There seems to be some misconception about what constitutes "homophobia" amongst the Evangelical community.
Franklin Graham, who once blamed the LGBTQ+ community for a "moral 9/11", has now said he does not consider himself homophobic.
After his charity staffed an emergency tent hospital in New York City's Central Park, Graham reportedly forced volunteers to re-affirm their opposition to same-sex marriage and to "sign a pledge" agreeing that the LGBTQ+ community faces "eternal damnation."
After being questioned on this, his justification was:
"I'm not homophobic and I'm certainly not going around bashing people because they may be homosexual...I believe that God loves all of us, he created us all, but we also are sinners and our sins separate us from God. And I want people to know how they can have a relationship with God, and that's through faith in his son, Jesus Christ."
People were not feeling terribly charitable toward Graham's words.
In addition to comparing gay people to drug addicts, he went on:
"I don't bash homosexuals. I want homosexuals to know the truth: that God does love them, and Christ died for their sins. And if they would repent and put their faith and trust in Christ, God would forgive their sins like he forgave me. I'm a sinner too. I'm no different than anybody else. I'm a sinner that was saved by God's grace."
Graham has since said he's been "harassed" because his hospital staff are opposed to and sometimes refusing to treat LGBTQ+ people.
"It seems tone-deaf to be attacking our religious conviction about marriage at the very moment thousands of New Yorkers are fighting for their lives and dozens of Samaritan's Purse workers are placing their lives at risk to provide critical medical care."
Yeah, not at all tone-deaf to be refusing treatment to critically ill people based on sexual orientation.
There is no room for discrimination, especially in times of crisis.
And while Graham hopes people will "applaud" his efforts, Americans are facing a virus that does not discriminate based on any factors.
For a deeper look into the unholy alliance between white evangelical leaders and the Republican party, check out The Immoral Majority, available here.
