SWITZERLAND: Catholic Bishop Vitus Huonder Says Bible "Unambiguously" Calls For Executing Homosexuals

Swiss Info reports:

Vitus Huonder, the controversial Catholic bishop of Chur in eastern Switzerland, has once again attracted criticism for quoting homophobic Bible passages and denouncing non-traditional family models. At the “Joy in Faith” forum in the German city of Fulda, he quoted a passage from the Bible which said homosexuals should be punished by death. In his 50-minute address on Friday, titled “Marriage – a gift, sacrament and order”, Huonder quoted various passages backing up his views. He also slammed gender theory, divorce, sex education and gay marriage. Regarding homosexuality, the 73-year-old bishop quoted two verses from the book of Leviticus, including Leviticus 20:13: “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.” In response to applause, he continued: “Both of these passages alone suffice to clarify unambiguously the church’s position on homosexuality”. In his opinion, the passages also had implications for the definition of marriage and the family. “There is no diversity when it comes to marriage and family models, although a book has just come out in my bishopric called ‘Family Diversity’,” he said. “Even speaking of family diversity is an attack on the Creator.”

The Swiss LGBT rights group Pink Cross says it is looking into having Huonder charged under hate speech laws. Pink Cross: "It was in the name of these same Bible passages that a Jewish extremist stabbed six people.” Yesterday Huonder released a statement in which he expressed regret that his words were interpreted as "contemptuous."

RELATED: Sanctions against hate speech made on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity were approved by Switzerland's national legislature in March 2015.

CANADA: College Professor Fired After Saying "Queers Should Be Hanged"

CBC News reports:

An Ontario college announced one of its professors "is no longer an employee" at the school after he allegedly posted a homophobic comment on Facebook. St. Lawrence College said it had received a complaint about the recent comment that business professor Rick Coupland allegedly posted on Facebook. Spokeswoman Kelly Wiley called the comment "deeply concerning." "As a result of complaints about comments made on social media that were brought forward to the College, this matter was investigated internally. Mr. Coupland is no longer an employee at St. Lawrence College," the school tweeted on Tuesday. Screenshots of an alleged post by Coupland circulating on social media purport to show him sharing a link to a story about a rainbow flag being raised in St. Petersburg, Fla., accompanied with the comment, "It's the queers they should be hanging, not the flag."

Coupland's Facebook page has been deleted.

Harlem Hate Pastor James David Manning: I'm Gonna Flush Homo Demons To Hell

Somebody needs to remix this a la "eat da poo poo."

PETA Vs NYC's Carriage Horse Industry

PETA and a coalition of animal rights activists have long battled against New York City's horse-drawn carriage industry. In a clip issued today, PETA passingly mentions the health of the animals to focus on homophobic and racist statements made by the drivers. Via the Observer:

Pop star Pink just tweeted PETA’s latest video out to her 26 million plus followers, a video that seems to show carriage drivers in moments of hate speech, racism and bigotry. In the video, which appears to have been stitched together from various encounters over the years, a filming passerby asks a coachman by Central Park why his horse is tied to a lamppost. The coachmen then flicks him off and replies with a series of homophobic slurs. “People who don’t live in New York and don’t come to new york don’t realize how much vitriol and hate is inherent in the carriage trade,” Vice President of Media Communications for PETA Dan Mathews told the Observer. “It loses a lot of its luster, and for people sitting on the fence about it, this behavior has no place on the streets of New York.” The city is no stranger to controversy surrounding the carriage industry—a tight union—and Mayor Bill de Blasio has been lobbying for a ban.

Christian Video Game: Kill The Faggot

ArsTechnica reports that "failed Christian shoe promoter" Randall Hermann yesterday released a video game titled Kill The Faggot. The game briefly appeared on the Greenlight section of the downloadable games site Steam before being yanked following complaints.

Before its removal from Greenlight, games critic Jim Sterling downloaded and tested the game, which launched via Herman's game shop moniker Skaldic Games. The resulting YouTube video revealed a crude game that has players aim a bullseye to shoot and kill people who say such things as, "Can I put my weiner in your butt?" and "Whoops, I just dropped the soap." (After playing a minute of the game, Sterling shouted, "Where is the fucking satire? What is it satirizing? Not really anything. It's just being 'the thing.'") The game makes very clear that its goal is to shoot and kill homosexuals (with liberal use of the pejorative F-word in the game's title, at that). Players get points for killing gay people—more points if the person killed is transgender—and they lose points for any straight people they kill. It's hard to make a judgment call about the "most" offensive thing in this game, but we were particularly disturbed to hear the game's announcer celebrate a kill by saying, "AIDS carrier eliminated."

In a statement posted to another gaming site, Hermann wrote: "These people that think if you are even remotely homophobic, you are 'hateful' and a 'bigot,' and do everything they can to destroy you in every vicious way possible. So I decided to go down a path that most developers are afraid to go down: to piss these people off by making the most overly offensive game possible to these idiots to prove a point."

Hermann appears in the promotional video for a "Christian skate shoe company" that failed to launch last year after its Kickstarter campaign was canceled. According to materials for the shoe company, the product was intended to "promote the words and teachings of Jesus Christ through quality footwear." Herman's Twitter page notes that he is a "composer, 3D artist, game programmer/designer, skateboarder, and follower of Jesus Christ." His IMDb page lists a number of video game credits.

The video game has attracted wide attention on Reddit and in the gaming community. The below review clip of Kill The Faggot has been viewed 118K times since yesterday.

(Tipped by JMG reader Paul)

Harlem Hate Pastor Leads Screamfest For MSNBC To Fire "Coon" Al Sharpton

Saturday afternoon unhinged Harlem hate Pastor James David Manning led a bizarre screaming rally outside a midtown Sheraton where he accused "nappy-haired" MSNBC commentator Al Sharpton of having AIDS, also calling him a "coon" and a "pimp." Sharpton's supporters booed Manning, for which they were called "pinch-nose Negroes" who are probably carrying "books of food stamps." Somehow nobody got arrested.

PREVIOUSLY ON JMG: Last week Manning declared that Christians must be willing to kill to "stop sodomites." In the last few months Manning has claimed that Starbucks laces their lattes with "sodomite semen" (which can get women pregnant), that former President George H.W. Bush has had "anal sex with 100 men," that all gay Americans will "become cannibals" by next year, that Islamists are justified to execute homosexuals, that Justin Bieber is a transgender man, and that Christian preachers should call gay men "faggots" as often as possible. High-profile anti-gay figures regularly appear on Manning's YouTube show, including Peter LaBarbera.

Harlem Hate Pastor: Christians Must Be Willing To Kill To Stop Sodomites

"If we're going to win this battle for the lord God almighty, two things are going to have to happen in terms of our battle strategies. We've got to be willing to die for what we believe. If you believe the word of God, then there is no way you will not die willingly for the cause of Christ. But the other thing - if we're gonna win this battle against Obama, the long-leggy mack daddy, the quasi-Muslim freak, the vice president of both death and hell, against the sodomites, against racism - we're gonna have to be willing to kill as well. You can try to arrest me, saying that I'm inciting murderous behavior. Go ahead and try. See if that will stand up in court.  Let me tell you something, if you're not willing to kill for what you believe, if you're not will to kill those that are diametrically opposed in great evil against you believe, then you're not worthy of his service. You gotta be willing to kill. You gotta be willing to die." - Harlem Pastor James David Manning, in a YouTube clip published today.

Bill Whatcott Flees To The Philippines

Infamous Canadian ex-gay crackpot Bill Whatcott has announced that he has permanently moved to the Philippines. Whatcott has been hauled into court multiple times on charges of hate speech, but in January he won a defamation suit against the CBC over their report that he was distributing the lyrics to a song titled Kill The Homosexuals. One wonders what he's running from in Canada or what he's running to in the Philippines. (Tipped by JMG reader David)

PREVIOUSLY ON JMG: Last year Whatcott and Porno Pete LaBarbera were arrested at a Canadian university after they refused to stop distributing anti-gay materials. When they returned for their trial in October, they preceded their court appearance by picketing the courthouse with anti-gay signs. They were found not guilty in December. Also last year Whatcott infiltrated Vancouver's pride parade under a false name and handed out fake condom packets which featured anti-gay screeds and a photo of an emaciated AIDS patient. In May last year Whatcott filed a complaint against a computer repair store which he claims refused him service on the basis of his religious beliefs.

SWITZERLAND: Hate Speech Bill Passes

Via Gay Star News:

Switzerland has voted for a law to protect LGBTI people from discrimination. The parliament voted with 103 in favor, 73 against and nine abstentions to ensure nobody is targeted with hate speech and discrimination on the basis of their sexual or gender identity. It was an amendment to a law that already protected people of different races or faiths. "It's nice to live in a country that recognizes diversity and supports the same equal protection for everyone." according to Bastian Baumann, Secretary-General of Pink Cross. Secretary General of The Swiss Lesbian Organization, Barbara Lanthemann, added: "The law is not only important for LGBT organizations; it also improves the daily life of lesbians and gays."

Last month the lower chamber of the Swiss Parliament approved a same-sex marriage bill. Should it be approved by the upper chamber, its enactment would require passage via a national referendum. In 1999 Switzerland banned anti-LGBT discrimination in business and employment. Partnership rights were recognized in 2007. In 2001 Swiss voters overwhelming rejected a campaign to join the European Union.

New York City Issues Multiple Violations Over Sign At Harlem Hate Church

Via DNA Info:

A city-issued violation could force the controversial Atlah Worldwide Church to take down its controversial sign — which often displays homophobic and racist messages — after multiple failed attempts by critics who tried to pressure the church to put a stop to what they called hate speech. The church on 123rd Street and Lenox Avenue — which is a landmarked building — was hit with five violations Thursday for altering the structure without permits, according to the Landmarks Preservation Commission. Atlah’s infamous sign, which Pastor James David Manning uses to broadcast messages like “Jesus would stone homos,” and “Obama has released the homo demons on the black man,” was installed without the commission's authorization, spokeswoman Damaris Olivo said. The violations were issued because the sign was erected without approval, not because of the content of the messages it displayed, Olivo said.

Pastor James David "Semen Lattes" Manning has been ordered to appeared for a hearing before the Landmarks Commission on May 4th. Besides the sign, violations were issued for the unpermitted changes of installing a fence on Lenox Avenue and removing a balcony in the church.

PREVIOUSLY ON JMG: In the last few months Manning has declared that Starbucks laces their lattes with "sodomite semen" (which can get women pregnant), that former President George H.W. Bush has had "anal sex with 100 men," that all gay Americans will "become cannibals" by next year, that Islamists are justified to execute homosexuals, that Justin Bieber is a transgender man, and that Christian preachers should call gay men "faggots" as often as possible. High-profile anti-gay figures regularly appear on Manning's YouTube show, including Peter LaBarbera.

CALIFORNIA: Christian Activist Files Ballot Measure For Executing All Homosexuals

A Christian activist named Matt McLaughlin has filed a proposed ballot measure with the California Attorney General's office which would ask voters to approve the death penalty for homosexuality.  Wonkette has tried to identify McLaughlin:

The ballot initiative filing with the AG’s office offers little in the way of clues to McLaughlin’s identity, but there is an address that matches that of a lawyer by that name and address on avvo.com. When we looked the address up, it turned out to be a Mail Box Express store in Huntington Beach. Huh. That is definitely not a law office! In approximately four minutes of thorough searching, we also couldn’t come up with any legal cases involving a Matthew G. McLaughlin, and then we suddenly had to go read all of the think pieces about what color that dress was (#TeamGoldAndWhite), so we got distracted.

We DID get a hit on a Matt McLaughlin, lawyer, same Mail Box Express address, BOOM, who in 2004 submitted a citizen ballot initiative to give bibles to all public school kids in California, grades 1-12, because “great literature.” That initiative was way less crazy than the “sodomite” one (although still very crazy), and, as a Literate Person and also A English Major, we see the value of learning about how the Bible has impacted Western literature. More to the point, that initiative included an opt-out provision. However. Groups like the Anti-Defamation League and Americans United for Separation of Church and State were extremely suspicious, and McLaughlin didn’t collect the required number of signatures, so it didn’t go anywhere.

In order for the gay death penalty to be put to California voters, the backers of an initiative must pay the $200 filing fee (which has been done in this case) and then collect petition signatures equal to 5% of the total votes cast in the last gubernatorial election. Per the results of the 2014 election, McLaughlin must gather about 366K names. Below is opening text of his Sodomite Suppression Act.

American Family Association: Please Stop Attributing Bryan Fischer's Batshit-Crazy Comments To Our Organization

In a letter to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the American Family Association today denounced a laundry list of claims by their radio host Bryan Fischer and demanded that such batshit-crazy declarations not be attributed to their organization in the future.  

Right Wing Watch provides the text of the AFA's list:

AFA rejects the idea expressed by Bryan Fischer that "Free exercise of religion" only applies to Christians. Consequently, AFA rejects Bryan's assertions that Muslims should not be granted permits to build mosques in the United States;

AFA rejects the ideas expressed by Bryan Fischer that the violent expulsion of Native Americans was divinely ordained and that, "Superstition, savagery and sexual immorality" morally disqualified Native Americans from "sovereign control of American soil."

AFA rejects the ideas expressed by Bryan Fischer that "we" need to clamp down on immigration because Hispanics are socialist by nature and vote Democratic because it allows them to "benefit from the plunder of the wealth of the United States."

AFA rejects Bryan Fischer's characterization of minorities as "people who rut like rabbits."

AFA rejects the statement by Bryan Fischer that, "Homosexuality gave us Adolph Hitler, and homosexuals in the military gave us the Brown Shirts, the Nazi war machine and six million dead Jews."

AFA rejects the policy advocated by Bryan Fischer that homosexual conduct should be illegal.

AFA rejects the notion advocated by Bryan Fischer that, "We need an underground railroad to protect innocent children from same-sex households."

AFA rejects Bryan Fischer's statement that, "If Hillary Clinton becomes president In 2016, she will not only be our first female president, she could be our first lesbian president."

In light of this notice, do not continue to charge AFA with the statements by Bryan Fischer that we have repudiated. When identifying "hate groups" in the context of training military or law enforcement personnel, do not put AFA in a false light by quoting Mr. Fischer's statements that we have repudiated.

To the AFA's request we say FUCK THAT. Bryan Fischer is paid by the AFA, his office is staffed by the AFA, and his vile words are broadcast nationwide every motherfucking day by the AFA. As long at that continues to be the case, the American Family Association OWNS every fucking word that Bryan Fisher spews.

The SPLC feels likewise:

Without ending Mr. Fischer’s talk show, without apologizing for the bigoted statements that he, Mr. Wildmon, and others associated with the AFA have made, and without making it crystal clear that the AFA will not tolerate any such statements in the future, the AFA’s 11th-hour disavowal of Mr. Fischer appears to serve only one purpose: to give the AFA a degree of plausible deniability while it continues to spew hateful rhetoric. It’s a shell game and a transparent one at that.

Hate Pastor James Manning: Islamists Are Right To Execute Homosexuals

Harlem hate Pastor James David Manning appeared on Young Turks yesterday where he declared that Islamists are justified in executed homosexuals. Interestingly, Manning later confesses that he was "tempted by the gay lifestyle" during his time in a Florida prison. Oh, and Starbucks is still totally lacing their lattes with sodomite semen.

(Tipped by JMG reader DM)

GEORGIA: Atlanta Fire Chief Fired For Handing Out His Anti-Gay Book At Work

On the same day that he returned from his suspension, Atlanta Fire Department Chief Kelvin Cochran was fired today by Mayor Kasim Reed for distributing his self-published anti-gay book to his subordinates. Via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Cochran returned to work today following a month-long suspension for inflammatory comments in his 2013 book “Who Told You That You Are Naked?” Many criticized the book as promoting discriminatory and anti-gay views, while Cochran’s suspension has become the focus of a fight over “religious liberty.” Cochran could not be immediately reached for comment on Tuesday. Among what city leaders said were troubling remarks in the fire chief’s book was a description of homosexuality as a “perversion” akin to bestiality and pederasty. Reed said in November that such writings were inconsistent with the city’s employment policies and opened an investigation into potential discrimination within the fire department. The findings of that investigation have not yet been released.

An opinion column in today's AJC says Cochran forced his own firing by declaring that he would continue to disparage gays and non-Christians at the workplace.

When you have more than 1,000 people working under your command, you can’t go around publicly suggesting that some of them are perverts on a par with those who indulge in bestiality or child sexual abuse, as Cochran did in a self-published book. When you serve as a top manager in a government that has pledged not to discriminate on the grounds of sexual orientation, you can’t suggest to workers that such discrimination might be justified, as Cochran did by distributing copies of that book to his subordinates. (Apparently, Cochran had been advised by the city ethics office against publishing the book, but chose to do so anyway.) And when you have been suspended without pay from your job, as Cochran was, you can’t make it clear during the suspension that you intend to continue such statements and then expect that you’ll be reinstated.

Local LGBT activists are applauding Reed's decision to terminate Cochran. Via the Georgia Voice:

“Certainly we agree with Mayor Reed’s position on this and his rationale for it,” said Georgia Equality Executive Director Jeff Graham moments after the announcement was made. Georgia Equality had called for Cochran to be fired. Cochran’s anti-gay views could only make for a hostile work environment, Graham noted. “This is not about his religious views but his about his ability to lead a diverse work force,” he said. “It’s unfortunate that this had to happen. I feel the mayor has done the right thing to ensure all employees are treated fairly.”

When Cochran was first suspended, I predicted that a "new martyr" had been born. As noted in the above-linked reports, since then Cochran has indeed been lionized as yet another victim of homofascism. We expect those screams to become even louder after today.

BRITAIN: Catholic Charity Head Arrested For Distributing Anti-Gay Leaflets

A monk who was arrested in Cambridge earlier this week for distributing homophobic leaflets has been revealed to be the head of a Scotland-based Catholic charity. Via Pink News:

53-year-old Damon Jonah Kelly from Corby, Northamptonshire was arrested on 8 December on suspicion of a Section 5 public order offence. He was bailed until 20 January, at which point he will return to Huntington Police Station in Cambridge. PinkNews has discovered that Kelly, who is actually a monk, is the director of the Scotland based charity the Black Hermits. Leaflets distributed in the city in October claimed that AIDS is God’s punishment for gays, homosexuality is linked to paedophilia, and that transgender people should be exorcised. However, Cambridge Police previously declined to take action to stop the anti-gay leaflets – stating they are covered by freedom of speech laws and are not a crime. A separate arrest was made in Brighton in connection with the distribution of homophobic leaflets last month.

ARIZONA: Hate Pastor Doubles Down: The Government Should Execute Gays

"I believe in the bible. If I didn't, I wouldn't be a Baptist." Watch a local news anchor do an admirable job tangling with nutcase Pastor Steven Anderson. Jeremy Hooper weighs in at Good As You: "Let me be the first to say to Steven Anderson: PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE KEEP SPEAKING. I can literally hear the clicking of the lightbulbs going on over the heads of newly enlightened Arizonans who hadn't realized how ugly the anti-gay movement can and does get."

Pastor Says World Could Have "AIDS-Free Christmas" If All Gays Are Executed

"Turn to Leviticus 20:13 because I actually discovered the cure for AIDS. 'If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them.' And that, my friend, is the cure for AIDS. It was right there in the Bible all along — and they’re out spending billions of dollars in research and testing. It’s curable — right there. Because if you executed the homos like God recommends, you wouldn’t have all this AIDS running rampant." - Arizona-based Pastor Steve Anderson, adding that the world could have an "AIDS-free Christmas" if all homosexuals were executed.

PREVIOUSLY ON JMG: Anderson tells Michelangelo Signorile that any gay man who says he isn't a pedophile is lying and that he hopes Signorile "dies of brain cancer like Ted Kennedy." Anderson claims that former Rep. Barney Frank has been arrested for pedophilia. Anderson publicly prays for God to murder President Obama.

Christian Leader Matt Barber Runs Column From Advocate Of Executing Homosexuals

Peter Montgomery writes at Right Wing Watch:

As we’ve noted before, Matt Barber’s website BarbWire has become quite the outlet for extremists. Today, BarbWire promotes as one of its “Top Stories” a column called “Repent! For the Kingdom of Sodom is At Hand.” Columnist Philip Stallings bemoans growing support for LGBT equality among millennials, blaming it on “the public school system’s indoctrination of wickedness.” Stallings praises civil magistrates in North Carolina who have refused to issue marriage certificates to “sodomites.” [snip] Stallings is identified on BarbWire as a “Political Theonomist.” That’s a term used by Christian Reconstructionists who believe government should be enforcing their interpretation of Old Testament law, like Gary North and Michelle Bachman mentor John Eidsmoe. Turns out that’s exactly what Stallings believes. His Twitter feed links to a Christian radio show on which he spent nearly half an hour on August 25 arguing that the government should execute homosexuals – or “sodomites.”

Listen to Stalling's full radio appearance in which he startles the host when he argues that homosexuals should be executed. The excerpt from Right Wing Watch is below.

UPDATE: Readers point out that it appears Stallings has quite the criminal history. Check it out here and here.

Harlem Hate Pastor: Oklahoma Beheading Victim Was Killed For Being A "Sodomite"

In one of his typically raving and spittle-flecked rants posted today, Harlem hate Pastor James David Manning declared that the victim in last week's beheading in Oklahoma was targeted because the killer "knew she was a sodomite." (Manning, as you may know, regularly posts church signs calling for homosexuals to be stoned to death.) No media reports have identified the victim, Colleen Hufford, as a lesbian.  A memorial fund set up yesterday describes Hufford as a "loyal wife, mother, and a doting grandmother." Photos on a Facebook memorial page appear to show Hufford with her husband. 

Street Preachers At Southern Decadence

Infamous street preacher Ruben Israel and his motley crew of nutjobs once again parked on a New Orleans street corner this weekend to scream condemnation at strangers trying to enjoy a Southern Decadence parade. "You deserve death! You deserve hellfire! You deserve AIDS! You perverts! Jesus is love!" One of their banners reads: "Homo sex is a threat to national security."