An Ohio pastor who previously criticised the LGBTQ+ novel Heartstopper as a “health risk” to children has been charged with multiple serious offences involving a minor.
Silas Shelton, 48, the pastor of Blanchester Community Church in Clinton County, was arrested last week and charged with four felony offences: rape, sexual battery, unlawful sexual contact with a minor, and gross sexual imposition, according to a spokesperson for Wilmington police.
Authorities declined to release further details “out of respect for the privacy and the safety of the victim and family.” However, The Advocate reported that the alleged abuse occurred in 2019, involving a girl who was 14 or 15 years old at the time and a member of Shelton’s congregation.
Shelton Previously Targeted Heartstopper
In August 2023, Shelton addressed the Little Miami Local School District board of education to protest the inclusion of Heartstopper, a graphic novel by Alice Oseman, in a school book fair.
“I got sick from reading that stuff,” he claimed.
“I don’t think kids should ever question their sexuality. I don’t think kids should ever explore their sexuality. I don’t think any of that stuff ever ought to be in our school.”
Shelton also recounted a conversation with his 12-year-old daughter:
“She came home asking me why certain books were in a book fair. One of them was Heartstopper, which is where a gay boy pressures a straight kid into kissing him.”
Heartstopper, which began as a webcomic in 2016, follows the tender love story between two teens, Charlie Spring and Nick Nelson. The series has since gained massive popularity worldwide, especially after being adapted into a hit Netflix series. Last month, author Alice Oseman announced the upcoming release of its sixth and final volume.
Court Denial and Upcoming Hearing
Shelton has denied all charges, according to online court records reported by The Cincinnati Enquirer. He is due to appear at a preliminary hearing on Wednesday, 22 October.
The case has reignited conversations around moral hypocrisy and the weaponisation of anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric by figures in positions of religious and community power.
