Chelsea Handler and guest Ryan Stout attacked homosexual priests during the June 4 edition of “Chelsea Lately” on the E! network. The occasion was Pope Francis’ recent statement advising young married couples not to see cats and dogs as an adequate substitute for children. Chelsea responded, “Yeah, that’s the point! And like you would know about having children—you’re a gay priest.” Stout followed up by saying that for these priests, “cats aren’t the same as kids.”
Just because homosexuals cannot naturally produce children, and priests take a vow of celibacy, this is no excuse for Handler to play into the stereotype that gay priests have no business counseling parents about childrearing. It is also no excuse for Stout to paint them as predators.
Such sweeping condemnations are not humorous. Had they simply confined their remarks to homosexuals, and not to gay priests, their gay bashing would appear more transparent. As it is, their comments are both anti-gay, and anti-Catholic. That’s quite a combo.
