Hate pastor cites fake meme as “proof” that LGBTQ+ people are all pedophiles

Matt Powell, a young hate pastor, has claimed that LGBTQ+ people want to “force pedophilia down people’s throats.” As proof of this, he cited a fake anti-LGBTQ+ meme, calling it a new “sign” released by the queer community. He has previously said the U.S. government should “humanely” execute all gay people.

In a recent sermon, Powell said, “terror” is a word that perfectly describes the actions of the LGBTQ+ community. He then said, “They’re doing marches just about every day in about every city of America. And the LGBT is trying to, right now, they’re trying to force pedophilia down people’s throats.”

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He then claimed that the queer community “put out… their new sign” which says, “Love is gender and age-blind,” and shows three couples, including one of a child standing next to an adult male. Right-wing watchdog Hemant Mehta pointed out that the meme in question is fake. Similar memes have been created and shared by right-wingers as “proof” that queer people want to have sex with children.

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Powell continued, “They’re trying to recruit the children and that ought to anger you inside…. Scientifically speaking, just because people were like, ‘Oh, these homos are not dangerous.’ Wait a minute. If a man is willing to make out with another man, what makes you think he would stop there?”

In the past, right-wingers spread a false claim online that some queer adults identify as “clovergender,” an invented name for adults who claim to be “a child trapped in a man’s body who is attracted to other children.” The claim’s inventors admitted to fabricating it in order to smear queer people.

In his sermon, Powell said, “I think it’s time we put on a Straight Pride Month,” and said he opposes any attempts to incorporate LGBTQ+ people into Christianity. To make his point, he refers to Muhammad, the founder of Islam, as a pedophile because Muhammad married a 6-year-old girl and had sex when she was 9.

While Powell correctly reports Muhammad’s actions, Islamic scholars say was not unusual for men to marry girls in the Middle East of the seventh century, the Tampa Bay Times reported. No Muslims would sanction such behavior today, and it’s mostly Islamaphobes who now refer to Muhammad as a pedophile as a way to vilify Islam’s approximately 1.9 billion followers worldwide.

This isn’t the first time that Powell has made outrageously anti-LGBTQ+ statements. In 2018, Powell said that the U.S. government should execute gay people.

“As far as homosexuality goes, you know, I believe the Bible puts the death penalty on it,” Powell said. “I believe it’s disgusting…. Obviously, [the death penalty is not carried out] by me or anybody in a regular society, obviously. I believe it’s the government’s job to execute criminals. By whatever means they execute people. And obviously, I believe in humane, you know, putting to death. That’s what the Bible says. I believe the Bible. I didn’t write the Bible.”

Ancient Biblical laws also require the death penalty for anyone who practices fortune telling, curses their mother or father, accidentally kills someone else’s animal, or commits blasphemy. Other Old Testament laws demand death for anyone who charges interest on loans or works on Saturdays.

Most contemporary Christians don’t follow these ancient Biblical laws and say that the crucifixion of Jesus Christ made them obsolete. However, conservative Christians tend to cite these laws as proof that God shares their hatred of LGBTQ+ people.