UPDATE: Pennington and Morse have been notified that the man who confronted them will no longer be working at the fair and that the Fellowship would send them a personal apology. Additionally, a rep from the Texas State Fair has sent them free tickets for another visit.
Last weekend, partners Latisha Pennington and Dondi Morse thought it’d be a hoot to take their 7-year-old daughter to the Texas State Fair. They figured they’d pet some animals, ride a few rides and scarf down some cotton candy. They didn’t expect, however, to be subjected to a homophobic rant from a religious nut.
As the Dallas Voice reports, the women and their daughter were called over by a vendor from Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship. “Hey, come here, come here. I got something for you. Got a couple of questions,” Pennington recalled he said, before he asked if she would take $1 million for her right eye.
Before she could answer the man, Pennington said he had another, more disturbing inquiry: “Would you take $1 million for your soul?” His spiel soon turned ugly, as he asked “What do you think will happen to your soul when you die?” He answered his own question: “I know what’s going to happen to your soul. You’re going to hell for being a homosexual.”
The man began “slinging biblical quotes at us,” Pennington says, leading their young daughter to break into tears and the family to flee the fair. The whole incident took probably less than two minutes but Pennington said it left them all shaken. “Nothing like this has ever happened to us before.”
According to its website, the Fellowship’s mission is “to reach men everywhere for Jesus Christ” and “to mentor young men who have never had positive male role models by being a spiritual father to them.
Hmm, nothing about verbally assaulting lesbians. Maybe that’s in the bylaws.
ABBent
Why, in an article concerning a family of 3 females and their run in with religious homophobia, do you insert a pic of a bovine? A pic of the entrance to the state fair would al least been more topical, if not generic.
Dallas David
I’m going to the fair next Wednesday — I’ll see if that guy is still there.
lol . . .
BTM4JZS
@ABBent: I think thou dost read into this too much. A steer is symbolic of the Texas State Fair more so than any other image. That’s all. Queerty did not mean to suggest that the women were cows.
Hephaestion
Address for the Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship:
#TX-103 Dallas Parkway Chapter
Marriott Quorum Hotel, Cafe Costa
14901 Dallas Parkway
Dallas, TX 75254
So they’re in the Mormon-owned Marriott Quorum Hotel.
the crustybastard
The “Gospel” in their name makes “verbally assaulting gay people” an implied part of the Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship in America’s mission.
The director’s “apology” was as piss-poor as I expected. Nowhere does it say, “we are sorry, that was inexcusable.”
Fucking ratbag godbotherers.
Hyhybt
@the crustybastard: What he said has nothing to do with the gospel… no matter how many or who would claim that it does.
Gordon
“They didn’t expect, however, to be subjected to a homophobic rant from a religious nut.” ??? Really? They live in Texas for crissakes! They should expect that ALL THE TIME
Hyhybt
@Gordon: Perhaps… but then, more people than you’d think, even in Texas, have nothing against lesbians. Plus a large chunk who believe in “live and let live,” to various degrees… and another large chunk who, whatever they think, aren’t going to go off on a stranger, particularly in public. They say it’s never happened to them before; why shouldn’t they, then, be surprised when it finally does?
Derek
ABBent it was obviously because there are cows at state fairs (that the daughter might have peted). Don’t make up reasons to be offended by everything, it makes you look like a doofus and then people don’t take things that are actually offensive seriously.
Michael
These religious hypocrites constantly claim others are SINNERS when they are the biggest SINNERS of them all .As are some here for instance pride and vanity are so called sins looked down on in the bible yet many here wont name names commit that sin everyday.
Thankfully though im not religious so it means bubkiss to me either way.
There is no such thing as SIN to begin with right and wrong and only right and wrong.
For instance most of the RIGHT are indeed WRONG.
the crustybastard
@Hyhybt: “What he said has nothing to do with the gospel…”
Cut the crap, man. This is Shaft.
Dallas Bunny
I live in Texas and I have nothing against homosexuals! Everyone in Texas is not like that, especially not in a big city like Dallas. If I’d seen him doing that I’d have happily ripped him a new one.
Parson Thwackum
Ah yes…the important thing, when a bunch of Christians in Texas verbally assault some gays, is to make sure the reputations of Texas and Christianity are not harmed. Are these trolls or just deluded people? This is what conservatives do, this is what Christians do. There aren’t a bunch of “real Texans” or “true Christians” hiding somewhere else who are the silent majority on this. Get real.
Sasha
@Gordon: REGARDLESS of the fact that they were in Texas… it is still absolutely horrible that they had to experience harassment. And on another note, none of the LGBT community should have to EXPECT harassment, verbal or otherwise. That kind of thing is so uncalled for. It’s not any different than if a kid was being bullied at school for being fat, and it needs to stop.
Little Kiwi
@Sasha: amen. there are batshit crazy bigots everywhere.
sure, some exist in higher numbers in some places than in others, but no place is free from ’em.
yet.
Bill S.
Not that a lesbian couple deserves this treatment of course, but unless the couple were holding hands or kissing, etc. how did they guy even know they were lesbians?? Do two female friends taking their kids out in public have to worry about being accosted by religious nuts now?
Dan Cobb
I have to say that I wish the women had reacted differently. Were I to have encountered this clown I would have mocked his religion mercilessly in a very patient way. I would have laughed at him –he’s obviously ridiculous. Since I have ZERO belief in the Bible or in any organized religion, I tend to see people like this guy as insane, or profoundly stupid. To get passionate about something that doesn’t exist, is truly mental!
SSmith
It’s not a matter of secret Texans who support or anything like that, it’s a matter of the fact that, when it comes right down to it, Texans have a very strict live and let live policy. Being conscientious and respectful in public is held to a higher regard than any other behavior, no matter what you feel is personally right or wrong. Perfect example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zhl9MLno424&feature=player_embedded I’m surprised no one stepped in, but if it happened so fast, they probably didn’t have time.
Parson Thwackum
Is that why marriage equality exists in Texas? Why drugs are legal there, why there’s no restricts on abortion, why everyone in Texas opposes Bush and Obama’s foreign interventions? Because of the “very strict live and let live policy”? You’re living in a fantasy world. You need to decide whether your loyalties are to equality for everyone including gays, or to this bullshit myth of how awesome Texas is. It can’t be both and you’re just embarrassing yourself pretending that it is.
Ogre Magi
Christians are dirty turds