Rick Wiles (Photo: Right Wing Watch) and Richard E Weber (Photo: Facebook)
The death of an LGBTQ lawyer who contracted COVID-19 coronavirus was God’s “judgment,” according to a Trump-approved pastor.
Richard E. Weber, a board member of the LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York, died last week due to complications from the virus, Bloomberg Lawreports.
The 57-year-old helped manage LeGaL’s free legal clinic, and LeGaL executive director Eric Lesh described him as “kind,” “always smiling,” and someone who brought “joy and exuberance” to others.
“He was a loving, kind and caring human being who gave generously of his legal talents and his energy to the LGBTQ community,” he told New York Daily News.
But Weber’s death has been branded “a judgment” from God by End Times broadcaster Rick Wiles, Right Wing Watch reports.
Speaking on his “TruNews” program, the conservative figure — who was recently granted press credentials by the White House — called coronavirus a “plague” and tied Weber’s death to his work for the LGBT Bar Association.
“He was a senior lawyer for the LGBT Bar Association of New York,” Wiles said. “The lawyers who sue churches, the lawyers who sue ministries…one of their senior lawyers for the gay rights movement died today in New York City of the coronavirus.
“There is a judgment, I’m telling you, a plague is underway,” he continued. “Get under the blood of Jesus Christ. Do not be in opposition to the Lord Jesus Christ and his church!”
He added: “There is a plague underway. There is a death angel across the world, and your only safety is in Christ.”
Wiles has a history of anti-LGBTQ, anti-Semitic, and bigoted statements, and made headlines earlier this year after saying that coronavirus will “purge” gay people.
Again calling coronavirus a plague from God, he said it was sent to “purge a lot of sin off this planet.”
Wiles’ comments are part of a trend of conservative figures blaming gay people for coronavirus or suggesting it was sent by God because of LGBTQ acceptance.
Last week, a Tennessee pastor said coronavirus was a “reckoning” from God because of marriage equality.
That same week, a guest host on The Rush Limbaugh Show said gay people are the reason San Francisco was placed on lockdown.
Conservative author Mark Steyn said the city’s mayor didn’t want “all the gays dropping dead” in a “big gay apocalypse,” and said gay people are “the ones with all the compromised immune systems from all the protease inhibitors and all the other stuff.”
And earlier this month, an Orthodox rabbi in Israel and an American pastor both claimed that coronavirus was divine punishment for allowing LGBTQ people to exist.
Colton Ford, a gay former adult film star and musical artist, has died at age 62, according to social media posts from close friends.
According to the WeHo Times, Ford -- whose real name was Glenn Soukesian -- died on Monday, May 19. Details are scarce, but some reports claim he was involved in a "hiking accident" over the weekend.
"With a very heavy heart I share this tragic news," his friend Tim Wood wrote in a Facebook post. "While we don't have all the details, I never would have dreamed that the photo below of Glenn Soukesian (Colton Ford) and I from 3 weeks ago would be our last.
A monument honoring the gay victims of the Nazi regime -- as well as all LGBTQ people who have been persecuted throughout history -- was recently unveiled in Paris.
Designed by French artist Jean-Luc Verna, the monument consists of a massive steel star, dark on one side and reflective silver on the other. It's embedded in the public gardens close to the Bastille Plaza.
Verna, an LGBTQ activist, commented on the monument's color scheme, noting that "there's a black side in front of us, forcing us to remember.... At certain times of the day, it casts a long shadow on the ground, evoking the dangers looming over, sadly."
The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously revived a 2020 lawsuit by Marlean Ames, who claims she was discriminated against for being heterosexual by the Ohio Department of Youth Services.
The 61-year-old had worked for the department since 2004. A decade later, she was promoted to administrator of the Prison Rape Elimination Act. But she claimed that the conflict started after she began reporting to a lesbian woman, according to The Hill.
In 2019, Ames interviewed for another position within the department but was not hired. Her supervisor suggested she retire, and days later, Ames was demoted, with a significant pay cut. A 25-year-old gay man was subsequently promoted to her old position. Months later, a lesbian woman was chosen for the position for which she had applied.
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