Yesterday, Scott Lively participated in a forum on LGBT-related issues with the other candidates for Massachusetts governor. While other candidates were generally supportive of LGBT issues, Scott Lively was there instead to demean and lie about LGBT people:
Most of the candidates for governor speaking at a gay rights forum Tuesday night supported LGBTQ issues. But not Scott Lively.
The Springfield pastor, anti-gay rights activist and independent candidate railed against “LGBT propaganda,” arguing homosexuality is an acquired condition and not a “normal” form of sexuality, promoting reparative therapy, and saying AIDS can be stopped by ending “homosexual sodomy.”
The other Democratic and independent candidates for governor largely ignored Lively and talked about their own positions supporting transgender and gay rights.
TWO’s Wayne Besen was in attendance, and he shot several videos of Lively answering questions. For instance, his plan to fight HIV is to stop all the “homosexual sodomy” from happening. The reality of the matter is that research is finding that the true, best way to stop HIV is for all who are infected to be tested and treated, as an ongoing study has found that HIV-positive people with undetectable viral loads, gay or straight, have transmitted the virus exactly zero times in the first two years of their research. We are aware that hate group leaders like Lively tend to believe that HIV and AIDS are God’s judgment on gay people for their wickedness, but as usual, science is answering the question.
Here is Scott pretending that “ex-gay” therapy works and is something that kids should be forced into, to prevent them from being gay as adults.
And finally, the crowd laughs as Lively says he would “ban LGBT propaganda” to children, taking credit for the anti-gay laws that have passed in Russia. Though the crowd’s reaction was entirely normal, as the beliefs of people like Lively sound insane and funny to normal people, it’s important to remember that Lively and others indeed are transporting their hate around the globe to places where they are unfortunately viewed not as the laughing stocks they are, but as experts.
If you’d like to watch the full forum, it was broadcast by the local PBS affiliate.
