Despicable, inhumane, uncivilized.
Those are the words Tom Witt, executive director of the Kansas Equality Commission, used Thursday to describe this past Sunday’s sermon by a Seneca pastor calling for the killing of homosexuals.
Witt denounced the words of New Hope Baptist Church Pastor Curtis Knapp.
“Controversial is a mild way of putting it,” Witt said. “It is completely uncivilized to be calling for the execution of gay and lesbian Kansans. This is just part of the attitude that has been given free reign in this state by the far right.”
The firestorm stems from a 62-minute sermon by Knapp that has become national news.
In the sermon, Knapp cites Scripture to back up his point and said among other things: “They should be put to death. That’s what happened in Israel. That’s why homosexuality wouldn’t have grown in Israel. It tends to limit conversations. It tends to limit people coming out of the closet.
“So, you’re saying we should go out and start killing them? No. I’m saying the government should. They won’t, but they should.”
The Kansas Equality Coalition’s goal through its mission statement is to end discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
“I can speak for everybody in my organization that I’ve heard from about this in the past two days,” said Witt, who lives in Wichita but is often in Topeka during the legislative session. “We’re angry. We’re angry that here we are in 2012, we have people calling on the government to start executing us.”
“There’s still an unconstitutional law on the books that says we belong in jail for six months just for having gay or lesbian partners,” Witt also said.
The Kansas law is something that Witt and others have been trying to get repealed. That is the first step in their battle for equality. Kansas also has a constitutional ban on marriage equality.
Witt wanted to make clear marriage equality isn’t a partisan issue but one of fairness.
“We’d like some basic protections where people can’t get fired or evicted for being gay or lesbian, which is perfectly legal in most of this state,” he said.
Stephanie Mott, an office assistant for the Shawnee County Commission office, has plans this summer to go to Seneca to speak on the Kansas Statewide Transgender Education Project, for which she is executive director.
She will make a presentation from noon to 2 p.m. July 7 in the Seneca Public Library, 606 Main St., about her journey into faith during her transition from male to female.
Mott was flying back from Thailand on Friday after having an operation dealing with her transition from male to female.
The Topeka Capital-Journal received several email comments from people who were upset about what the pastor said. Here is one from J. Knobler, of New York City.
“I find it horrifying that this man has a position of spiritual authority from which to preach genocide,” Knobler said. “I hope you will shine some light on this sickening individual before he incites actual violence.”
Here is another from Mark Johnson, of Santa Fe, N.M.
“I travel through Kansas to visit family in the East, and trust me, after reading (about the pastor’s sermon), I am staying as far away from Kansas as I possibly can,” Johnson said.
“I do not understand ‘pastors’ advocating violence and murder,” Johnson also wrote. “This is just beyond my comprehension of these so-called Christians.”
Tami Haverkamp, Seneca city administrator, distanced the town from Knapp’s remarks.
“As a unit of local government, I want to make it publicly clear that we are a peaceful community that generally lives together without conflict,” Haverkamp said. “We do not advocate violence of any sort.”
Attempts to reach Knapp on Thursday were unsuccessful.