Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

North Carolina Pastor Slammed After Saying Women Who Wear Shorts Are Asking To Be Raped

Screenshot of Bobby Leonard
Bible Baptist Tabernacle

Bible Baptist Tabernacle pastor Bobby Leonard recently preached that he'd let a man 'go free' for raping a woman who wore shorts because 'a man's a man.'

Bible Baptist Tabernacle pastor Bobby Leonard is under fire after preaching that he'd let a man "go free" for raping a woman who wore shorts because he's "a man's a man."

Leonard's remarks to his congregation during a service in Monroe, North Carolina, went viral after they were disseminated by investigative journalist Julie Roys, who leads The Roys Report, a Christian media outlet.


He said:

"You find more women going into a place with shorts than you will women with pants and dresses put together."
"Try. If you've got time, try. Have your boy keep watch for it. Have your girl keep watch for it."
"And you know, I used to say this... I haven't said this in a long time. You ready?"
"I say that if you dress like that and get raped and I'm on the jury, he's going to go free. I'm right though because a man's a man."

You can hear what Leonard said in the video below.

Leonard's remarks were swiftly condemned by the Republican Accountability Project, which, through its account on X, formerly Twitter, called them "sickening."

Many were outraged by Leonard statements.



Sadly, similar remarks and misogynistic comments from evangelical pastors are a feature, not a bug.

In 2021, Dr. Burnett L. Robinson, the former senior pastor of the Grand Concourse Seventh-day Adventist Church in New York City, stepped down from his position after being placed on leave. His departure followed a controversial sermon in which he made alarming statements, including the assertion that "the best person to rape is your wife."

The following year, Jonathan Shelley, a preacher of the Stedfast Baptist Church in Hurst, Texas, who has previously made headlines for his extremist anti-LGBTQ+ views, declared that women should not be allowed to hold political office.

Shelley said it's "sick how many men today let women just run our country because they’re too cowardly to stand up to silly women." He went even further, saying he wouldn't even vote for Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene—a darling of the far-right—because she's a woman.

More from Trending

Brooke Rollins
Win McNamee/Getty Images

Leaked Memo Reveals USDA Has Banned Massive List Of Terms Including 'Climate' And 'Pollution'

On his first day in office, Republican (MAGA) President Donald Trump issued a flurry of executive orders (EOs).

Among them was the MAGA movement's response to "woke."

Keep ReadingShow less
Tim Walz; Elon Musk
Mario Tama/Getty Images; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Tim Walz Promises To Stop Mocking Musk Over Tesla's Decline—But Only On One Condition

After billionaire Elon Musk called Minnesota Governor and former vice presidential candidate Tim Walz a "huge jerk" for openly celebrating Tesla's stock market tumble, Walz assured Musk he'd stop—but only if Musk takes his hands off Social Security benefits for millions of Americans.

Late last month, as news outlets reported that Tesla shares have plunged over 40% since January, wiping out the entire “Trump bump” that had temporarily driven the stock up more than 90% following Election Day, Walz said he added Tesla to the stock app on his phone to add a pick-me-up to his day.

Keep ReadingShow less
Viola Davis; Timothée Chalamet
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic; Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images

Viola Davis' Reaction To Getting Shoutout In Timothée Chalamet's SAG Awards Speech Has Fans Cheering

It's always nice when one talented person in a field can recognize another.

This was the case when actor Timothée Chalamet, accepting his SAG award earlier this year, called fellow actor Viola Davis as "one of the greats" in his acceptance speech.

Keep ReadingShow less
Carrie Coon
HBO

'White Lotus' Star Carrie Coon Reveals Why Scene With Her Character's Nonbinary Child Was Cut

The third season of HBO's The White Lotus hasn't shied away from depicting our dark moment in American politics, but there was one story element that proved a bridge too far, it seems.

In an interview with Harper's Bazaar, actor Carrie Coon said her character Laurie was supposed to have a nonbinary child with they/them pronouns. But the brief scene between her and her child was cut following Trump's election.

Keep ReadingShow less
Vivian Wilson; Elon Musk
@vivllainous/Instagram, Scott Olson/Getty Images

Vivian Wilson Claims Elon Musk's Former Liberal Views Were Just A 'Marketing Scheme'

Elon Musk's estranged trans daughter Vivian Jenna Wilson set the record straight about the tech billionaire's supposed liberal beginnings, alleging that his persona was merely a ruse and part of a “marketing scheme.”

Wilson, who legally changed her name and identity in 2022 when she was 18, interviewed with YouTuber and Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, who asked her what the "transition was like for your dad to go from a liberal darling…"

Keep ReadingShow less