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Richard Grenell (left) and Floyd Brown (right)
Floyd Brown called homosexuality a “punishment” and said that Republican legislators are intimidated by gay staff members who live to work all day and have sex all night.
A conservative Christian executive, fired from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts following questions about his anti-LGBTQ+ views, alleges that out gay conservative Richard Grenell was “intimidated” into terminating his employment.
Floyd Brown, a best-selling author, editor, and right-wing activist, said he was fired shortly after he received an email from CNN for a story calling attention to past statements on same-sex sexual relations and the influence of gay staffers on Republican legislators. Brown had previously described homosexuality as a “punishment” upon the country and marriage equality as “godless” and a “hoax.” He also previously stated the Republican National Committee (RNC) had populated its staff and those of Republican legislators with queer people.
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Brown said he was contacted by the Kennedy Center two hours after receipt of the email from CNN and before the story was published. He said he was directed to retract his past statements or face termination.
“‘Floyd, you must recant your belief in traditional marriage and your past statements on the topic, or you will be fired,’” Brown recalled of the events. “Needless to say, I refused to recant and was shown the door. My beliefs are much more common to Biblical Christianity.”
Brown retweeted a post that claimed a speech he gave at a Christian event in 2023 was the reason he was fired. In the speech, he said that Republicans are intimidated by gay staff members who live only to work all day and have gay sex all night.
“So when I was on Capitol Hill, I worked in Republican staff,” Brown told the Christian audience. “What most people don’t understand is that many of the Republican members have homosexual staff. And the reason that they do is because the homosexuals usually, unlike me – I had two kids at home, I had a wife at home, I had responsibilities at home, and I needed to spend time with my children – and they don’t. They didn’t. They literally worked for the member 24/7 and then went out to Adams Morgan and had their gay sex and then came back to work the next day.”
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He further blamed former President George W. Bush for tapping Ken Mehlman, a man Brown described as “openly homosexual,” as chairman of the RNC in 2005. Mehlman came out as gay in 2010.
Brown claimed Mehlman systematically filled the RNC with “homosexual staff,” and claimed the appointment of Mehlman is the reason why Republicans haven’t passed more anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.
He said Republicans continually disappoint conservative grassroots activists on family issues because legislators “have three staff members who are against it and that impacts them,” describing the process as “a dirty little secret that no one wants to share.”
In his social media post, Brown described Grenell as “a professing Christian" who is "married to a male spouse.” He said his requests to speak with Grenell about the firing have been ignored.
Grenell was appointed as interim head of the Kennedy Center earlier this year. He was previously the President's special envoy. Grenell was the first out gay cabinet-level officer in a Presidential administration when he served as the acting Director of National Intelligence (DNI). Former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg became the first Senate-confirmed cabinet member in 2021.
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Brown is the author CounterPunch: An Unlikely Alliance of Americans Fighting Back for Faith and Freedom. In 2008, he founded the right-wing website Western Journal.
The Advocate has reached out to the Kennedy Center for comment.
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Richard Grenell faced a Senate vote for confirmation as Director of National Intelligence (DNI). He did not. We regret the error.
