Tennessee Pastor-Detective says execute LGBTQ people

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A controversial sermon by a Tennessee church pastor, who is also a detective in the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, calling for the execution of LGBTQ people has prompted authorities to further investigate.

All Scripture Baptist Church pastor Grayson Fritts, who earlier this month was taken off active duty with the sheriff's department as he waits for a county buyout offer, said in an hourlong sermon that members of the LGBTQ community should be “put to death,” referring to them as “freaks” and “animals,” according to CBS 8 WVLT.

"Here's how it should work. It shouldn't work when we go out and we enforce the laws, because the Bible says the powers that be are ordained of God and God has instilled the power of civil government to send the police in 2019 out to these LGBT freaks and arrest them," Fritts said in his June 2 sermon.

Have a trial for them, and if they are convicted then they are to be put to death ... do you understand that? It's a capital crime to be carried out by our government."

Fritts also made specific reference to LGBTQ Pride parades, saying, “All the Pride parades, man, hey, call the riot teams, we got a bunch of 'em, get the paddy wagon out here, we got a bunch of 'em going to jail. We got a bunch of them we're gonna get convicted because they've got their Pride junk on and they're professing what they are, they're a filthy animal."

The Hill has reached out to the All Scripture Baptist Church for Comment.

The sermon sparked an investigation by the Knox County District Attorney's Office, which put out a statement saying it is further looking into the incident and will take action accordingly.

The Knox County Sheriff’s Office also put out a statement after reports surfaced that Fritts worked in the office. The statement said he is on paid leave until his buy-out request is processed.

“I want to be very clear that it is my responsibility to ensure equal protection to ALL citizens of Knox County, Tennessee under the law, my oath and the United States Constitution without discrimination or hesitation. Rest assured that I have and will continue to do so," Knox County Sheriff Tom Spangler said in the statement.

This is why, perhaps, quoting Leviticus 18:22 should be considered hate speech.

Wasn't there also a story about a bakery that refused to bake a cake for a gay wedding?

True but not serving is not as bad as calling for the government to arrest and kill them.

I agree. If a baker doesn't want to sell me a wedding cake because I'm gay that's their business and I'll find another bakery, but if a man makes threats against my LIFE for being gay I will call the cops, and if the cops don't so s**t to protect me I will protect myself!

This guy wants the cops to arrest you in a society where being gay is a capital offense.

I am not a constitutional lawyer but this is probably protected speech because SCOTUS in Brandenburg v. Ohio ruled that unless the incitement is a call for “imminent lawless action” it is protected and he is not calling for lawless action but Nazi type government actions.