Ranker.com generally lists fun things like “The 5 Dumbest Doritos-Related Arrests of All Time” and “Ugly Photos of Usually Hot Celebrities.” But the site got serious this week with a rundown of religious parents who put their LGBT kids through physical, mental and emotional abuse to knock the queer out of them. In some cases, they even killed them. How very Christian!
Here’s a look at Ranker’s list of Asshat Parents Hall of Fame. (Check out their post for more details):
Sam Brinton
Though some on the blogosphere have questioned the extent of his accusations, Brinton says that, as part of his ex-gay “therapy,” he was given electric shocks while being made to watch gay porn. His father hoped to make the boy associate homosexuality with pain.
Lyn Duff
After telling her family that she was gay in 1991, when she was just 15, Duff was sent to a Utah psychiatric center for conversion therapy. Like Brinton, she was abused while being forced to watch gay porn in hopes of creating a negative reaction. It didn’t work—Duff escaped, got herself emancipated from her nutbag mother and was adopted by a loving lesbian couple. She’s now a successful journalist.
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Jeremy Pittman, Jr.
When Jerry Pittman and his boyfriend, Dustin Lee, arrived at the Grace Fellowship Church in Fruitland, TN, church members—including Pittman’s uncle and father, the church’s minister—attacked the couple with punches and gay slurs. The cops came, but wouldn’t let Lee and Pittman press charges. (The sheriff later allowed them to do so.)
Steen Fenrich
At just 19, Fenrich was murdered by his stepfather because of his homosexuality. Briefly enlisted in the Army, Fenrich went missing in 1999. Six months later his remains were found, dismembered and partially disolved in acid.
Ronnie Antonio Paris
Even we didn’t know we were gay when we were in diapers, but apparently Ronnie’s dad could tell his toddler was “that way” when he was just a one-year-old, and began beating and slapping him for being “a sissy.” When Child Services finally removed him from the home, Ronnie was malnourished and had a broken arm. Two years later, after he was returned to his parents—and the cycle of abuse, Ronnie slipped into a coma and died. His parents were at Bible study at the time.
Source: Ranker.com
Cam
Jail them all.
Akula
sterilize both parents don’t let them near children ever again of course they should be in jail for the rest of their lives.
Alli
Maybe if they read the bible they’d see that that is NOTHING like christianity. They have no idea what they were doing because if they were truly following Jesus they would love their sons regardless of their sexual orientation. Thats completely wrong and evil. Don’t base your opinion of christians on sad sad people like this. They don’t know their right from left.
the crustybastard
Ahmet Yildiz is my family.
http://ahmetyildizismyfamily.blogspot.com/
cele
The last one on that site is beyond words.
Little Kiwi
let’s try to remember that emotional/psychological abuse is just as damaging, and is often less easy to distinguish.
not to make light of this horrific abuse that’s been highlighted, but to remind us all that some folks have less-visible scars.
they’re equally damaging forms of abuse.
Josh in OR
Annnnnnd HERE come the trolls.
That ridiculously bigoted BS comment aside, all of these families should be punished to the full extent of the law for their roles in destroying the innocence – and in several cases, the LIVES – of the children they were supposed to nurture, love and protect from harm.
Little Kiwi
isn’t it amazing that “this is a Christian nation!” is only ever said when it comes to demonizing Muslims and Gays, and not about giving money to the poor or helping the less-fortunate afford medical treatment?
Ogre Magi
I am soooo sick of christians
MikeE
@Ogre Magi: I am soooo sick of people confusing these people for Christians.
sprocket
*sigh*
These people are Christians. They just cherry pick different parts of the bible which is riddled with contradictions.
Maetg
I had suspected so called conversion therapists might utilize aversion therapy,I just thought such practices were illegal.Was this not what closed down the schick quit smoking centers?
shannon
JAIL ALL THESE ASSHOLES FOR LIFE!!!! AND MY POOR LITTLE BABY THAT DIED….I HOPE YOU FIND PEACE…..
Parson Thwackum
As always, the people with the magic glasses who can see the True Christians rush to an article about Christians murdering gay children with the most important priority: defending Christianity!
MikeE
@Parson Thwackum: there’s no need to publicly demonstrate that you’re an ass.
The issue isn’t one of “defending Christianity”.
It is one of not lumping all people with some broad paint stroke.
There are countless Christian LGBT people, who belong to wholesome and accepting churches.
Not all “christian” churches are filled with narrow-minded bigots who believe the Bible should be read like an instruction manual and taken at face value.
Whenever you anti-christians come to spew your hatred of all things religious on these forums/blogs, all you are doing is attacking fellow LGBT people who can happily be Christian without controversy.
Shannon1981
@MikeE: Personally I think the term “gay christian” is an oxymoron. I don’t understand the involvement of anyone LGBT in the poison that is religion. Think about it. Every argument against homosexuality is rooted in religion. Those of us who hate it have every reason to hate it.
Jail these people. And for every story we hear about for stuff like this, there are countless others that go unreported. Sad, but true. This is Christianity, folks. Look and learn what you are involved in. It is an oppressive, morbid death cult.
the crustybastard
@MikeE:
I am soooo sick of Christians resorting to the “No True Scotsman” fallacy to excuse the atocities of their co-religionists.
Shannon1981
@the crustybastard: So am I. Christianity as it is practiced today is NOTHING like what the man they swear they follow would have commanded. It’s like Bill Maher says, “If you ignore every single thing Jesus commanded you to do, you are not a Christian.”
Alex
@Little Kiwi:
Agreed! It’s amazing to see Christians believe in the death penalty when their god was an innocent man put to death by the state under false charges. The whole thing about “Thou Shalt Not Kill” means nothing.
Moreover, look at the vicious streak that many so-called Christian conservatives have towards the poor or their disgusting belief in Social Darwinism. Where exactly did Jesus state his support for survival of the fittest humans and screw charity. He must have done so when on vacation from working with the poor.
Lie, cheat, smear, and condemn are the play words for supposed Christian conservative politicians.
lemon-lime
@the crustybastard: @Shannon1981: @Ogre Magi: No True Scotsman is just as much a fallacy as the Straw Man and Overgeneralizations and Dogmatism. A number of folks on this board seem to suffer from overuse of the latter 3. In fact, I’d say you folks are addicted to the contrapositive of the no true scotsman fallacy. A few sucky ass Christians do not poison the well and somehow ruin the rest of us. Each man is entitled to his own opinion. There are several mainstream Christian denominations which affirm homosexuality. If you want to deny that, then you may as well just stick your fingers in your ears and say “nananana I can’t hear you”. Mankind is full of sick and twisted people who come from all walks of life…religious and non-religious dogmatic nutjobs abound.
I won’t say that these people aren’t Christian, but I will say that they are pretty bad at it. I hope they all rot in jail for the rest of their lives. They are terrible people. I also expect they will feel the wrath of God when they finally meet their maker.
lemon-lime
@Alex: Seriously? You look as ignorant as those back country conservatives who claim all atheists are possessed by Satan. I think you’re getting confused about the difference between Conservative and Christian. Yes, Virginia, Liberal Gay Affirming Christians do exist! …And there are a lot of them.
Aussie Col
I am also very sick of the ‘but there are loving Christians too’ schtick – if the loving self proclaimed Christains do and say nothing about the murderous and hateful Christians, they are in support of them – full stop. There is no Jesus in mainstream and evangelical Christianity. @Alli is correct Jesus commanded LOVE and He would LOVE all LGBT people. So sad about these stories.
Shannon1981
@lemon-lime: Then why are they allowing the nutballs to run the show? If there are so many liberal, gay friendly Christians, why are they not protesting in the streets against the bullshit their brothers and sisters in Christ are spewing? To do nothing is to be a part of the problem.
Aussie Col
@ Shannon 1981 You are right on the mark. @ Lemon-Lime you are poor example of a Christian with your unwillingness to turn the other cheek and to attack the very appropriate comments from the good hearted people here concerned about self proclaimed Christians that spew hatred, I personally suspect you are just a troll, a Pharisee a betrayer of Christ, along with the Bachmann’s, Rick Perry, the Tea Party and the Westboro’s. And if not you are just plain nasty in your comments to @ Alex. Yes the Christain conservatives have destroyed Christianity, with the prime examples I have mentioned and the sad stories on this page. Where is your compassion for the children mentioned here? You would rather support your congregations anemic faith than that of the kids they defile. You prove the point many genuine people here have raised. May peace be with you, and may the Lord forgive you because you know not what you do.
Shannon1981
@Aussie Col: Thank you. I know @lemon-lime: to not be a troll, as he comments here frequently. However, he is sorely misguided when it comes to his own religion. I have personally had terrible things done to me in the name of Christianity. Yes, I despise religion due to conversion therapy. I want no part of it. Ever. And I think it is dangerous, poison to individuals and society alike. I WISH people would behave as Christ would have them behave. But they refuse. So, to that end, I choose to remove myself from that dangerous dogma and take as many sane, rational people with me as possible.
Aussie Col
@ Shannon 1981 Thanks for straighteneing me out about LL. I get very inflamed over the horrors that children have suffered and probably was not too loving myself in my response. Yep Gay Conversion is a vile lie. I identify with the authentic words of Jesus but not religion. You are obviously a person of integrity. Cheers from Down Under.
Shannon1981
@Aussie Col: Thanks! I try to reel it in and realize that yes, my fear and disdain of religion border on the irrational at times. But that is due to what was done to me. I honestly feel it to be justified. I also feel that gay Christians are often just as blinded as the rest by their religion. They know nothing else, and are afraid to really examine it for what it is.
Mav
I support mandatory sterilization for unfit parents.
jkb
Steen Fenrich needs to be placed in bold type.
AxelDC
God gave you these children, and you abuse them for not fitting into your narrow worldview. What is He going to say when he asks you why you did not care for the babies He confided in you?