Pete Hegseth reposted a video of Christian pastors calling for a ban on gay sex and opposing women’s right to vote, sparking immediate backlash. The clip, originally aired by CNN, featured church leaders advocating to recriminalize sodomy and roll back voting rights for women.
The repost, accompanied by his caption “All of Christ for all of life,” drew criticism from faith leaders and LGBTQ+ advocates who view it as an alarming endorsement of illiberal ideas.
Pete Hegseth and the repost heard around Washington
The US defense secretary amplified a CNN segment in which pastors expressed support for re-criminalizing gay sex and curtailing women’s suffrage. He shared the video to X/Twitter with the phrase “All of Christ for all of life,” which many interpreted as approval of the statements.
Among the pastors featured was Doug Wilson of Moscow, Idaho, who argued for bringing back sodomy laws and ending women’s voting rights. Wilson’s cohort included pastors Toby Sumpter and Jared Longshore, who promoted “household voting” led by men and advocated repealing the 19th Amendment.
Hegseth’s move quickly became a flashpoint because cabinet officials rarely share content that so openly challenges settled civil rights. For LGBTQ+ people and women, the clip represented not just rhetoric but a chilling reminder of how quickly rights can be targeted.
What the pastors said in the video
The interview segment included unambiguous calls to roll back basic freedoms. Wilson said he wanted sodomy re-criminalized and women barred from voting. Sumpter said his ideal system would tally votes by “household,” with men generally casting the ballot.
Longshore went further, backing repeal of the 19th Amendment that secured women’s suffrage. Wilson also cited the Bible to oppose women in leadership, a claim that pastor Jennifer Butler challenged directly in the segment, emphasizing the long tradition of women leading faith communities.
CNN reported that Wilson rejects same-sex marriage and said he’d prefer to return to the America of the 1970s, when in several states gay sex was a felony. Those remarks startled civil rights advocates who note how recent—and fragile—the gains of the last half-century truly are.
Pete Hegseth, Christian nationalism, and policy signals
The uproar isn’t only about a single repost. It’s about the pattern critics see in Pete Hegseth’s public choices and policy actions. Earlier this year, he implemented a ban on trans Americans serving in the US military, following an executive order signed by President Trump that laid groundwork to reinstate the ban after it had been reversed in 2021.
Hegseth’s defenders might argue he’s spotlighting a faith-based debate. But for those on the receiving end of these proposals—LGBTQ+ people and women—the message lands as a normalization of rolling back equality. When a defense secretary elevates voices that target specific groups, it carries the weight of his office.
Critically, in his own words, Hegseth wrote that the department must build “one force” without identity-based subgroups, claiming identity discussions “weaken our force.” For LGBTQ+ service members and women, that language reads less like unity and more like a mandate for erasure.
Legal context for bans and disenfranchisement
Calls to recriminalize gay sex are not an abstraction. Within living memory, consensual same-sex intimacy was prosecuted in many US states. CNN’s segment referenced the 1970s, when multiple states treated gay sex as a felony; LGBTQ+ people lived under the shadow of arrest, humiliation, and career destruction.
Women’s suffrage is equally foundational to modern democracy. The 19th Amendment cemented a right that activists fought for across generations. Proposals to repeal it would disenfranchise tens of millions, rewrite civic participation along patriarchal lines, and fracture the premise of equal citizenship.
That’s why civil rights leaders hear more than theological argument in the pastors’ words. They hear a policy project that could rapidly materialize in courts, legislatures, and executive orders—especially when those in power amplify it.
Does Pete Hegseth endorse banning gay sex?
He has not explicitly said he supports re-criminalizing gay sex. However, Pete Hegseth chose to repost the video and add approving language—“All of Christ for all of life”—which many read as affirmation of the pastors’ views. The reaction from clergy such as Doug Pagitt, who told the Associated Press that his repost was “very disturbing,” reflects how faith leaders understood the signal.
Pete Hegseth and the trans military ban
In February 2025, Pete Hegseth instituted a policy blocking trans people from serving in the US military, as reported by PinkNews. That move followed President Trump’s executive order, which set the stage for reinstating the ban that President Biden had previously repealed.
Defending the decision, Hegseth said the department must build “one force” without identity-based divisions. Critics counter that trans service members have served honorably and that targeting identity is itself a political intervention, not a military necessity.
For LGBTQ+ communities, the sequence—an executive order, a swift policy change, and then a repost of a video calling for deeper rollbacks—doesn’t feel theoretical. It feels like a policy trajectory.
Why are advocates alarmed by Pete Hegseth’s message?
Because rhetoric at the top tends to cascade into real-world consequences. When a sitting defense secretary echoes content that calls for criminalizing gay sex and curtailing women’s rights, it emboldens those looking to legislate those outcomes. It also stigmatizes queer and trans service members and signals to women in leadership that their roles are disfavored.
Voices pushing back
Progressive evangelical leaders, including Doug Pagitt of Vote Common Good, publicly criticized the repost. Pagitt told the AP he found it deeply troubling that the defense secretary amplified rhetoric targeting basic rights.
Within the segment itself, pastor Jennifer Butler contested the claim that scripture justifies excluding women from leadership. Her response reflects an expansive and long-standing Christian tradition that champions equality, service, and dignity for all.
The wider reaction from LGBTQ+ advocates, veterans, and civic groups underscores a shared conviction: dignity and equal protection are not negotiable. When leaders flirt with dismantling those protections, the public is right to push back loudly and clearly.
How communities can respond
First: know the facts. The posts and interviews exist on the public record. Second: organize across coalitions that include people of faith who reject the use of religion to curtail rights. Third: support reporting that tracks these developments and surfaces the stakes—visit our news coverage for ongoing updates.
Finally, center those most affected. LGBTQ+ people and women—especially women of color and trans women—carry the weight of policies that seek to erase or control them. Solidarity means listening, resourcing, and acting in concert.
Final word on Pete Hegseth
This moment is a test of clarity. The repost wasn’t neutral, and neither is the record. Pete Hegseth chose to elevate a message that calls for criminalizing intimacy and silencing women at the ballot box. Naming that choice is not partisanship; it’s accountability to shared democratic and human rights principles that protect us all—including those whom the pastors and Pete Hegseth targeted in the video.
This controversy underscores how fragile hard-won rights remain when those in power lend their platforms to voices advocating regression. The responsibility now lies with the public, policymakers, and communities of faith to draw a clear line: equality is not up for debate. For more coverage on LGBTQ+ rights, politics, and culture, visit our News section at Enola Global.
