“Mayor Buttigieg says he’s a gay Christian. As a Christian, I believe the Bible which defines homosexuality as a sin, something to be repentant of, not something to be flaunted or praised or politicized. The Bible says marriage is between a man and a woman, not two men, not two women.” Revered Franklin Graham. 

Oh, Franklin, allow me to point out the folly of your ways. Mayor Buttigieg did not “flaunt” or “praise” his homosexuality. On the contrary, he recalled his fervent wish that he could have taken a pill if that would have made him straight, the pain he experienced in hiding who he was, the difficulty of coming out. Moreover, it is not Mayor Buttigieg who has politicized homosexuality but evangelical “Christians” (quotes used advisedly), such as yourself, who have done so for several decades. Your snide tweet merely confirms that you’re trying to stay in Trump’s good graces by bashing Buttigieg, a presidential contender 

Trump pretended to be Christian to get elected, despite his totally unChristian life, a life characterized by breaking almost every Commandment in the Book. Trump’s lackey White House President Secretary Sarah Sanders goes along with this false narrative, even claiming that God wanted Trump to be President. Sanders’ fatuous assertion prompted Peter Guthrie, a commentator on WBUR, to note, “Would we now assume that God thinks it’s all right to boast about sexually assaulting women? Or does God believe that all Mexican immigrants are rapists? Or does God condone pathological lying to advance one’s cause?” 

Unafraid of pointing out the hateful hypocrisy of Christians who castigate gays, Buttigieg said to Vice President Mike Pence, “If you got a problem with who I am, your problem is not with me — your quarrel, sir, is with my Creator.” Boom! 

Speaking of Mike Pence. A recent occurrence at Taylor University, an evangelical Christian university in Indiana, suggests that the Franklin Grahams and Jerry Falwells and Pat Robertsons of the world are stumbling blindly along on the road to extinction. 

When the President of Taylor University invited Pence to give the Commencement address, a Taylor graduate submitted a petition to students, faculty and alumni which said, in part, “Inviting VP Pence to Taylor University and giving him a coveted platform for his political views makes our alumni, faculty, staff and current students complicit in the Trump-Pence Administration’s policies, which we believe are not consistent with the Christian ethic of love we hold dear.” That petition collected over 2,800 signatures; again, Taylor is an evangelical Christian university. Another Boom! 

Oh, and here’s another story for Franklin Graham and his fellow homophobes. A group of students at a confirmation class at a historic United Methodist Church in Omaha recently took the unprecedented step of refusing to join the church. To quote one of the students: “We want to be clear that while we love our congregation, we believe the United Methodist policies on LGBTQ clergy and same-sex marriage are immoral.” On a brighter note, the congregation gave the eight teens a standing ovation. 

And yet one more. Brigham Young University student Matt Easton announced he was gay during his valedictory address at the recent commencement. He got a rousing ovation. 

A May 2018 Gallup poll revealed that 67 percent of Americans approve of same-sex marriage. With younger voters — even with younger evangelical Christians — same-sex marriage has become essentially a non-issue; GOP nabobs take note. 

I feel strongly on this issue for both personal and humanitarian reasons. Several members of my greater family (immediate and by marriage) have come out. I have had gay bosses, gay co-workers and gay employees. I love the theater, especially musical theater, an art form long dependent on the immense contributions of gay actors, singers and dancers. Indeed, I appreciate all the arts. Imagine our world without the arts. Imagine the arts without the contributions of gays and lesbians. 

On the humanitarian front, I would no more want to oust gays from the human family than I’d reject blue-eyed people or left-handed people or short people. The issue, in my view, is that clearcut, that simple. 

So, Reverend Graham, the next time you’re inclined to send out a tweet to boost your pal Trump’s presidential hopes, you might want to take a time out and bow your head in prayer until the urge goes away. 

David Treadwell, a Brunswick writer, welcomes commentary and suggestions for future “Just a Little Old” columns. dtreadw575@aol.com.