Pastors who oppose drag queen show have been quiet about many threats to children and country

Editor:

The pastors and community leaders have every right to express their views as does every other person outlined in the first amendment in the constitution.

I don’t think any of those pastors and named individuals who signed the letter to the editor on Sept. 15 intended to infringe on the freedoms of assembly or expression as outlined in the first amendment of the constitution. To do that would be of course… un-American. However, as the old proverb goes… “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”

Unfortunately, that’s exactly what they did. They used their pulpits and community positions to publicly pressure The Lockstone from holding “Drag Me to Brunch,” a 21-plus event because it does not align with their own version of Christian worldview.

They misrepresented the danger to children in a time when there is already loads of misinformation and disinformation involving the LGBTQ+ community, who are constantly targeted, harassed and threatened as being predators and pedophiles. If you look at the math (numbers don’t lie), you would see that children are in far more danger with pastors and clergy than with a drag queen.

Even more concerning is that we live in an era of prolific gun violence with mass shootings occurring almost every day, of every week, of every month in this country. If these pastors are concerned for the safety of the children who will not be in attendance of the event, then what about the safety of the patrons and performers?

Is not all life sacred or does that only serve its purpose when it comes to those they deem acceptable in their worldview? Why would they now misrepresent the danger and rile up the community calling even more attention to something they disagree with when there’s been a strip club operating in Bergen, NY for the past how many years?

I’d like to know where their outrage was when the ReAwaken Tour was invited to Batavia by the Cornerstone Church earlier this year whose speakers include election deniers, conspiracy theorists, and white supremacists who are “recruiting an ‘Army of God’” according to retired Gen. Michael Flynn, one of the tour’s speakers. A few of us did ask for that event to be canceled out of legitimate concern that the speakers regurgitate dangerous conspiracy theories like the “Great Replacement Theory” which was a motivator during the 2022 Buffalo Massacre. Let us remember that ten of our Black brothers and sisters were murdered in cold-blood by a young white-supremacist that was radicalized by hate speech and conspiracy theories.

If these pastors and individuals who are still named on the letter are so concerned about the children then I ask every one of them to consider canceling the remainder of their fall services to call attention and hold discussions about legitimate concerns of child abuse and molestation. Wouldn’t it be great if we could have a fair and open conversation about something that wasn’t so self serving?

We all unfortunately run the risk of falling into an echo chamber where our beliefs are shaped by the constant reinforcement of like-minded individuals, especially online. The real danger may be that of social media and the warped left vs. right algorithms that shape the content we are exposed to that does not necessarily reflect reality. I’ve noticed at least one person has revoked their name from the letter and for that I applaud you. It may be a small step but isn’t that all it takes? May your coffee cup ever be full.

Sincerely,

Dylan Miller

Albion