CNN’s LGBT Town Hall

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CNN's LGBT Town Hall Will Put Dems' 

Anti-Christian Bigotry on Full Display

BY TYLER O'NEIL SEPTEMBER 6, 2019

As CNN's climate town hall drew to an end on Wednesday night, the network announced that it would host a follow-up town hall on LGBT issues on October 10, partnering with the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). This town hall gives 2020 Democrats a chance to outdo one another on LGBT issues like they struggled to outdo one another on climate this week. It will also reveal to the American people the terrifying level of anti-Christian bigotry among leading Democrats.

The top seven leading Democratshave endorsed the Equality Act, a bill that would enshrine the new sexual orthodoxy into law by banning discrimination on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI). The Heritage Foundation brought together "a broad bipartisan coalitionthat includes feminists, lesbians and de-transitioners as well as religious groups" to oppose this "anti-freedom bill that empowers federal government to enforce conformity by punishing disagreement on SOGI."

The left's increasing attacks on religious freedom were among the main reasons evangelical Christians united so firmly behind Donald Trump in the 2016 election. In the name of protecting LGBT people from "discrimination," Democrats and activists have demonized conservative Christian beliefs about marriage and attempted to shut down professionals who refuse to lend their artistic talents to celebrate a same-sex wedding.

Colorado Christian baker Jack Phillips, for example, gladly serves LGBT people in his shop, selling them whatever they would like to purchase. Yet he refused to lend his artistry to a custom cake for a same-sex wedding. The Colorado Civil Rights Commission found him guilty of discrimination, and a member of the commission even compared Phillips' refusal to bake a same-sex wedding cake to the Holocaust. The Supreme Court rightly defended Phillips, but then a transgender lawyer requested a cake celebrating a gender transition. The commission went after him again, but eventually backed down. The lawyer is still suing him.

The Equality Act is intended to combat this kind of "discrimination." It is also intended to force open women's spaces — women's sports, women's shelters, women's restrooms — to biological men who claim to identify as women. Lesbian feminist Julia Beck has called it a "human rights violation," since it removes people's right to sex-segregated spaces. Miriam Ben-Shalom, the first lesbian reinstated to the U.S. Army after getting booted for her sexual orientation, has made a clear distinctionbetween the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" military policy and Trump's so-called military transgender ban, which the Equality Act aims to reverse. She said she is "offended" by HRC's decision to compare the two policies.

Yet the current frontrunner, former Vice President Joe Biden, called the Equality Act his number one priority. Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) have co-sponsored the bill.

According to research by sociologists George Yancey and David Williamson, animus against conservative Christians is just as strong as animus against other religious groups besides atheists. This "Christianophobia" is mostly directed against "fundamentalism," and those with such animus "are more likely to be white, well educated, and wealthy." The factor most connected to Christianophobia in their study was politics: "Nearly half of the anti-fundamentalists in our sample were political progressives."

The leading 2020 Democrats have arguably displayed this Christianophobia on more than one occasion.

"This is our soul, da*mit, this is who we have to be... This is our real moral obligation," Biden said at an HRC event in June. "Using religion or culture to discriminate against or demonize LGBTQ individuals is never justified. Not anywhere in the world."

Pete Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, Ind., dared to lecture conservative Christians about sexual ethicswhen he is in a same-sex marriage — contrary to the Bible, which defines marriage as between one man and one woman and same-sex sexual activity as sinful. In fact, Buttigieg has suggested that Christians who disagree with him on climate change, the minimum wage, and immigrationare not really Christian.

Other 2020 Democrats have echoed the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) in branding conservative Christian organizations "hate groups" due to their support for marriage as between one man and one woman. Harris and Booker pressuredTrump judicial nominee Allison Rushing over her speaking events with Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), citing the SPLC's false accusation that ADF is a "hate group."

Last month, Warren joined House Democrats in sending a letter casting aspersions onConsumer Financial Protection Bureau staffer Paul Watkins. "We have grave concerns about Mr. Watkins holding the authority to waive anti-discrimination laws given his prior employment at Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) – a group that has been designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center," Warren and the other Democrats wrote. Even ADF's legal adversaries have defended ADFagainst the "hate group" accusation.

Harris has also teamed up with Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) in launching an inquisition into Trump nominees' ties to the Knights of Columbus, a Roman Catholic charity and fraternal organization, over the group's opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage. 

Booker repeatedly pressuredjudicial nominee Neomi Rao on whether or not she considered same-sex activity sinful.

Sanders has arguably been the worst offender. In June 2017, he asked Trump administration nominee Russell Vought whether he considered Muslims unable to go to heaven since he believes Jesus Christ is the only path to salvation. Vought had previously expressed that opinion in an article.

Sanders asked Vought if the statement of faith of Wheaton College, Vought's alma mater, was "Islamophobic" and whether non-Christians can go to heaven. The nominee explained that this position on salvation is his belief as a Christian.

"I would simply say, Mr. Chairman, that this nominee is really not someone who is what this country is supposed to be about," Sanders declared, insisting that he would "vote no."

Sanders later insisted that Christians who believe Muslims are not saved can have religious freedom, they just can't serve in government. He argued that it should be "unacceptable" to have "a high-ranking member of the United States government essentially say Islam is a second-class religion."

Last month, the Democratic National Committee passed a resolutionwarning against "religious liberty," suggesting it is a tool for discrimination. Anti-Christian bigotry is mainstream in the Democratic Party, and it needs to be exposed.

This week, Democrats embarrassed themselvesby rushing to the left on climate change, pledging to outlaw offshore drilling, force people to sell the government their cars, ban plastic straws, and even use a blatantly unconstitutional power to pass the Green New Deal. 

Next month, they'll put their anti-Christian bigotry on display, reminding evangelical Christians that despite Donald Trump's many flaws, the president is their most powerful political force to prevent radical Democrats from trampling on their religious freedom in the pursuit of establishing the new sexual orthodoxy.

Follow Tyler O'Neil, the author of this article, on Twitter at @Tyler2ONeil.