Kevin Swanson is the latest Christian
conservative to criticize Taylor Swift over her support for a federal
LGBT protections bill.
The Equality Act, which
cleared the U.S. House last month, seeks to add protections
against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender
identity to existing civil rights laws.
President Donald Trump has signaled
that he's opposed to the legislation.
(Related: LGBT
groups respond to Trump's opposition to Equality Act: “We're
Disgusted.”)
Swift's video for the single “You
Need to Calm Down” calls on the Senate to approve the legislation.
In the video, Swift and a number of
openly LGBT celebrities from Laverne Cox to RuPaul and Ellen
DeGeneres are living a rainbow-colored life in a trailer park as
homophobes protest on the sidelines.
The video ends with an appeal to sign a
petition calling on the Senate to take up the Equality Act: “Let's
show our pride by demanding that, on a national level, our laws truly
treat all of our citizens equally. Please sign my petition for Senate
support of the Equality Act on Change.org.”
(Related: Chris
Pappas: People have waited way too long for the Equality Act.)
During his Thursday radio show, Swanson
told listeners that Swift was a “fool” for not “fearing” God.
“Taylor Swift, most popular female
singer in America today, released a song promoting the Leviticus 16
list of abominations, pretty much.” Swanson told his “Generations”
radio listeners. “‘You Need to Calm Down’ is the name of the
song, and she’s apparently telling God to calm down about all of
his ethical concerns. I don’t think it’s going to be effective,
but that’s what she’s doing.”
The Equality Act, Swanson said, is
“intended to persecute Christians if they don’t want to celebrate
homosexual, heathen rites and rituals.”
“So what do we say to Taylor Swift
and her new concoction ‘You Need to Calm Down’?” he
rhetorically asked. “I think we just tell Taylor Swift that
she’s a fool. That she doesn’t fear God, and sooner or later, God
will cut her down. And may she be broken at the Cross of Jesus Christ
and realize she’s a sinner and she’s a sinner in desperate need
of a savior. And that’s the message for all of us.”
(Related: Mat
Staver criticizes Taylor Swift's support for LGBT protections bill
Equality Act.)