Donald Trump shares stage with rightwing activist who’s discussing stoning gay people to death

A rightwing activist whose rally Donald Trump spoke at last week in Arizona is now telling his podcast audience that the Bible calls on Christians to stone gay people to death and saying that being gay is “an error” and compared homosexuality to drug addiction and alcoholism.

Turning Point USA founder and executive director Charlie Kirk was discussing children’s YouTuber Ms. Rachel, who was targeted by rightwingers earlier this month because she acknowledged that June is Pride Month on social media.

Related: Charlie Kirk claims China will invade Taiwan because an American high school hosted a drag show

The far-right “youth” leader is one of Trump’s biggest cheerleaders.

“I’m so glad you’re here, I’m so glad you’re who you are,” she said in the fairly anodyne message.

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She later posted a video responding to the rightwing backlash – many on the right, including Chaya Raichik of Libs of TikTok and “Christian fascist” Matt Walsh, accused her of supporting “child mutilation” and “gender ideology” – where she pointed out that she is Christian and her Christianity inspires her to want to help build an accepting world for everyone.

“In Matthew 22, a religious teacher asks Jesus, ‘What’s the most important commandment?'” Ms. Rachel says in the video. “And Jesus says to love God and to love your neighbor as yourself.”

“There’s no greater commandments than these, I believe it’s mentioned eight times, love your neighbor.”

That made Kirk mad.

“I mean, Satan has quoted scripture plenty,” Kirk retorted. “You love somebody by telling the truth, not by confirming or affirming their sin.”

“And it says, by the way Ms. Rachel, you might wanna crack open that Bible of yours, in a lesser referenced part of the same part of scripture is in Leviticus 18 is that thou shall… Lay with another man and be stoned to death,” Kirk continued.

“Just sayin’,” he said, smiling as his co-hosts laughed. “So, Ms. Rachel, you quote Leviticus 19, love your neighbor as yourself, the chapter before affirms God’s perfect law when it comes to sexual matters.”

He was referring to Leviticus 18:22, which says, “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination,” and Leviticus 20:13, which says, “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.”

While criticizing YouTuber Ms. Rachel for quoting “love your neighbor” to defend celebrating pride month, Charlie Kirk quoted a Bible verse used to justify stoning gay people “to death.”

Kirk called the stoning verse, “God’s perfect law when it comes to sexual matters.” pic.twitter.com/2b5oHQLmy3

— PatriotTakes