Donald Trump invites homophobic bishop who claims same-sex marriage is a ‘Satanic plot’ to give Easter blessing
US president Donald Trump and vice president Mike Pence participate in an Easter blessing with bishop Harry Jackson at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 10, 2020. (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty)
Donald Trump invited Harry Jackson, an anti-LGBT+ bishop who said that same-sex marriage is a “satanic plot” and that gays want to “recruit kids”, to give an Easter blessing at the White House.
Bishop Jackson met with Trump and vice president Mike Pence on Friday, April 10, to give the Easter blessing.
Trump introduced Jackson as a “highly respected gentleman who is a member of our faith and a person that we have tremendous respect for”.
Jackson has been a virulent opponent of same-sex marriage and LGBT+ rights throughout his career.
In 2011, in an interview with right-wing radio show Sons of Liberty, Jackson said of the US campaign for marriage equality: “I especially believe that what we’re dealing with is a Satanic plot to destroy our seed.
“We have a minority group that has decided they’re going to impose their will on the culture, by force, and redefine God’s law and not care whether a whole generation of people are so confused that they don’t even remember the role of a mother and a father.”
In 2012, he said supporters of equal marriage were acting as “thought police”, and wrote: “Changing the legal definition of marriage to include homosexual relationships is tantamount to conferring societal approval on homosexuality.
“If gay marriage becomes law, there will be no legal barriers to keep institutions from forcing students to suppress their deeply held religious beliefs.”
It is true tht #Christian #doctrine opposes d practice of #homosexuality, This is not #bigotry. It's just being faithful 2 the #Word of #God
— Harry R Jackson Jr (@BishopHarry) September 8, 2012
At a conference during the same year, Harry Jackson said LGBT+ people want to “recruit kids”.
He said: “If marriage is redefined, then the family is redefined, is redefined, who has children and how that operates is redefined, if the family is redefined, then education is redefined.
“That’s how you [have] Heather Has Two Mommies being taught to second graders and eight-year-old kids in Massachusetts and California, and folks who cannot reproduce want to recruit your kids.
“What we’re facing is a radical force of people that want to change the way America looks for the next 20 years and we’re going to have to stop this thing now.”
He added: “We need to steal back the rainbow. We can’t let the gays have it. We’re the rainbow coalition. We’re the army of God.”
#Homosexuality does not reproduce they can only recruit #vote2012 #marriage #votevertical #ccot #tcot http://t.co/GKVAzjbJ— Harry R Jackson Jr (@BishopHarry) October 9, 2012
Trump was consistent throughout his Easter celebrations, tweeting that on Easter Sunday he would be tuning in to a livestream by homophobic pastor Robert Jeffress.
Jeffress previously said that gay people were more likely to be “paedophiles” and “molest children”.
