Franklin Graham is doubling down on a policy requiring volunteers at a tent hospital in New York City to sign a pledge comparing LGBTQ people to alcoholics, drug addicts and cruising adults.
The moment Samaritan’s Purse set up the tent hospital in New York’s Central Park to care for people with COVID-19 it came under fire for its association with the notorious right-wing Graham. The criticism intensified when reports surfaced that the organization requires volunteers to sign a “morality pledge” that defines marriage as “exclusively the union of one genetic male and one genetic female.”
“All of our doctors and nurses and staff [are] Christians,” Graham told the CharlotteObserver. “We believe it’s very important that — as we serve people and help people — we do it in Jesus’ name.
Related: Franklin Graham says he’s not homophobic, LGBTQ folk are “truthophobic”
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“I believe marriage is between a man and a woman,” Graham continued. “That’s part of who we are. So we have a long list of things we want people to understand and agree with before we take them to work with us. I don’t want a person who is going to be on the job and drinks; that’s not a good witness. I don’t want a person who’s going to be using drugs to be part of our team. I don’t want someone who’s going to be swearing to be part of our team. I don’t want someone who is trying to pick up girls, and using this as an opportunity to do those kinds of things. So, we try to screen the people that work with us. And we want men and women who believe the way we do and have the same core values that we have.”
Volunteers for Samaritan’s Purse have previously expressed concern that the hospital could potentially turn away or mistreat queer patients in dire need of care. Despite demands by lawmakers such as Senator Brad Hoylman that the group provide anti-discrimination assurances, neither Samaritan’s Purse nor Franklin Graham had done so. And now Graham has simple reiterated the group’s policy.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
Well forget my intent to go and volunteer!!
If I can’t go volunteer to try and do some good, and do the next right thing at an emergency crisis facility, set up exclusively to deal with patients in dire condition suffering from a highly communicable potentially fatal virus and not curse, do drugs, drink and pick up girls whilst there, am DEFINITELY NOT going to volunteer there!
Satan’s Purse….
beckyrowe680
It is very boring for me, talk to me! ?? Write me. ? Maybe we will make friends ?? ==>>2.gp/a71mk
Cato
The city should seize the tents and medical equipment using eminent domain, then let the medical professionals involved decide if they want to meet their professional oaths to serve everyone. If they refuse, send them home.
Creamsicle
This.
This is a crisis. There is an huge shortage of medical supplies. Seizing those supplies and the bed space will save lives. Even if a court rules against it in the future, Graham might get a payout, but he and his group would lose control of who lives and dies, and stop gatekeeping it behind their own religious beliefs.
DuMaurier
Yeesh, don’t put me in the position of defending Graham, and I’m really not going to –but there was obviously a question of whether the group would accept patients in a non-discriminatory way, and both Mt. Sinai (the hospital they’re helping with overflow) and the city have taken steps to ensure this is the case. Obviously, when it comes to volunteers and staff they discriminate, and that’s despicable, but sick people are who matter now, and shutting them down or “seizing” their supplies would just be spiteful and do nothing useful for anyone.
James
DuMaurier, FUK THAT CODEPENDENT SH*T. GET RID OF THEM. THEY ARE NOT HELPING ANYONE BUT THEMSELVES.
DuMaurier
Obviously they’re helping people or they wouldn’t be there. The personnel treating patients are qualified or they wouldn’t be allowed to operate. They’re handling patient overflow from Mt. Sinai, who as I said insisted on assurances that they won’t discriminate as far as who they treat. That’s good enough for now; or maybe you’re not aware of the carnage this virus is wreaking in New York City. It’s not an endorsement of their bigotry to recognize that there’s a hierarchy of importance in an emergency. That’s my position, and it’s not going to change, so let’s agree to disagree.
Cam
With Republicans and right wing Christians now, it’s only about hate.
Creamsicle
Christian conservatism is nothing by racist dog whistling now. Inviting then I to the Republican tent was the worst thing that conservatives ever did besides elect Newt Gingrich to Congress.
Their entire party now has to pay lip service to fundamentalists, or be cast out. And the fundamentalists don’t actually care about Christian behavior, or else they wouldn’t be so enamoured with a president who brags about casually sexually assaulting women, routinely stiff his contractors, and has adulterous unprotected sex with women less than half his age in exchange for dangling a slot on his terrible reality television show.
Herman75
and money. The more press Graham gets, the more his ilk run for their checkbooks.
chase_boston
ehm, he doesn´t see his own contradiction : if gay equals drug addict then give me more, give me more, give me more. Love is a Drug …
midwest sensible
What an asshat! Is it any wonder organized religion is dying and that younger people don’t want any part of it?
Creamsicle
The fastest growing religious identity in the U.S. is “none.”
Metro135
Will he let his pool boy in?
RevJames
That was Fallwell.
Jared MacBride
His father was a racist a bigot and an anti-Semite. Why should the kid be any different?
Mr-DJ
Cuomo needs to fix this…. ASAP.
justgeo
The only pulse this Piece shit has is too cold to measure!
scotty
if you could reason with religious people;
there would be no religious people.
Mfrid
He WILL be judged, like his father was for his hatred. There is NO unconditional love in their lives only judgement, hatred and greed to try to control the masses.
Is there a gay mafia??? God I sure hope so…
Joshooeerr
If marriage equality is the law of the land, how can he legally require volunteers to sign a pledge disrespecting that? Surely he can be stopped.
James
JESUS DID NOT DIE FOR FRANKLIN GRAHAM.
Michael1500
Unlike his father, Franklin Graham is NOT a “man of God.” He just inherited his father’s position and legacy—— but couldn’t even reach up high enough to touch his fathers coattails. Billy Graham was a true Christian, and was about the only televangelist who truly harbored love and humanity for mankind. Franklin Graham is a prime asshole, mean-spirited and from the same “batch” as Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell. These men hate rather than love, and are about as Christian as a King Cobra.
rbernard
I find myself wondering, why would any self respecting member of our tribe want to volunteer to work for this notoriously anti-gay religious bigot?
Surely there are many other worthy choices to donate your time to that would that would have positive impact and help victims of the COVID-19 virus.
Tempus
I see a comment about not understanding why any LGBT person would want to volunteer there but I understand why someone would. I mean it’s hard to see these people suffering without wanting to lend a hand and I doubt they remotely care if you’re gay, straight, atheist, etc. as long as you can potentially help them survive. It’s horrible that they’re turning away volunteers who merely want to help as they need all the help they can get and the people who this truly hurts are the sick. They should accept all volunteers without assuming they’re going to try to corrupt the sick. If it were so easy to turn people gay the straight population would be on a rapid decline.
Chipper
If it sounds like a duck, it walks like a duck, it looks like a duck, it is a duck. Franklin is so way out of step with reality. He is in a phantasy world. Way off the main path of logic and truth. So narrow minded. Its a shame! He is like eltrumpo, way out of his league. He is a bigot, and can not see that he has believed a lie.
joseph_buscarino
All I can say is what a douche. Is this really the time to get political? with people in need, and for him to try to further his personal agenda? absolutely absurd.