Trump pastor Franklin Graham blames gay relationships for STDs, but says God can ‘cleanse’ people
Franklin Graham (LOGAN CYRUS/AFP/Getty)
Trump pastor Franklin Graham has blamed gay relationships and Democrats for a rise in sexually transmitted diseases.
The evangelical pastor, who preached at Trump’s inauguration in 2016 and has been a regular fixture at White House faith events, put his anti-LGBT+ views on display once again in a Facebook post.
He said: “Here’s a topic that probably won’t be mentioned in the upcoming Democratic debate. An incredible 2.4 million cases of sexually transmitted diseases were diagnosed across the U.S. just last year alone.”
STDs punish ‘two men’ having sex, Franklin Graham claims.
Graham continued: “God made us male and female and gave sex for us to enjoy inside a marriage relationship between a man and a woman — not two men, not two women.
“The Bible says that anyone who sins sexually, sins against their own body. How true. What’s the protection the world is looking for? It’s simple — follow God’s guidelines.
“Have only a monogamous relationship with your husband or wife.”
Reverend Franklin Graham gives a blessing as US President Donald Trump stands alongside during an Official Visit with a State Dinner for Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison at the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, September 20, 2019. (ALEX EDELMAN /AFP/Getty)
However, he went on to claim that people with STDs could be “cleansed” by God.
He said: “As you read this, maybe you are one of these statistics and have a sexually transmitted disease.
“The Bible says, ‘If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins (1 John 1:9).’ You can be forgiven! He can cleanse your heart, and in His eyes, it will be as though you’ve never sinned.”
Pastor has close ties to Trump despite anti-LGBT+ record.
Graham has a lengthy anti-LGBT+ record, most recently attacking Taylor Swift after she spoke out for LGBT+ rights at the MTV Video Music Awards.
In May, Graham was photographed posing with Mike Pence in the White House, just days after accusing gay Democrat Pete Buttigieg of “flaunting” his sexuality.
Graham has previously praised Vladimir Putin’s anti-gay laws and told crowds in Russia that homosexuals “cannot have children, they can take other people’s children”.
He has also claimed there had been a “moral 9/11” in America due to homosexuals and has declared that gay people are “the enemy” of civilisation.
