I’ve been told Alberta is the Texas of Canada: they like things big, they’re rich from oil, and they’re conservative (and homophobic) as all hell.
Well, here’s some more evidence to at least prove the most latter of those generalizations: Alberta Wildrose Party leader Danielle Smith has said that she’s okay with a member of her party using extremely fire-and-brimstone hate language against gays. Well, she’s “refused Sunday to condemn a blog post by one of her candidates decrying tolerance toward gay people, but reiterated her party won’t legislate on contentious moral issues,” according to The National Post, which, in our eyes, is almost worse.
In case you’re not familiar with the Wildrose Party, they’re a provincial conservative party named after a pretty flower native to the province (right).
The party member she “refused to condemn” is, obvi, an evangelical pastor named Allan Hunsperger, a pastor with The House church who’s running for a seat in the Edmonton-South-West district.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
In a blog post on his church website inspired by Mother Monster, Hunsperger shat on accepting gays for being who they are, and instead said that LGBTs need saving.
“You can live the way you were born,” blogged Hunsperger in an anti-ode to Lady Gaga, “And if you die the way you were born, then you will suffer the rest of eternity in the lake of fire, hell, a place of eternal suffering.”
He sounds like some of those Queerty commenters who don’t realize this is a gay blog!
Kev C
Hell is in Michigan, according to Google maps. It’s a fairly pleasant place, and yes, it does freeze over in the winter.
Lumi Bast (@nugoyxi)
Hell is also a village in Norway that freezes over in the winter
Lumi Bast (@nugoyxi)
LOL at the people that actually believe in Hell, extremely sad
DiCK
Perhaps your headline should read “Alberta party leader . . . ” as the Wildrose party is solely an Alberta Party and NOT a Canadian party?
Kellogg
Had the Wild rose candidate at my door over the weekend, couldn’t give her the time of dady. FYI: was downtown Edmonton (capital city) this week during the day, two young men walking holding hands, not getting a second look, so maybe not all that homophobic
TomMc
Their platform also set outs the (likely unconstitutional) promise to residents of the Province of Alberta to hold referenda on social issues (read: abortion, gay marriage). What that chicklet doesn’t realize is that misogyny is perhaps more pervasive than anti-gay animus…
Derek
Alberta, where I live, is often called the Alabama of Canada. In my neighborhood I have only seen Wildrose signs up on peoples’ lawns, not even one from another party. Hunsperger is not likely to win that riding (a riding is like a congressional district, I think) because it is usually won by the Liberal party. He’s ancient
In the debate the Liberal party leader Raj Sherman said something like “Danielle, this is Alberta not Alabama.”
She is, however, likely going to win a majority government. Polls show her party having ~45% of the popular vote at this time and the election is in a week. We can only hope this individual does not win his seat, and that the Wildrose does not turn out to be as crazy as they are portrayed.
(Danielle Smith was the ONLY party leader not present at the Calgary Gay Pride Parade – the Conservative, the New Democrat, and Liberal leaders all had a float. I think that definitely sends a message.)
jonjon
The Wildrose Party is the Albertan equivalent of the BNP in Britain or the Tea Party in the States–homophobic, racist, pro big corporations, anti social welfare, etc. etc. Oh, and BATSHIT INSANE.
Richard Walters
Mr. Hunsperger’s comments in a church blog sure resulted in quite a response from both the heterophobe and aethiest communities. Some have even suggested that he should be charged with a “hate crime”! Is The Holy Bible “hate literature”? Mr. Hunsperger is entitled to his religious views, and should not be condemned just because we may not share those views.
GOD
@ Richard Walters…The so-called “heterophobe and atheist communities” have never passed laws outlawing heterosexual equal rights nor have they ever burnt people at the stake for not believing in their ideology.
And don’t use Stalin or Mao as an example of “atheist” human rights violators (Hitler was a Austrian Roman Catholic by the way), because those examples are the result of a cult of personality and a political system whose rigid adherence to it was just as inflexible as any other intolerant religious cult. True atheists don’t force dogma on anyone — just as true Christians would never do either.
But we all know that the last real Christian was crucified over two thousands years ago –if the story is factual. Nevertheless, (notwithstanding a few rare exceptions) that movement never really took hold among the general population. The Wildrose Party in Alberta and the Republican Party in the USA are living testaments to that fact.
Chris
Lol – “suffer the rest of eternity in the lake of fire, hell, a place of eternal suffering.”
Yeah, because empty threats work. This whole concept of a place where we “burn” for our wrong doing FOR ETERNITY is so ridiculous. Energy flows, it doesn’t hang around. We should be factoring reality into our beliefs. If male dolphins can “blowhole” each other then we can too. Why are they wasting so much of their actual life to cause pain and distress to others. They should be ashamed of themselves.
Sounds like a Westboro Baptist chapter. 🙂
How stupid are these people….
RP
Trust me folks…just because you don’t believe in the Bible and Hell…doesn’t mean it is very very real…preaching that there is a real consequence to sin is NOT hate…it is the truth and you can try to deny it but remember that denial, as you burn forever and forever in pain and torment unless you repent your sins, believe with all your heart and mind that the God of the Bible is real and that his son Jesus Christ is your only salvation.
indorri
@RP: Similarly, just because you say it’s real, does not mean it is. Your insistence on threatening people with fiction to conform to your thoughts reveal that, yes, you are motivated by malice.
Derek
@ Richard Walters and @ RP
Perhaps you need to feel the holy spirit more, and the devil inside you less if you want to avoid the judgement that awaits you in the afterlife.
TomMc
@TomMc: Having thought a lot about that last post of mine, I realized that it sounded as though I’d approve of sexism.
Not the case.
Merely that it’s discouraging to see other folks who’ve been oppressed by patriarchy (i.e. the Wildrose Party leader) in turn defend perpetrators of patriarchal nastiness (in this case what that majorly anti-gay dude wrote).
If Wildrose wins in Alberta on Monday, then perhaps this leader will modify her stance from the one needed to get elected to one involving perhaps a bit more overt compassion towards others who’ve been disenfranshied?