QAnon House Nominee Runs Ex-Gay Torture “Ministry”

January 17, 2023 Christianists, Republicans

Media Matters reports:

Right-wing pundit Leon Benjamin, the Republican-backed nominee for a U.S. House special election in Virginia next month, says that he runs a “ministry” devoted to getting people to “escape” from “homosexual and lesbian living.”

Benjamin has falsely and dangerously claimed LGBTQ people can be “healed” by changing their identity and compared his ministering to helping adulterers, thieves, and murderers.

Benjamin is the host of the streaming program B-Alert News and a frequent guest on far-right shows. Media Matters previously reported that he has repeatedly used his media platform to push bizarre anti-vaccine conspiracy theories and false claims about elections being stolen.

Read the full article. As I reported last week, Benjamin has claimed that the 2020 presidential election was “stolen by China and many other communistic nations.” Also, his 2020 US House loss by 23 points? Stolen. Benjamin first appeared on JMG in September 2022 for the “binding demons, witches, and warlocks” bit of crazy seen below.

MAGA pastor/GOP congressional candidate Leon Benjamin blows the shofar in order to bind the demons, witches, and warlocks who are trying to steal his election: “God’s about to send people like me … into the Congress!” https://t.co/hV6TudEaDv pic.twitter.com/sl6Jwm54yF

— Right Wing Watch (@RightWingWatch) September 23, 2022

GOP-backed special election House nominee Leon Benjamin runs a “ministry” for people to “escape” from “homosexual and lesbian living.” He also promotes dangerous conversion therapy, telling LGBTQ people they can be “healed” and “come out of homosexuality.” https://t.co/0pIhLexjEo pic.twitter.com/TDsmyCSpxG

— Eric Hananoki (@ehananoki) January 17, 2023

MSNBC’s Jonathan Capehart Grills GOP Candidate and Pastor Over Homophobic Facebook Posts —
“How is that being a bridge? How is that being a unifier?” Capehart said, grilling congressional candidate Leon Benjamin on past instances of homophobia.https://t.co/rVzyZrxDWd pic.twitter.com/9BKfKyVEls

— TheWrap (@TheWrap) January 16, 2023