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Scott Esk, a Republican candidate in Oklahoma, was criticized after he said Christians would be "totally in the right" to stone LGBTQ+ people to death.
Esk made the remark several years ago in a Facebook conversation about the Pope saying he couldn’t judge LGBTQ+ people. At the time, Esk posted some Bible quotations, particularly part of Romans 1 in which there is a list of the kinds of sinners who are “worthy of death."
When a fellow Facebook user asked him if "we should execute homosexuals (presumably by stoning)," Esk replied "we [Christians] would be totally in the right to do it… Ignoring as a nation things that are worthy of death is very remiss.”
When asked about this remark by a reporter a year later, he doubled down, saying:
“What I will tell you right now is that that was done in the Old Testament under a law that came directly from God."
"And in that time, there was, it was, totally just came directly from God.”
Following this, he has posted several videos to explain both his homophobia and his criminal record for threats and harassment against his former church and pastor.
In one video he claimed he has “compassion on anybody in the grips of an insidious addiction, such as homosexuality.”
In another video posted earlier this year in response to his previous comments, Esk said:
"Well, does that make me a homophobe? Maybe some people think it does."
"But as far as I and many of the people, the voters of House District A7 are concerned, it simply makes me a Christian."
"Christians believe in biblical morality, kind of by definition, or they should."
Now that his words have resurfaced, Esk has become the subject of heavy criticism, particularly because he is running in the Republican primary runoff election for the Oklahoma state House on August 23.
Many were outraged and cautioned Oklahoma voters to vote accordingly.
\u201cWake up Oklahoma, please make sure you know who your Republican candidates are.\u201d— Anne (@Anne) 1661197973
\u201cOklahoma, Scott Esk is a Nazi. Jesus would *never* harm an LGBTQ person. It wouldn\u2019t cross his mind.\n\nScott Esk wants to stone them to death. \u201cIt simply makes me a christian\u201d is a lie he tells himself. He\u2019s a Nazi; a stain on America & true Christians everywhere. @officialOKGOP\u201d— Holly Gossett (@Holly Gossett) 1661186443
\u201cOklahoma GOP candidate Scott Esk is running for the state house tomorrow. He literally stated that he feels it is okay to stone gay people, because the Bible.\n\nThis is your Republican Party, folks. They are no better than the Westboro Baptist Church. Simply despicable.\u201d— Tyger Songbird \ud83d\udc9c \ud83c\udca1 \u2660\ufe0f\ud83c\udff9 (@Tyger Songbird \ud83d\udc9c \ud83c\udca1 \u2660\ufe0f\ud83c\udff9) 1661189253
\u201c@ScottEsk needs to be #Stoned himself for being #Straight. It's unbelievable how many cruel people are walking amongst us. They ALL need to be removed. And by the way, this is NOT the #ChristianWay.\u201d— Jef Peter Linden (@Jef Peter Linden) 1661188546
\u201cWhen people tell you who they are...\u201d— idyll (@idyll) 1661191937
\u201cOklahoma, grow up and put this fool in permanent time out where he belongs\u201d— Cahira (@Cahira) 1661195380
\u201c\u201cdeplorable\u201d isn\u2019t a strong enough word for people like this\u201d— Indivisible (@Indivisible) 1661197015
\u201cScott Esk, should never be allowed to hold public office or a position of power, anywhere.\u201d— Mitch G. (MDrax) (@Mitch G. (MDrax)) 1661199041
\u201cScott Esk is not a Christian. He is an American pharisee who would've been condemned by the Jesus of the Bible he claims to know. He knows nothing. He should be in charge of nothing. Scott Esk wants to kill gay people.\u201d— Ricky Revolution (@Ricky Revolution) 1661188629
In recent months, the Republican Party has pushed ongoing "groomer" hysteria accusing LGBTQ+ people of building relationships, trust and emotional connections with children so they can manipulate, exploit and abuse them.
Not getting the traction they needed with transphobia and White nationalism alone, GOP candidates and leaders have expanded their rhetoric to target the entire LGBTQ+ community as the 2022 midterms approach.
This has resulted in at least one Republican suggesting parents and teachers who support LGBTQ+ children should be "executed for treason."