US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth is facing backlash after reposting a video of Christian pastors advocating for a ban on gay sex and the removal of women’s right to vote.
The video, originally aired by CNN, featured interviews with Christian nationalist leaders, including senior pastor Doug Wilson of Moscow, Idaho, who said he wanted sodomy to be re-criminalised and women barred from voting. Hegseth reshared the segment on X/Twitter with the caption: “All of Christ for all of life.”
Fellow pastors Toby Sumpter and Jared Longshore also promoted regressive voting ideals, including the repeal of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote, and the concept of “household voting,” where men would typically cast the ballot. Wilson also cited the Bible to justify opposing women in leadership roles — a claim refuted by female pastor Jennifer Butler in the segment.
CNN reported that Wilson does not support same-sex marriage and wishes to return to an era — as recently as the 1970s — when gay sex was a felony in parts of the US.
Hegseth, who briefly appeared in the CNN segment, has been accused of endorsing these views by reposting the video. Pastor Doug Pagitt of progressive evangelical group Vote Common Good called the defence secretary’s actions “very disturbing.”
This is not Hegseth’s first controversy over LGBTQ+ rights. In February 2025, he implemented a ban on transgender individuals joining the US military, following an executive order from President Trump to reinstate the ban that had been lifted under President Biden in 2021.
At the time, Hegseth defended the decision, stating:
“The department must ensure it is building ‘one force’ without sub-groups defined by anything other than ability or mission adherence… Efforts to split our troops along lines of identity weaken our force and make us vulnerable.”
