Actor Dave Bautista recently called out a homophobic bishop via Twitter.
The Avengers actor took to Twitter after Bishop Thomas Tobin tweeted a particularly problematic statement regarding Pride Month.
June commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, which was the catalyst for the start of LGBTQ pride. The riots were a response to a police raid on Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City, in 1969.
Bishop Tobin tweeted a warning on June 1st to Catholics, urging them to "not support" Pride month or attend any events, stating that they are "contrary to Catholic faith and morals."
Bautista responded to the tweet on June 2nd, responding specifically to Bishop Tobin's statement about LGBTQ being "harmful to children."
The actor was raised by a lesbian mother, and cited her passion for helping those in need.
He ended the tweet calling out Bishop Tobin for being a "judgmental hypocrite," and included a middle finger emoji to further emphasize his point.
The response to Bautista's tweet has been overwhelming, and many cheered him on for standing up to the bishop.
Bishop Tobin has already received a lot of responses to his initial tweet, with many calling for his resignation.
Several have also pointed out the hypocrisy in the bishop's preaching, citing the Catholic church's history with sexual abuse towards children.
The bishop released a statement soon after his tweet went viral, reacting to the overwhelming response to his post.
"My comments yesterday about Pride Month have turned out to be so controversial in our community, and offensive to some, especially the gay community. That certainly was not my intention, but I understand why a good number of individuals have taken offense."
However, he declined to retract his initial statement.
"As a Catholic Bishop, however, my obligation before God is to lead the faithful entrusted to my care and to teach the faith, clearly and compassionately, even on very difficult and sensitive issues."
Despite all of the negativity, Pride is slated to be a fun and welcoming environment for all, especially in the bishop's home state of Rhode Island. How would the bishop look in this?
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