A pastor and his fellow “Biblical Christians” blasted the Lady Lake Commission on Monday night for a proclamation in June in support of LGBTQ Pride Month.
Pastor Paul Harsh of First Baptist Church of Lady Lake and a group of individuals from at least two other churches took to the podium at the commission meeting and asked commissioners to rescind their support of the previously approved LGBTQ Pride Month proclamation.
They pointed to the book of Romans in the Bible as proof that homosexuality is a sin.
Harsh highlighted his many past years of support of the commission, for whom he has regularly opened meetings with prayer, but said he could not support the LGBTQ Pride Month proclamation.
He called homosexuality an “abomination.”
You can see Pastor Harsh’s entire remarks here:
After the meeting, he blamed Commissioner Treva Roberts, who is gay, for the LGBTQ Pride Month proclamation.
“We never had this until we had a homosexual member,” Harsh said.
For her part, Roberts did not respond to Harsh or any other individuals who spoke out against the proclamation. However, Roberts did tell Villages-News.com prior to the meeting that she believes in free speech and supports the rights of those who want to speak out, even if it’s against the commission.
Ralph Shaffer also relied on Bible to back up his belief that homosexuality is a sin.
“We who know the truth about the promiscuous life choice must give warning to those not informed,” Shaffer said. “People may live in fantasy land, however we do not need to promote their delusion.”
Mayor Ed Freeman tried to adjourn the meeting with his gavel, but others, who had not followed the commission comment card procedure, demanded the right to address the commission. Freeman allowed them to speak.
But they were enraged by the mayor’s closing comment.
“The proclamation stands,” he said.