LOS ANGELES.–Sitting on the first row pew in the National Cathedral Tuesday for the traditional national day of prayer, 65-year-old Episcopal Bishop of Washington Mariann Edgar Budde, lambasted 78-year-old President Donald Trump for his apparent disregard for LGBTQ-plus issues, something so inappropriate, so egregious, so out of line Budde should resign in disgrace. Instead of presiding over the traditional national day of prayer, she pushed her radical LGBTQ-plus agenda at Trump’s expense, forcing the president to endure her public flogging. Trump posted on Truth Social that Budde was a “Radical left hard line Trump hater” who was “not very good at her job.” Budde asked Trump, without mentioning his name, “to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now,” suggesting that, under Trump, he would persecute or harrass the LGBTQ-plus community.
Budde’s accusations were outrageous considering the purpose of the national day of prayers was, among other things, to pray for the president who last July 13, 2024, was the victim of an assassination attempt. Trump and his MAGA platform has never singled out the LGBT-plus community for anything other than saying his government would not use gender identity as a way to determining appropriate participation in male or female sports or designation for restrooms. Budde’s sermon suggested that under Trump a new wave of persecution was occurring to the LGBTQ-plus community. “There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican and Independent families, some who fear for their lives,” Budde said, without any facts or rationale. Trump signed an executive order recognizing only sex identity, not gender, to determine appropriate decisions.
Trump’s executive order recognizes only “two sexes, male and female,” saying they are set at birth and cannot be changed. Gender advocates have blurred the lines away from biological facts and introduced gender preferences of men choosing to be women or women choosing to be men. Trump’s order only relates to Title IX of the 1972 Education Act that used civil rights legislation to guarantee equal access to women’s sports. Over the last 50 years Title IX has been used by the LGBTQ-plus community to advocate for transsexuals whose new sexual identities allow them to use Title IX to advocate for their civil rights. Trump’s executive order seeks to clarify that Title IX can only be determined by sex, not gender identity, something akin to discrimination. Budde moved on to civil rights issues related to the undocumented population who crossed the border illegally.
Budde has crossed the line from the clergy into politics, making her more of a political figure than a member of the cloth. Budde said in her sermon that immigrants “may not be citizens or have the proper documentation, but the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes and are good neighbors. They are faithful members of our churches and mosques, synagogues, gurudwaras and temples,” Budde said, raising another dilemma for Trump’s deportation program. As Budde said, she doesn’t care if her parishioners are legal or not. Well, in the U.S. public school system, where enrollees get state dollars for each student regardless of immigration status, big city schools rely heavily on the illegal immigrant population to collect cash from the state. Because of the financial gain to public schools, they support supplying education to undocumented immigrants.
Budde was so far out-of-line turning her sermon into a lecture to Trump about compassion for LGBTQ-plus and undocumented communities. Budde conflates the legitimacy of the two groups because she doesn’t care who sits in the pews, nor does the U.S. public school system that actually counts today on illegal aliens to collect state funds. So, here’s the dilemma for the clergy and public school unions that profess concerns about civil right but actually are seeking state dollars for students regardless of immigration status. No wonder so called sanctuary cities ask no questions of its undocumented population. Whether in church or public school, the undocumented populations fills the up the pews at churchs and desks in public schools. So, no one in the clergy or public schools can be objective about the risks connected with open borders of allowing criminals and gangs into the U.S.
Budde received high praise from the resistance to Trump but her behavior was reprehensible for someone given the privilege of presiding over a national day of prayer. Budde turned her sermon into an LGBTQ-plus tirade against Trump for his positions on gender identity. “I hope that a message calling for dignity, respecting dignity, honesty, humility and kindness is resonating with people. I’m grateful for that. I’m saddened by the level of vitriol that it has evoked in others, and the intensity of it has been disheartening . . .” Budde said, pretending she didn’t play deliberate provocateur. Whatever Budde’s excuses, she used her time on the pulpit to lambaste the president rather that offer him God’s speed as he takes on the many horrific challenges facing the United States. Budde hijacked the national day of prayer to push her pro-immigrant and pro-LGBTQ-plus agenda.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
