Jeffress was the pastor at First Baptist Church in Wichita Falls, Texas when a church member checked out the books (now classics of LGBTQ-inclusive children’s literature) and brought them to him, reported the New York Times in 1998. Jeffress wrote the library a check for their cost and refused to return them, saying that he wanted to protect children from homosexuality, because (according to him) it causes death from AIDS.
Publicity over the event sparked interest in the books, however, and the library administrator was forced to buy more copies in order to adhere to library rules that keep patron waiting times low. Community members also donated at least 15 copies.
Jeffress, a Southern Baptist, is known for being anti-LGBTQ, as well as anti-Muslim and anti-Mormon. While the prayer service he led was not an official inauguration event (unlike the one at the National Cathedral later in the day), such a pre-inauguration service has become traditional. Jeffress actively campaigned for Trump during the election and is part of his evangelical advisory board (which reads like a list of anti-LGBTQ all-stars).
Jeffress’ sermon centered around a passage from Nehemiah, and read, in part:
And the first step of rebuilding the nation was the building of a great wall. God instructed Nehemiah to build a wall around Jerusalem to protect its citizens from enemy attack. You see, God is NOT against building walls!
May his efforts here backfire just as they did when he attempted to remove Heather and Daddy’s Roommate. (And while Daddy’s Roommate feels a little dated now, author Lesléa Newman has recently put out a new, 25th anniversary edition of Heather, with updated, improved text and illustrations. Clearly the controversies over the book haven’t slowed her down.)
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