TL;DR
- Christian youth pastor accused LGBTQ people of being unsafe for children
- He’s now charged with sexually abusing a 15-year-old girl
- Alleged crimes happened at her home, his car, and a church
- Digital trail reportedly includes explicit photos, videos, and messages
- Case highlights weaponization of anti-LGBTQ rhetoric to mask predators
Holy Hypocrisy: Pastor Slams LGBTQ Folks, Gets Arrested for Child Sex Abuse
A California Christian youth pastor, who had plenty to say about the so-called “danger” LGBTQ people pose to children, is now facing a laundry list of charges for allegedly sexually abusing a 15-year-old girl he was meant to guide spiritually. The only “danger” in this story, it seems, was sitting in the church van.
Detectives in Madera County say 47-year-old Joshua David Kemper, of Coarsegold, was arrested after a months-long investigation into claims that he engaged in a sexual relationship with the teen from March through July of this year. Authorities allege the encounters happened at the victim’s home, inside his vehicle, and—because hypocrisy apparently has no chill—at the local church.
Police say they uncovered explicit messages, photos, and videos exchanged between Kemper and the girl, forming a disturbing digital trail that points to ongoing abuse. According to investigators, Kemper “arranged to meet a minor for lewd purposes” and created and shared sexual content with her. If convicted, he could be looking at a minimum of eight years behind bars—because when the Good Book said “thou shalt not,” this pastor was apparently skipping that chapter.
The Anti-LGBTQ Deflection Playbook
While allegedly abusing his teenage victim, Kemper found time to post fear-mongering anti-LGBTQ rubbish on Facebook. In one shared post, an AI-generated Lord of the Rings–style image implied that queer people are a threat to children, showing a Pride-friendly village burned to the ground with the caption: “We don’t feel safe.” Kemper added his own smug little note: “Do you get it?”
Yes, Joshua. The internet gets it now—but not the way you hoped.
This is yet another example of a familiar pattern: a vocal anti-LGBTQ figure obsessing over queer people “corrupting children,” only to be caught doing real harm to an actual child. While LGBTQ people are endlessly scapegoated by certain religious circles, it’s straight, cis, “family values” leaders like Kemper who keep topping the arrest logs.
The weaponization of “protect the children” rhetoric against queer people has long been a tool of discrimination. Cases like this don’t just expose hypocrisy—they harm the LGBTQ community by reinforcing false stereotypes and feeding moral panic that leads to real-world violence, policies, and harassment.
Queer people aren’t the threat. Predators hiding behind pulpits, politics, and piety are. And every time one of these stories breaks, it underscores a truth LGBTQ communities have been shouting for years: accusations against queer people are often projection by those desperate to hide their own misconduct.
Authorities believe more victims may exist and are urging people to come forward. And if history is any indication, the closet Kemper needs isn’t one to hide in—it’s one with bars.