https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvPGZ56LBd8 Pat Robertson’s really reaching with his preaching in the latest episode of the 700 Club. According to him, laws protecting LGBT persons are not appropriate because gays and lesbians make up such a small part of the population:
(beginning at 1:10 in the video)
Maximum- maximum – 2% of our population could consider themselves gay or homosexual, and about 1% would consider themselves lesbian. That’s it! … There’s one thing about having ten, fifteen percent or twenty percent of our population being discriminated against, that’s a different matter.
By Pat’s logic, Jews should not be protected under hate crimes laws because we only make up maximum – maximum – 2% of the population. Statistics actually put us at around 1%. Now, you would be hard pressed to find an evangelical Christian, especially one as publicly outspoken as Robertson, say “boo” about the Jewish people. We’re a very precious population to them, especially to evangelicals who immerse themselves in eschatology. Jews play a crucial role in the final battle between Jesus and the Devil, in which the status of Israel is at stake and in the end all Jewish souls either accept Jesus as the Messiah to be “saved” or are damned to Hell to spend eternity. In fact, Christian Zionism is a hotly debated topic in the Jewish community, because we love Israel but many of us are wary of aligning ourselves with a group of people who ultimately want us to renounce our Jewish faith by accepting Jesus.
It does Pat no help to argue that gays should not be protected because their “lifestyle” is a “choice.” Would he say the same thing about the Jewish lifestyle choice? Make no mistake – I CHOOSE to be Jewish, just like my cousin CHOOSES to be Agnostic. I choose to live a Jewish lifestyle by wearing a kipah and studying Torah.
Did Robertson slip, or is his agenda of Christian Dominionism showing?
Pat has seriously lost it over the years. While he was off the wall to begin with he has really said some strange things ever since 9/11. Not all evangelicals/fundamentalists listen to him. But I wonder how many conservative Christian supporters he lost by supporting Giuliani? I know a few have condemned him for it.
Of course it doesn’t matter if the gay population is 2% or 10% its still a choice to be gay in Pat’s eyes and to many other conservative Christians. No true Christian would support violence against gays at least not publically. However, with their ranting and raving about Hate Crime laws protecting gays one begins to wonder what Bible they are reading and where they would apply the “love one another as I have loved you” statement made by Jesus himself. You cannot hate someone and love them at the same time.
Since Pat Robertson lied about the percentage of people who are same-sex-attracted, now’s a great time to discuss the true statistics.
Demographer Gary J. Gates noted recently in USA Today that
— a National Center for Health Statistics study counted the proportion of self-identified bisexual, gay or lesbian persons in the general population at 4.1 percent in 2002.
— 2006 Census data show the number of U.S. same-sex couples is currently about 780,000. Couples consist of two people. If 1,560,000 gay/lesbian people are coupled, then if Robertson were correct that only 1 to 2 percent of the population were gay or lesbian, then fully half the hypothetical self-identified gay/lesbian population of 3,000,000 would be coupled. That’s a far higher proportion of coupling than is found among heterosexuals.
I am not sure why people pay attention to Robertson at all. He and Falwell made it pretty clear after 9/11 just how much they hated America and Americans. After their horrendous remarks while the dead were being recovered from the WTC, the Penatgon and that field in PA, I have just considered the two of them to be traitors.
He doesn’t just hate the “2-3%” of Americans who are gay or lesbian (I don’t accept his numbers), he hates the majority of Americans who don’t view the world through his religious lens.
I think I may have injured my optic nerves from rolling my eyes so much. That’s the most constructive thing I think I can say.
The idea that because there aren’t a lot of glbt people means that they shouldn’t be protected doesn’t make any sense. After all, as Martin Luther King put it “An injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Why do numbers matter?
Also, my favorite part was when the woman said “Guys may come in and use the womens bathroom and who knows what they may be thinking.” As one of those “guys” (more correctly a transgender woman), in those situations I am thinking “I have to pee.”
There’s going to be a mandate implicit within this to bring in pro-homosexual propaganda throughout the curriculum materials, the textbooks, the instruction, the programs…”…the uniform code, the lunch menu, the name of the classroom pet…
Oh wait, this is supposed to be serious? Man, I guess I was wrong at age 11 or so when I first saw the 700 Club and had it pegged as a humor show even then. The plus is all of Pat’s unflinching bigotry has been recorded for posterity.
I would have been impressed if Pat had said “I’m just amazed we bother to do segments about 2% of the population. It’s like we’re completely obsessed by them. And why don’t we have any segments on the adultery or shellfish eating agenda? Stop producing this garbage.”
Pat Robertson has said some pretty nutbar things but this is one of the stupidest things. Almost as dumb and outlandish as linking a certain U.S. highway to a biblical prophecy I heard about on CNN recently.
I have read about Pat Robertson’s racism in the past. It’s no big surprise that he would be this way about gay people.
Emily, thanks for posting this and providing your commentary. I like what you have added to XGW.
Watching the video I felt surprised that Robertson continues with the same tired message. Well, not really that surprised, but really the rhetoric was tired to begin with, now it is old and tired and just as vile as ever. Gay lifestyle. Gay agenda. Recruiting Youth. I guess that sort of talk still brings in those dollars to keep Robertson’s business in business.
Well, he pretty much covered the whole waterfront there. Nothing new, but amazing that he’s so bold to keep saying it when the rhetoric is so full of holes.
This is nothing more than the same old tired right-wing propaganda. The same lies, the same accusations, and the same manipulations. It is beyond shameful, beyond disgusting. This is not about children or the future of this country, this is about Pat Robertson’s fear of his angry god and his desire to make sure the rest of us are just as afraid as he is.
LC, you are spot-on.
Everything is fallacious that he said. The focus on numbers as inherent value, recruitment crap, historical precendent (funny how he is a student of history–he sets up false authority).
One good thing–he was honest at least that he wants some people to have “special privaleges.”
Something occured to me while I was out this afternoon. People often lift Pat Robertson, James Dobson, Bill O’Reilly and others up as model Americans, but I see these people as very anti-American. They often hold that only certain people fit into American life–that small groups (like gay people) are too small to share in the great things that America offers. There is not a single day when I do not hear from one of these naysayers how America is falling, terrible, being brought down, etc. However, really gays, ethnic groups, third party candidates and so forth show how great America is. We are a diverse company, and we often fight and use the democratic process to create change. We use the Constitution (realize that the “mainstream” usually has no need to use the Constitution). Gay people are as American as it gets. We need to start showing these ridiculous figureheads that they are the ones who are not really holding to American values. Pat Robertson is as anti-American as it gets, and we need to scream that from the rooftops. America has always held the promise of progress, but Pat wants to isolate and divide us. He wants to live in a past that never existed.
I can’t help but wonder if Pat isn’t getting “funny” as he ages.
I seem to remember something about a year or two ago where he claimed he could lift 2,000 lbs with his legs, due to some “miracle” supplement he was hawking. I’m not a PhD in human physiology, but I believe that’s quite impossible for a healthy young man, let alone a man in his 70’s.
Another strange remark was telling the people of Dover County, PA not to seek out God’s help due to their removal of intelligent design from the school curriculum. What kind of minister tells people God can’t be bothered with them?
Regardless, his comments seem to be more and more irrelevant and bizarre as time goes on. Maybe it’s time for him to retire.
wait a second, wasn’t one of the reasons Robertson was against ending apartheid was to protect the white south african minority?
I wonder what percentage of Americans watch the 700 Club and/or contribute to Robertson’s various ministries.
I have had “prosperity ministry” students who watch 700 Club quite frevently.
That leg weight thing was hillarious–especially the silly huge bodybuilders standing right near by. They must be laughing inside. He was also selling a product at the time.
Don’t forget predicting the probable and saying God warned him it would happen.
As I remember, he predicted that God would send hurricanes to Florida (where I live) as punishment for Gay Days at Disney. Imagine that: hurricanes hitting Florida! I also remember hearing warnings about earthquakes in California as punishment for something there.
I’ll make a few of my own predictions:
1) Temperatures will soar into the 100’s in Arizona next summer because they voted down a consitutitional amendment banning same-sex marriage.
2) Michigan will see snowstorms this winter because the University of Michigan decided to offer domestic partnership benefits (I think – ???).
3) Illinois will see tornadoes this spring because the state outlawed discrimination based on sexual orientation and was unable to bring a referendum on gay marriage.
You just watch – all my predictions will come true! I mean, after all, I can lift my own body weight with my legs too. (Am I being too sarcastic? ;-))
It’s fun how when we scary homos aren’t a looming menace to the embattled minority of Real Christians with money and power coming out our ears, we’re an insignificant minority not even worthy of notice by the majority of people who are nice, normal Christians.
Well, this is absolutely fine – I don’t think. Where exactly is the cut-off point, I wonder? In other words, how small a percentage of the population does any particular minority group have to be before it becomes legitimate to discriminate against its members, and before maltreatment of them becomes a matter of moral indifference? And once we have decided, will it be acceptable to apply it in any countries where the percentage of Christians/Catholics/Protestants/any other religious group meets the criterion?
Liadan: that’s because the whole thing is, you might say, a FAIRY story. thus logic need not apply, only magical thinking.
Gary Randall: “That’s the problem, as I see it, and it’s sin, and it’s a blight on society – it affects our kids….”
Uh, yeah. And I suppose the divorce rate among heterosexual married couples (including Christians) doesn’t affect our kids, hmmmm? Talk about hypocrisy.
The fact that 2% of the population (or whatever) is gay is not an argument against “hate crime” laws. There are valid arguments against the concept, but that’s not one of them.
No one really knows how many gay people there are sense most are not self-identified but I’m pretty sure the size is much larger than 2%.
In the last presidential election 4% of the voters identified as LGBT.
The CDC estimates 2.3% of men are gay and 1.8 are bisexual, for a total of 4.1%. (for women the number is roughly reversed)
These are probably both low numbers.
Um, what? I don’t recall a mark-your-sexual-orientation on the ballot. What’s your source for this?
Skemono, that figure is correct. That was from the exit polls. Most likely the number is much larger since there will be people who refuse to state orientation.
Do we have a reference to the source of this 4% figure?
ARE YOU GAY, LESBIAN OR BISEXUAL?
TOTAL……BUSH……KERRY…..NADER
Yes (4%)….23%……77%……..0%
No (96%)…53%……46%……..0%
https://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/US/P/00/epolls.0.html
Nothing like stats to make you feel even more alone. 🙁
Wow, esp Nader, lol.
Speaking of bro Pat (hope it’s okay to post this here),
I tuned into the first 10 minutes (more than enough) of 700 Clubs last night only to see Alan Chambers giving a holiday allert. Be careful if you have kids. Public restrooms are hot beds of homosexual sex. If you cannot attend your kids while in the restroom, make sure anyone in there knows you are there.
What is it with this guy? Feeding the stereotype that gays are a bunch of ravenous pedophiles lurking in public restrooms looking to defile the young and innocent. And of course, there’s Pat, ever ready to give him a forum for his propaganda. Don’t either of these people watch the news? By recent accounts one might indeed encounter a senator in a public restroom tap dancing, but no worries mate, he’s “not gay.”
Whether we are 2% of the population or 200%, the fact is that Christ clearly taught that we are to protect everyone, and that all people are worth protecting.
If Pat Roberts was a true Christian (and that can be debated somewhere else), then surely Christ’s words would have been spoken instead of the hateful and hurtful things he has said.
The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to St. Matthew (18:12)
Jesus said, “What do you think? If someone has a hundred sheep, and one of them should go astray, won’t he not leave the ninety-nine in the mountains and go to seek the one which has gone astray?”
Again, the message of the Gospel has been thrown away because Christ is too much of a softy.
If we are a small minority of just 2% Mr. Roberts, then we need more protection that the 98%! Just as the one stray lamb needs more protection that the 99 that are safe on the mountain. Do these religious leaders ever read the Bible they so strongly wave in our Orthodox faces all the time?
And all these messages of fear that public schools will teach kids tolerance and to “love one another” and “to be one” and to treat each other with dignity and respect (all Christian – not exclusive – but nonetheless Christian values) … rather they want our youth to learn hate and fear and to divide and to isolate themselves.
The CDC also says that the number of men who have sex with men for whatever reason is somewhere around 20% I’ve read. So what does that mean.
Doesn’t 4.1% seem low just on empirical evidence alone?