Manitoba church denounces rise in anti-2SLGBTQ+ rhetoric

Hateful phone calls, intolerant social media comments and even drive-by slurs – the reverend of a church in Brandon says he’s seen and heard it all.

And he wants it to stop.

Reverend Craig Miller of the Knox United Church in Brandon – which is a 2SLGBTQ+ affirming ministry – says the congregation is dealing with escalating hate, calling it a troubling trend.

“Nasty comments on our Facebook page, nasty calls, hateful calls, having people drive by yelling homophobic slurs,” Miller listed.

The spiritual leader believes it’s tied to the political situation down south.

“Particularly since the anti-trans legislation in the States and the first Trump presidency,” he explained. “I think people have been empowered to hate things in public in the past they’ve kept themselves. But I certainly see a relationship between us those events in the Dtates and a lot of the pushback the transgender and the gay community is facing.”

Miller says the harassment came to a head for him personally on Christmas Eve when he received a disturbing phone call; the person on the other end of the line said the reverend deserved to die.

“That’s not actually the first time I’ve heard that criticism,” he said. “I’ve been doing advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community since the early ‘90s. But I mean it does get you, right, that somebody would be that hateful.”

Derek Booth, the chairperson of Brandon Pride, says unfortunately this behaviour is nothing new.

“It’s disheartening and disappointing, but not surprising,” Booth told CityNews.

“Trans lives exist no matter what people say, and they do matter. And for those that say that I can’t believe this is happening, you just need to have more conversations with those in the community because it happens all the time, even when people aren’t seeing it. So just a reminder to be kind and have some empathy.”

Millers says for the amount of hateful comments received, there’s also been an outpouring of support.

“We have been inundated with supportive calls and emails and messages on social media from folks all over the province that have heard about what’s happening here,” he said. “We’ve even heard from folks across Canada. I think the majority of people value the diversity of community.”

The Brandon Police Service says it is saddened to hear what the Knox United Church is facing, and the force encourages anyone encountering this type of treatment to contact them.