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Why is Superman bashing LGBTQ people at a hate group gathering if he supports our rights?

Dean Cain appearing at the "Hollywood Show" at Burbank Marriott Convention Center on August 4, 2012 in Burbank, CA
Dean Cain appearing at the "Hollywood Show" at Burbank Marriott Convention Center on August 4, 2012 in Burbank, CA Photo: Shutterstock

Actor Dean Cain, best known for portraying Superman on television, took heat over the weekend for speaking at the Family Research Council’s Value Voters summit to promote his upcoming movie. The organization has been designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

But when activists pointed out to Cain, who has said he’s a supporter of LGBTQ rights, that the group is one of the worst in the nation, he defended his decision to appear and then bashed the community from the stage for being “intolerant.”

Cain spoke on a panel to promote his new movie, Gosnell. Cain plays the detective who put abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell behind bars. Most of the organization and activists attending the event are vehemently anti-choice.

Related: Family Research Council tweets insult to LGBT people on Pride day

After GLAAD took to Twitter to ask Cain why he was speaking at the event when he says he supports the LGBTQ community, Cain became defensive.

First, Cain deflected the concerns, saying he is pro-choice.

“I hope they ask me about my support for gay rights and the fact that I’m pro-choice. I’m happy to have that conversation. I’m not there to do anything other than discuss the film, Gosnell,” Cain said, according to The Advocate. “And I’m pro-choice. That will probably take up the bulk of the time. I’m not there to preach or to lecture—I hope they ask about my support for gay rights.”

But by the time Cain was seated on the stage – where moments before speakers had castigated LGBTQ people – he wasn’t in such a magnanimous mood. When the moderator asked him if he’d received any flak for hobnobbing with hate group leaders, Cain went off.

Related: 16 reasons why Tony Perkins’ Family Research Council is a hate group

“Yes. Certainly. I take that sort of heat and abuse every single day but it doesn’t bother me in the least…it doesn’t make me mad, it just shows people’s intolerance towards listening to another opinion. Just the fact that I’m here, just the fact that I’m here people were blowing me up all day long with the most ridiculous things that you could ever here,” he said.

“Talk about intolerance. It’s ridiculous. I take heat. It doesn’t bother me, I welcome it because I sleep well at night. I know I’m doing something that matches my convictions and my heart and I’ll happily defend the things I say and I stand for.”

The Family Research Council regularly claims that their vociferously insulting speech should be welcomed instead of condemned. They say LGBTQ people should “tolerate” hate speech and accuse anyone who challenges them on it as “intolerant.”

“Love wins when true diversity of thought is tolerated,” the group tweeted during Pride. “Support #FADA” The hashtag stands for the First Amendment Defense Act, the proposed federal law that would allow individuals and businesses to discriminate against LGBT customers.

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