University that punishes students for being gay just gave Nigel Farage an honorary doctorate
Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage was awarded an honorary doctorate by Liberty University
Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage has received an honorary doctorate from a Christian university that bans same-sex relationships.
The British politician jetted over to Liberty University in Virginia for the ceremony on Wednesday, where he was presented with an honorary doctorate.
The university is known for its promotion of fundamentalist Christian beliefs and strict anti-LGBT+ stances.
Liberty University bans LGBT+ groups and students in same-sex relationships.
Liberty University banned all LGBT+ groups in 2006 on the grounds of ‘morality’, and in 2014 secured an exemption from federal anti-discrimination laws to allow it to discriminate against LGBT+ people.
All students are required to sign a statement promising not to have gay sex, or sex with a transgender person – even if they’re married.
It states: “Sexual relations outside of a Biblically ordained marriage between a natural-born man and natural-born woman are not permissible at Liberty University.”
Donald Trump has repeatedly been tied with the university in the past, making appearances there with no reference to its discriminatory policies.
Nigel Farage was honoured by Liberty University president Jerry Falwell Jr
Liberty president Jerry Falwell Jr has previously promoted a gay ‘cure’ book about a man who “gave up homosexuality for God”, and withdrew the university from the conservative CPAC conference in 2010 because a gay Republican group would be in attendance.
Liberty University president made a ton of false claims about Nigel Farage.
At the event to honour Farage, Falwell Jr delivered a speech in praise of the ex-UKIP leader littered with abject falsehoods.
The fundamentalist university chief claimed that there have been several plots to murder the politician, saying: “They tried to kill him once. The same person who tried to kill him then became his pilot and crashed the plane, trying to kill him.”
Farage was involved in a plane crash during a 2010 election stunt, but it was ruled an accident and the pilot was cleared of any wrongdoing.
Falwell went on to claim, again falsely, that Farage and his family “was chased out of a pub and had to run for their lives” due to another an attempted murder attempt.
Farage was confronted by peaceful protesters at a pub in 2015, but there was no suggestion of any attempt to harm the politician.
Addressing Farage, Fallwell continued: “They call you Nazi, fascist, homophobe, xenophobe. The same thing they call conservatives here.”
Speaking at the university, Farage praised its “amazing faith and optimism”, hailing “the liberties of free speech and democracy that you are enjoying, and which I believe pesident Trump is going to make even better for you”.
He continued: “If you want to be free people, you’ve got to be able to live in liberty, you’ve got to be able to determine your own futures. You cannot take these freedoms for granted, and you have to fight for these freedoms every day of your lives.”
