• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Towleroad
  • Towleroad on Social Media
  • Privacy Policy

Towleroad Gay News

Gay Blog Towleroad: More than gay news | gay men

  • Body
  • Daily Resist
  • POLITICS
  • Travel
  • Music
  • Theatre
  • Film
  • TV
  • Sports
  • Business
  • Men
  • Marriage Equality
  • Space
  • Trans Rights
  • Books
  • Science
  • Gay Iconography
  • TowleREAD

Tennessee Church Kicks Out Family For Supporting Lesbian Daughter

August 22, 2013 by Christian Walters

Kat Cooper

The Coopers of Collegedale, TN had been members of the Ridgedale Church of Christ for over three generations. That all changed when they were photographed at a city council meeting that voted 4-1 to approve same-sex benefits to government employees. The Coopers' daughter, Kat, is a lesbian and a detective with the Collegedale Police Department and had been leading the cause to have those benefits extended to gay couples. Because they showed up to support her, the church met privately with Kat's parents, aunt, and uncle and gave them an ultimatum: repent for their sins and ask forgiveness in front of the congregation, or leave the church, the Times Free Press reports.

The sin of Kat's relatives, according to minister Ken Willis, is that of endorsing her 'lifestyle', which he says the Bible is explicit about. While Willis doesn't expect the Coopers to disown Kat, he says that while parents should still love their children they shouldn't support their sin; love the sinner, hate the sin. But it would also seem that loving a sinner is itself a sin, judging from the actions of Willis and the church authorities.

Willis insists that since Kat's actions and support from her family were made so public, they had no choice but to take action. The implication evidently is that if Kat had stayed in the closet or kept quiet about her lack of rights then the church wouldn't have had to punish her family for loving her.  After 60 years, the Coopers chose to leave the church rather than repent for a sin they did not commit. Kat's mother is still driven to tears by the events, but the family remains resolute in the support of their daughter. 

Related: as of this writing, it appears that the Ridgedale Church of Christ's Facebook page has been hacked and filled with gay-positive posts and pictures.

Filed Under: LGBT Rights Tagged With: Evangelical Christians, Evangelicals, gay rights, LGBT Rights, LGBT Stories, Tennessee

Recent Posts

  • One Dead After Caravan of Armed Trump Supporters Descends on Portland: VIDEOS

    One Dead After Caravan of Armed Trump Supporters Descends on Portland: VIDEOS

    11 hours ago
  • Christian Crowdfunding Site Raises $224,000 (and Counting) for Kenosha Killer

    Christian Crowdfunding Site Raises $224,000 (and Counting) for Kenosha Killer

    12 hours ago
  • ‘Queer Eye’ Cast and Jill Biden Team Up for Grassroots Online Fundraiser on Tuesday

    ‘Queer Eye’ Cast and Jill Biden Team Up for Grassroots Online Fundraiser on Tuesday

    12 hours ago
  • 2020’s Weirdest Primary Race: Joe Kennedy vs. Ed Markey

    2020’s Weirdest Primary Race: Joe Kennedy vs. Ed Markey

    12 hours ago
Previous Post: « Bradley Manning Wants to Live As a Woman: ‘I am Chelsea Manning. I am Female.’ – VIDEO
Next Post: Louisiana Sinkhole Swallows Grove of Trees in Epic Gulp: VIDEO »

Primary Sidebar

  • One Dead After Caravan of Armed Trump Supporters Descends on Portland: VIDEOS

  • Christian Crowdfunding Site Raises $224,000 (and Counting) for Kenosha Killer

  • ‘Queer Eye’ Cast and Jill Biden Team Up for Grassroots Online Fundraiser on Tuesday

Recent Posts

  • One Dead After Caravan of Armed Trump Supporters Descends on Portland: VIDEOS

    One Dead After Caravan of Armed Trump Supporters Descends on Portland: VIDEOS

    11 hours ago
  • Christian Crowdfunding Site Raises $224,000 (and Counting) for Kenosha Killer

    Christian Crowdfunding Site Raises $224,000 (and Counting) for Kenosha Killer

    12 hours ago
  • ‘Queer Eye’ Cast and Jill Biden Team Up for Grassroots Online Fundraiser on Tuesday

    ‘Queer Eye’ Cast and Jill Biden Team Up for Grassroots Online Fundraiser on Tuesday

    12 hours ago
  • 2020’s Weirdest Primary Race: Joe Kennedy vs. Ed Markey

    2020’s Weirdest Primary Race: Joe Kennedy vs. Ed Markey

    12 hours ago
  • Falwell Pool Boy Speaks Out in On-Air Interview: ‘Jerry Was Laying on the Bed…Drunk and Giggling’ — WATCH

    Falwell Pool Boy Speaks Out in On-Air Interview: ‘Jerry Was Laying on the Bed…Drunk and Giggling’ — WATCH

    13 hours ago
  • Arkansas Sheriff Resigns After Filthy ‘N’ Word Rant Goes Viral, Ending 26-Year Career: WATCH

    Arkansas Sheriff Resigns After Filthy ‘N’ Word Rant Goes Viral, Ending 26-Year Career: WATCH

    1 day ago
  • Kenosha Sheriff Lies About Watching Jacob Blake Shooting; Police Chief Defends Officers Who Allowed 17-Year-Old Shooter to Walk Right By Them: WATCH

    Kenosha Sheriff Lies About Watching Jacob Blake Shooting; Police Chief Defends Officers Who Allowed 17-Year-Old Shooter to Walk Right By Them: WATCH

    1 day ago
  • ‘Black Panther’ Star Chadwick Boseman Dead at 43

    ‘Black Panther’ Star Chadwick Boseman Dead at 43

    1 day ago
  • Mary Trump Shares New Tapes of Trump’s Sister Bashing ‘That Damn Ivanka’ and ‘Moron’ Eric: WATCH

    Mary Trump Shares New Tapes of Trump’s Sister Bashing ‘That Damn Ivanka’ and ‘Moron’ Eric: WATCH

    1 day ago
  • Jim Gaffigan, Anchorage, Kamala Harris, The Weeknd, BLACKPINK, Real Housewives, JK Rowling, Shinzo Abe, Palm Springs: HOT LINKS

    Jim Gaffigan, Anchorage, Kamala Harris, The Weeknd, BLACKPINK, Real Housewives, JK Rowling, Shinzo Abe, Palm Springs: HOT LINKS

    2 days ago

Most Commented

Footer

Read

  • Politics
  • Travel
  • Film
  • Theatre
  • Television
  • Science
  • Law – LGBT Rights
  • Columns
  • Specials

About

  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Towleroad
  • Towleroad on Social Media
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2020 · Log in