TL;DR
- US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reposted a video featuring pastors calling for banning gay sex and revoking women’s right to vote.
- The clip included remarks about re-criminalizing homosexuality and repealing the 19th Amendment.
- Hegseth wrote “All of Christ for all of life” when sharing the video.
- Critics say this amplifies dangerous extremist views.
- Hegseth recently banned trans people from serving in the US military.
Pentagon Boss Under Fire for Sharing Anti-LGBTQ, Anti-Women Clip
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is catching major heat after he decided it was a great idea to repost a video of hardline Christian pastors calling for gay sex to be outlawed and women to lose the right to vote—like it’s the Dark Ages with Wi-Fi.
The video, originally an interview segment with a handful of pastors, featured Idaho’s Doug Wilson waxing nostalgic about the “good old days” when sodomy was a crime and women couldn’t cast a ballot. His buddy Toby Sumpter chimed in with his dream of America voting “as households,” meaning—surprise—men making the decisions. Pastor Jared Longshore went even further, saying the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote, should be scrapped altogether.
Wilson wrapped his retro fantasy in Bible verses, arguing that women shouldn’t hold leadership roles—a view swiftly dismantled by female pastor Jennifer Butler. For good measure, Wilson also made it clear he’d like the country to return to the 1970s, when same-sex relationships could still land you in handcuffs in some states.
When Hegseth posted the clip on X/Twitter, he added the line “All of Christ for all of life,” leaving little doubt about whose side he was on. The backlash was swift. Progressive pastor Doug Pagitt called the move “very disturbing,” especially coming from the man in charge of the US military.
This is hardly Hegseth’s first anti-LGBTQ rodeo. Just this February, he implemented a new policy banning trans people from enlisting in the armed forces, citing the need to keep the military “one force” without “sub-groups defined by anything other than ability or mission adherence.” Translation: identity is apparently a liability in his book.
For the LGBTQ community, especially queer service members and women in the armed forces, this isn’t just another political skirmish—it’s a gut punch. Reposting extremist rhetoric like this from the highest levels of government normalizes discrimination and fans the flames for those who’d love to see decades of progress rolled back. And while Hegseth might claim it’s all about unity, the message to queer Americans is loud and clear: some lives and loves are still considered less worthy of respect.
If the Pentagon chief wants to talk about strength, maybe he should start by protecting the rights of all Americans—because a country divided by prejudice is a lot more vulnerable than one united in equality.