Pope Francis says sex ‘guarantees the perpetuation of the species’. (Getty/Franco Origlia) Pope Francis has declared that the pleasure of sex “comes from God”. Yes, really. The head of the Catholic church extolled the virtues of sex and eating in a book titled Terra Futura: Conversations with Pope Francis, released Wednesday (September 9). In an
Religion
Hope Presbyterian Church leaders and members were shocked to see the signs had been vandalised within hours of being installed. (Screen captures via NBC Chicago) A church community in a northern Illinois town was left devastated after signs signalling support of the LGBT+ community, as well as the Black Lives Matter movement, were burned down,
Civil servants in Northern Ireland are now required to refer to trans and non-binary people by their correct pronouns. Last year, the civil service re-wrote a policy document which now requires all staff to use the correct pronouns of trans and non-binary employees. While the document was re-written last year, the decision has only come
Former president of Liberty University, Jerry Falwell Jr, delivers a speech during the evening session on the fourth day of the Republican National Convention on July 21, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. (Alex Wong/Getty) Jerry Falwell Jr and his wife Becki have denied allegations she performed oral sex on a 22-year-old
Will the movies ever let religion back into the mainstream? It doesn’t seem likely, given the secular bent of most critics, festivals, and film awards. But the question could certainly occur to any thoughtful viewer of Marco Pontecorvo’s Fátima, which is set for release by Picturehouse in theaters and via PVOD on Aug. 28. The
The Christian employee used pornography as a coping mechanism for work stress (Stock photo: Envato Elements) A worker at an anti-gay Christian group has been awarded compensation after stressful working conditions drove him to watch pornography and suffer a stroke. Michael Bowker, 47, was the office national officer for Family Voice Australia, a Christian lobbying
The anti-gay Liberty University has picked another anti-LGBT evangelist to stand in for the scandal-hit Jerry Falwell Jr. Falwell Jr, a key evangelical Trump ally, agreed to step aside from his position at the private Virginia Christian university this month after long-running concerns about his conduct reached new heights when he posted a photo of
A political candidate in Washington state pulled down a church’s rainbow flag and branded it the “sodomite flag.” Daniel Charles Svoboda, a candidate for the Washington House of Representatives on behalf of the fringe “Trump Republican Party” – not to be confused with the Republican Party – could face charges over his actions. Trump-loving political
Christopher Doyle, a “former homosexual”, co-founded the “ex-gay” group Voice of the Voiceless. (Voice of the Silenced/ YouTube) Evangelical anti-LGBT+ Christians are fuming after Facebook confirmed that it would ban advertising for conversion therapy on the social media platform. Facebook confirmed on Friday, July 10, that as part of a push to expand its hate
Paris Jackson is set to play Jesus Christ in the new film. More than 277,000 people have signed a petition to stop Paris Jackson playing a lesbian ‘gender-bending’ Jesus in new film Habit. The queer actor, musician and daughter of Michael Jackson is set to take on the role of Jesus Christ in the upcoming
Liz Truss gives a speech at think-tank ‘Onward’ on March 19, 2019 in London. (PLuke Dray/Getty Images) Topping off a dispiriting few years for trans Britons, vital plans to reform legislation around legally changing one’s gender have been reportedly abandoned. But ministers hope to, nevertheless, “placate” the LGBT+ community by introducing a state ban on
People attend a Sunday mass in the Sanctuary of Montenero while social distancing on May 10, 2020 in Livorno, Italy. (Laura Lezza/Getty) A group of Italian Catholic bishops has attacked proposed legislation against homophobia and transphobia, claiming it would make “expression of a legitimate opinion” a crime. Employment discrimination based on sexual orientation was made
Reverend Louis Sheldon founded an organisation now classed as an extremist hate group (YouTube/PIJN) Reverend Louis Sheldon, the anti-gay founder of a lobbying group known for opposing LGBT+ rights, has died at the age of 85. Sheldon died on Friday (May 29) in Southern California of a longstanding condition, his son-in-law James Lafferty said. Sheldon
The Trocadero Centre in Leicester Square, a hugely popular area for tourism in the West End, London. (Pictures Ltd./Corbis via Getty Images) A British LGBT+ community forum welcomed plans on Thursday (May 28) for a mosque and community centre in the heart of London’s gay district despite seething pushback. With its yellowing walls, the historic
Dr Caroline Norma will appear on a panel discussing “the major concerns around the proposed [conversion therapy] ban”. (CarolineNorma76/ Twitter) Students are revolting at an Australian university after a lecturer signed up to be a panellist at a “unscientific and dangerous” gay conversion therapy forum. Dr Caroline Norma is a lecturer in the School of
Boris Johnson. (Christopher Furlong – WPA Pool /Getty Images) The UK government has reportedly made no moves to ban conversion therapy almost two years after pledging to “eradicate” the harmful practice. So-called “conversion therapy” refers to the dangerous and discredited practice of trying to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. All efforts to
Jim Domen. (Screen capture via abc7) “Former homosexual” and founder of Church United, Jim Domen is rallying a pocket of California Christians to pledge to open their churches May 31 – Pentecost Sunday – in open defiance of governor Gavin Newsom’s stay-at-home orders. Domen claims he spent three years as a gay man before changing
A leading Israeli rabbi has come under fire after he suggested that traumatising conversion therapy can “help people be straight again.” Yigal Levinstein, a co-head of a pre-army Yeshiva, made the claims about the harmful practice in a Zoom class taught through his Bnei David academy. “It’s possible to help people be straight again,” Levinstein
Jim Bakker suggested that Silver Solution was a gift from God that could eliminate coronavirus. (YouTube) Anti-LGBT+ televangelist Jim Bakker has said he is being “unfairly targeted” after a lawsuit was filed against him for peddling a “miracle cure” for coronavirus. Bakker and his TV production company, Morningside Church Productions Inc, were named in a
Anti-LGBT+ lobbying group One Million Moms are reacting as you’d expect to news that Paris Jackson is to play a gender-flipped version of Jesus. The bisexual actress, the daughter of Michael Jackson, is set to take on the role of Jesus Christ in the upcoming thriller film Habit. Paris Jackson is set to play Jesus
Abby Stein grew up trans in an ultra-Orthodox Hasidic Jewish community. (Abby Stein/ Facebook) Abby Stein, a trans woman who was destined from birth to be a rabbi, has described what it was like growing up trans in a New York ultra-Orthodox Hasidic Jewish community. Stein is a direct descendant of Hasidic Judaism‘s founder, The
The president of a major Roman Catholic advocacy organisation has published a bizarre warning about the “mass production” of LGBT+ people in America. Bill Donohue is an anti-LGBT+ extremist who heads the Catholic League, an American Catholic anti-defamation and civil rights organisation. His previous claims to fame include telling gay people they can’t celebrate Christmas, and stating that
Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. (HAIDAR HAMDANI/AFP via Getty) Iraqi Shia political leader Muqtada al-Sadr has been widely criticised online for claiming that the coronavirus pandemic was caused by same-sex marriage. Writing on Twitter on Saturday (March 28), al-Sadr – who is the leader of the Sadrist Movement and the Saraya al-Salam militia, said: “One of
The former primate of all Nigeria, Nicholas Okoh. (The_ACNA/ Twitter) The recently retired archbishop and primate of all Nigeria Nicholas Okoh has said that the UK and the US are trying to “adulterate” the Bible with same-sex marriage. Throughout his time as primate, or leader, of the Church of Nigeria, Okoh has been relentlessly anti-LGBT+,
The dancer said when he was younger and working in theatre, his dad told him to be “careful” of homosexual people. (Envato) A young, gay dancer has described how, because of the coronavirus lockdown, he is trapped at home with his homophobic Christian parents who believe he has an “evil disease”. Sam, 23, told the
Catholic Cardinal Raymond Burke. (Stefano Montesi – Corbis/Getty) An Italian homophobic Catholic cardinal, who blamed the church’s child sex abuse scandal on the “moral depravity” of gays and was exiled by the Pope for opposing condoms to prevent HIV, wants Catholics to keep going to church. Cardinal Raymond Burke is known as one of the
Ben Hodges, 20, said his Catholic college had been ‘brilliant’ when he came out as trans. (Liverpool Echo/Screenshot) A trans man who came out while attending a Catholic college received “brilliant” support, despite what many see as a conflict between religion and transgender identities. Ben Hodge, 20, didn’t feel able to come out as a
Coronavirus is spreading across the globe, and it’s fair to say that people are anxious and scared about what’s going to happen next. But there’s no need to worry, because this anti-LGBT+ televangelist recently “healed” viewers by… asking them to put their hands on their televisions. Kenneth Copeland, who runs Kenneth Copeland Ministries, tried to
Pastor Steven Andrew told his followers they would be protected from the coronavirus if they just obey God (Screenshot: YouTube/Pastor Steven Andrew) It was only a matter of time before someone blamed the coronavirus outbreak on the gays, and it seems the urge was just too strong for one US preacher. In the past LGBT+
Linda Harvey said LGBT+ people are “naturally ungrateful”. (Twitter) It’s no secret that plenty of religious folk hate LGBT+ people, but this woman hates them so much that she wants to trademark the rainbow. Writing for WND.com, Linda Harvey of Mission: America claimed that the “sweet rainbow image” has been “violated” and “raped” by the