled by Evan Hurst - a FB friend of mine and fellow activist - that details how at least 188 Christian and Republican leaders have been charged with sexual abuse of children or child pornography so far this year alone. The number in all likelihood is even higher (several organizations have newsletters filled with the misdeeds of pastors and youth pastors). The sad truth is that for minors of both genders, church is often the most dangerous place when it comes to sexual predators. Here are article highlights:
Anti-LGBTQ+ conservatives have long crowed about how queer adults, drag queens, and their allies have been “grooming” and “sexualizing” children for abuse. Notably, these concern-trolls ignore all the child abuse scandals regularly coming out of the Republican party and the Christian church.
But journalist Evan Hurst — managing editor of the catty and left-leaning political website, Wonkette — has been keeping an ongoing list of Christian and Republican leaders who have been caught, accused, sued, or convicted for abusing and/or exploiting kids. Hurst has identified 188 Christian and Republican leaders this year, so far, stating, “If MAGA is so upset about Epstein, they should hear about Baptists!”
Hurst’s lists — which can be viewed here, here, and here — all link to local reports of church and GOP leaders being accused of abusing kids. His most recent update, published on Halloween, featured 49 new names of accused child abusers and pedophiles.
In fact, Hurst is having such a hard time keeping up with updates that he has asked for donors and subscribers to aid in his continuing efforts.
“Conservative Christian leaders are such prolific groomers and abusers of kids, the news is so full of these stories, they are published in such a rapid-fire manner, that if you let it go ANY MORE THAN A MONTH, then it will take you hours and hours and hours and days and weeks to compile an update,” Hurst wrote in his most recent update.
“If you are tracking drag queens or trans people or just LGBTQ+ people abusing children, you can take sabbaticals to Europe as often as you f**kin’ want,” Hurst added, “because those stories just don’t happen much, despite the lies vile MAGA Christians tell.”
Hurst notes that, according to Trump’s new National Security Directive (NSPM-7) for “countering domestic terrorism and organized political violence,” both “anti-Christianity” and “hostility towards those who hold traditional American views on religion” are listed as sentiments that can indicate one’s inclination to become a full-fledged “antifa” terrorist.
As such, Hurst wondered, “Is it ‘anti-Christian extremism’ or ‘hostility to traditional American values’ … to tell the truth about who is really sexually abusing children in this country, and how more often than not it’s conservative Christian religious leaders?”
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