Daughter of homophobic hate preacher Franklin Graham continues family legacy with deeply transphobic Republican convention speech
Cissie Graham Lynch, daughter of anti-LGBT preacher Franklin Graham
The daughter of anti-LGBT+ preacher Franklin Graham has lashed out at Joe Biden for supporting LGBT+ rights in her speech to the Republican National Convention.
Cissie Graham Lynch, daughter of the key evangelical Trump ally, was afforded the chance to address the RNC on Tuesday night two days before her father will do so.
The preacher’s daughter, who works for her family’s anti-LGBT+ Christian non-profit Samaritan’s Purse, stayed true to form in her speech, targeting LGBT+ rights while claiming that religious freedoms are “under attack” under the Obama-Biden administration.
Cissie Graham Lynch, daughter of Franklin Graham, attacks LGBT+ rights
She claimed: “Democrats tried to force adoption agencies to violate their deeply held beliefs. Democrats pressured schools to allow boys to compete in girls’ sports and use girls’ locker rooms. Those are the facts.
“But then we, the people, elected Donald Trump. People of faith suddenly had a fierce advocate in the White House. He appointed judges who respect the First Amendment. He supported religious beliefs in court.
“He ensured religious ministries would not be forced to violate their beliefs. He withdrew the policies that placed our little girls at risk.”
Cissie Graham Lynch, daughter of anti-LGBT preacher Franklin Graham
Graham Lynch went on to insist: “The Biden-Harris vision for America leaves no room for people of faith. Whether you’re a baker, a florist or a football coach, they will force the choice between being obedient to God or to Caesar, because the radical left’s God is government power.”
To give her some credit, Graham Lynch’s account of Trump’s anti-LGBT+ record in office – undermining LGBT+ non-discrimination rules, siding with homophobic adoption agencies, and gutting protections for young transgender people – is fairly accurate, and flies in the face of spurious suggestions from gay Republicans like Richard Grenell that the Trump administration is somehow pro-LGBT+.
LGBT+ activists condemn ‘hate-filled’ comments
Human Rights Campaign president Alphonso David said in a statement: “We knew this rhetoric would come from allies of a President dedicated to attacking LGBTQ people at every opportunity.
“What is particularly shameful is the targeting of some of the most vulnerable in our community: transgender kids. Cissie Graham Lynch’s comments were despicable and must be widely condemned by anyone who claims to be an ally of LGBTQ people.
“To Trump and his allies: we fight for our community and will see you at the ballot box.”
GLSEN executive director Eliza Byard said: “Lynch’s comments are absurd and it’s disturbing to see such blatant misgendering and transphobia given a national platform.
“Singling out transgender youth with this vicious and false attack is truly shameful, and puts some of our most vulnerable students at greater risk of violence, discrimination and self-harm. It is also out of step with the courts, which have consistently affirmed the rights of transgender students.
“Transgender students are no different from any other youth: they only want to be accepted and supported in their school communities.”
Hate is a family business at Republican National Convention.
Being related to someone else is, of course, ample qualification for the right to address the Republican National Convention – as fellow 2020 speakers Ivanka Trump, Donald Trump Jr, Eric Trump and Tiffany Trump can all attest.
Her father Franklin Graham was previously invited to preach at the president’s inauguration in 2016 and has maintained close ties to the Trump administration despite his extreme views on LGBT+ issues.
The big F.G. himself is set to address the convention on Thursday night.
The Trump ally has previously declared homosexuals “the enemy” of civilisation, and suggested that gay Democrat Pete Buttigieg will face “eternal damnation” for marrying a man.
On a 2015 trip to Russia, he accused gay people of “taking” children from straight couples – and lavished praise upon Vladimir Putin for imposing an anti-gay propaganda law.
