Congressman cancels speech at antigay conference (6964)

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Congressman cancels speech at antigay conference
 Advocate.com Editors
          
          Nov 15, 2002
          
        
Advocate.com Editors
 See Full Bio 
       U.S. representative Joseph R. Pitts, a Republican from Pennsylvania, abruptly canceled an appearance at a religious conference this weekend after learning Wednesday that members of the group sponsoring the gathering support executing gay people and abortion providers and stoning disobedient children. 

Pitts was scheduled to speak Saturday at the conference, sponsored by the Immanuel Free Reformed Church and the National Reform Association. The association supports imposing biblical law over U.S. law. 

Religious liberty watchdog group Americans United for Separation of Church and State wrote a letter to Pitts on November 12 urging the congressman to cancel his appearance and calling the members of the National Reform Association "so extreme, they would make the mullahs in Iran blush. Their bizarre agenda should be repudiated, not endorsed, by members of Congress." 
     

        
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Congressman cancels speech at antigay conference

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Congressman cancels speech at antigay conference

FROM OUR SPONSORS

The Latest

Judge Eboni K. Williams put the bigoted father on blast in a clip that's racking up millions of views.

President Melissa Gilliam called it a “pause,” not a reversal, after backlash spread across campus.

Cameryn Lovett says she was responding to a student’s anti-gay remarks when the district gave her an ultimatum.

A teacher in Little Miami had the poster that celebrated diverse identities up for nearly four years before LGBTQ+ flags caused an uproar.

LGBTQ+ stories deserve to betold.

More For You

Most Popular

A new Republican state law restricts Pride flags, but the capital city is finding other ways to show it stands with LGBTQ+ residents.

Opinion: A recent Wall Street Journal op-ed divorcing "gay" from "queer" people reinforces a hierarchy of belonging that privileges proximity to straightness, rewards conformity, and marginalizes anyone who cannot or will not meet its terms, argues Josh Ackley.

The justices focused on how the law was written, not the science behind conversion therapy. But the impact could still be significant.

Calls for removal are escalating as the president’s violent language blurs the line between attacking Iran’s government and committing genocide against its people.

The decision means schools can restrict certain books and LGBTQ+ topics in class while courts continue to weigh the law’s constitutionality.

What’s framed as literacy is a roadmap to marginalize LGBTQ+ students and erode secular education, writes John Casey.