Creators of Viral Trump "RENT" Video are members of Anti-Gay Church
A lesson I learned very early on about building an online presence, was that if I wasn’t prepared for facts about my life to be disclosed to the public, then I should think again about building said presence.
Some folks are learning that lesson the hard way this weekend.
A couple of weeks ago, as news broke of Donald Trumps awful phone call to the Secretary of State of Georgia, a group called the Gregory Brothers decided to make a video auto-tuning Trump’s words to that of “Seasons of Love” from RENT. It was spot on, well-produced and hilarious. I made a point to share it on our social networks.
It was a great way to kick off 2021. However, sure enough, just like 2021 so far, it’s spoiled quickly.
According to a post on Medium, members of the group (Evan & Sarah Fullen Gregory) attend an NYC church that is anti-LGBTQIA+. It has been alleged that they both also hold leadership roles within Resurrection Williamsburg.
As their video went viral, ex-members of the church began calling this out online.
In a Medium post written by Matt Miller he states,
“I used to go to church with Evan and Sarah Gregory. I left the church in 2014 when it kicked out two of my friends for coming out and wanting to get married. The Gregorys stayed and are still in active leadership roles.”
He continues,
“Some congregants hoped that when Resurrection became independent, it would be more progressive. Hopes were dashed when the church particularized into the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, whose Position Paper on Homosexuality read “Simply put, the Old and New Testaments consistently condemn homosexual practice and repeatedly affirm that God forgives the repentant sinner.”
I resigned my membership in October 2014.”
Another ex-member, Kristen Scharold, also wrote on Medium,
“I met my wife at this church. We fell in love, got engaged, and now we are married. She came to my Bible Study. She bought groceries for people in need. She did art projects for the children in Sunday School. But we shared the same gender, and so our pastor and church board — which was exclusively comprised of white, straight men — came to the decision that we could no longer be members of their church.”
As word began circulating about the Gregory Brothers’ involvement in this church, original RENT cast member, Anthony Rapp, tweeted the group for an explanation.
Within hours, the groups responded. They confirmed their church’s policy of welcoming LGBTQIA+ visitors but excluding LGBTQIA+ members. They also stated that only two of the four members are involved with the church.
But their explanation raises more questions. For instance, if they disavow this church for their LGBTQIA+ policy, then why are they still members/leaders of this church?
I could get into the egregious contradictions some churches have obeying some of the Bible’s teachings and ignoring others, but that’s an entirely different column for an entirely different blog. But to me, if a major church policy was to discriminate against my family and friends, I wouldn’t be a part of that church.
Now, whether or not their affiliation to this church should bar them from using an iconic LGBTQIA+ musical for their own benefit, is up to you. I’m sure many of you have various opinions on this. For me, if I was a part of a church like this, I wouldn’t disrespect the creator or artists involved with RENT by using its music to boost my own online presence.
The other members of the group have said they will address this further and we will update this piece with new info as it becomes available.