They'll Know We Are Christians By Our Love

(Jennifer Walker)
The Reverend Richard Thebo is afraid of 'teh gay' infecting his Open Door Mission shelter in Fort Collins, CO. More from 365gay:

(Denver, Colorado) A 34-year old homeless Fort Collins man says that he was told to leave a shelter because the pastor who runs it will not allow gay men to stay there.

John Garon tells the Coloradan newspaper that he had been staying at Open Door Mission for about three weeks when he was suddenly told by the director, the Rev. Richard Thebo, that he was no longer welcome.

"He said 'I don't allow homosexuals to use these facilities,'" Garon told the Coloradan. "I was blown away ... To be put out for something I can't change has profoundly impacted me."

Thebo does not deny he told Garon to leave. He said that Garon had "hit on" another man at the shelter and a fight ensued. He also told the paper that Garon would "flaunt his sexuality".

The pastor said that he will allow gays and lesbians to use the soup kitchen and shower at the shelter but not sleep there.

"I will not let them exert their sexuality here," he told the Coloradan. "Men have to sleep next to other men (in the shelter)."

According to Garon there had been a fight but he denies "hitting" on anyone. As for "flaunting" he says he made occasional passing comments about his former partner.

The take-home is that a homeless person was put back on the street simply because of fear of their sexuality.

Reading the mission's website, it appears that it tries to do a good thing: get homeless people fed and back on track.

But thinking that a LGBT person can't be trusted to sleep around heterosexuals is absurd. A list of homelessness related charities in Colorado is here.

Coincidentally, Fort Collins is the city that wouldn't allow the display of a Menorah near an xmas tree during Hanukkah. Sounds like a lovely place.

TTags:gays and straights,religion