An American pastor who appeared on TV as the Drag Queen has been convicted

A local official of his association confirmed to AFP on Wednesday that an American Protestant pastor had been fired from his ministry for appearing on a brief television appearance as the Drag Queen, wearing a huge pink wig and sequined leopard.

62-year-old Craig Duke made a very recognizable passage last month – at least by some of his panicked parishioners – on HBO Channel’s show “We Are Here”: we see him wearing particularly high-heeled thigh-high boots, with a crucifix around his neck and lipstick Color eyeshadow.

Following this media moment, he described what he described as a “powerful spiritual moment” in which, in an interview with the religious news service, the pastor, a member of the United Methodist Church, became embroiled in controversy.

Despite “very difficult calls and emails”, the church’s local leader decided to “relieve Pastor Duke of his religious mission” by reducing his salary and banning him from providing religious services at his church near Evansville. North Indiana.

However, an angry Mitch Geiselman wrote in a letter to parishioners that Pastor Duke had “not been found guilty of violating the disciplinary rules of the United Methodist Church.”

Consultations were held via AFP on Wednesday, Mr. Gieselman confirmed the authenticity of his November 26 letter, refusing to make further comments.

The pastor’s fate provoked a surge of orgasm, explained by an online fundraiser that donated nearly $ 60,000 on Wednesday.

“The bridge of understanding and acceptance of the LGBTQ community may extend beyond our community and beyond,” Pastor and his colleague said in a statement Wednesday.

He did not seem to care about his intelligence: “I’m immersed in a culture that has never sunk in,” he concluded, “and in the (religious) ministry, if you want to include people who are different than you, you have to meet them. The invitation to the event allowed me to do so.”