How Can Conservative Christians Stop Calling LGBTQ People Groomers and Look Inward at Sexual Assault Inside the Church?

Spencer Macnaughton | Uncloseted Media Weekly Newsletter

Last week, I interviewed the founder of “Hetero Awesome Fest,” which is essentially an anti-LGBTQ Straight Pride under the guise of a religious event that’s meant to celebrate “faith, family and freedom.”

Mark Fitzpatrick told me he’s taking the festival to the next level this year by launching a 501(c)(3) charity called “Heterosexual Awesomeness, Inc.”

Fitzpatrick, a devout Christian, has said his motivation for starting this charity is that the LGBTQ community is “wicked, perverse and [one that] victimizes children” and that Pride is associated with “disgusting and criminal activity.”

There are so many Christian Americans who, like Fitzpatrick, believe LGBTQ people are one-dimensional: hypersexual predators or pedophiles coming for your kids.

And the data just doesn’t support that. Between 1950 and 2020, there were about 216,000 victims of sexual abuse carried out by the French Catholic Church’s clergy. And a 2019 investigation into the Southern Baptist Churches revealed over 380 individuals were accused of sexual misconduct, resulting in 700 victims since 1988.

It got me thinking about how much wasted time, money and resources people like Fitzpatrick are putting toward a problem that doesn’t need fixing. What’s worse is this energy is being taken away from the support that could be given to the countless innocent children who have been victims of sexual assault in churches around the world.

I have met many conservative Christians who are well-meaning but—for whatever reason—are trying to save queer people while the predators are often sitting in the pews of their very own churches.

If we were able to get all the Mark Fitzpatricks on board with taking a data-driven approach to fighting back against grooming and pedophilia, there would be transformative work done to dismantle the systemic, pervasive epidemic of sexual assault in conservative Christian spaces.

The Fitzpatricks could chip away at and start to erode patriarchal governance structures. They could train pastors to encourage child survivors of sexual assault to feel like they have the agency to come forward. They could dismantle the notion that so-called gossip is sacrilegious if it has to do with assault or abuse of power. And they could teach kids that there can be exceptions to forgiveness and that you can and should do what it takes to hold rapists, abusers and pedophiles accountable.

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• Save the date and RSVP now! On June 3rd in DC, I will interview Kara Swisher—the host of “On with Kara Swisher,” cohost of “Pivot” and the author of “Burn Book: A Tech Love Story”—about reporting on LGBTQ issues in today’s political climate. The conversation will be followed by a Q&A. Drinks will be served and the event is free. Please RSVP ASAP as space is limited. We look forward to seeing you. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️📰 Let’s celebrate LGBTQ journalism!

• We are excited to announce we are a finalist for the National Institute for Health Care Management (NIHCM) Foundation Journalism Awards for our HIV Prevention story. Winners will be announced in June.

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Over the next week, be on the lookout for new Uncloseted reporting:

• 🆕 In 2025, bathroom laws targeting transgender individuals are resurging, forcing them into spaces that don't align with their gender identity. In states like Ohio and Florida, where bathroom bans are the law, we follow two trans people as they follow the law and use bathrooms that don’t match their gender identity. Briden Schueren, a trans man, and Ashley Brundage, a trans woman, share their painful and awkward experiences of using public restrooms under these laws.

• 🆕 On Tuesday, as anti-trans legislation and violence against the trans community intensifies, more trans women are turning to guns for protection. Jake Angelo speaks to trans women across the country about why many of them feel like carrying is more important than ever.

Thanks for reading! Feel free to email me with questions, complaints and story ideas!

Spencer Macnaughton, Editor-In-Chief — spencer@unclosetedmedia.com

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