A transgender pastor from North Dakota, USA, has caused outrage on social media after comparing the struggles faced by the trans community to Jesus being betrayed and crucified. In a video while delivering an Easter sermon, Pastor Micah Louwagie of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America was relating the treatment of the Nashville school shooting where Audrey Hale, a transgender 28-year-old woman killed six people.
In the controversial sermon made on April 2, the pastor spoke about the suffering that Jesus endured on the cross, comparing it to the struggles of the trans community. Pastor Louwagie went on to say that just as Jesus was betrayed by Judas, the trans community is betrayed by society.
She told the St. Mark’s Lutheran Church congregation: “Instead of focusing on ways this could’ve been prevented, such as gun control, a significant number of people have turned their attention to the shooter’s identity.”
She continued: “Instead of focusing on the number one cause of child death in this country is now gunshot wounds.
“Some folks have tried to focus on eradicating trans people as a solution, because they have been waiting, just waiting for an opportunity such as this. They’ve been waiting for a reason, any reason to stoke their hatred.”
He further condemned those who sideline and criticize transgender community. He said: “marginalised folks, those of us with the least amount of privilege and power, they need those who have more privilege and power than they do to physically place their bodies between them and the people, powers and institutions that are literally killing them.”
The pastor’s comments have drawn sharp criticism from members of the LGBTQ+ community and their allies, who have accused him of trivialising the suffering of trans people. Many have taken to social media to express their outrage, with some calling for the pastor to resign.
I wondered if the mainline response to Nashville would be a little less crazy than usual, but nope, we've already got a tortured analogy linking Jesus' crucifixion to the transgender mass shooter pic.twitter.com/ULm1xi9BoV
— Woke Preacher Clips (@WokePreacherTV) April 3, 2023
Micah Louwagie, (Liberal Pastor) who was recently installed as the Pastor of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Fargo, North Dakota Compares Transgender Nashville Shooter to "Jesus Being Crucified"…
I don't recall any stories of Jesus going on Killing Sprees! pic.twitter.com/nlCwwNcmUG— Steve Retired Texas Pragmatist (@SteveTexasBest) April 4, 2023
Some have also pointed out that the pastor’s comparison to Audrey Hale, who killed six people at a Nashville Christian school last month, is particularly disturbing. Hale, who identified as non-binary, reportedly struggled with mental health issues and was a victim of bullying. Many argue that her actions were the result of a society that failed to support and care for her, rather than an indictment of the trans community as a whole.
The controversy surrounding Pastor Louwagie’s remarks highlights the ongoing struggle for acceptance and equality faced by the LGBTQ+ community, particularly trans people.
