Bigoted Bride of Christ Blasts Gays, Divorce and Single Parents

A Dominican nun with ties to the National Organization for Marriage's Ruth Institute caused an uproar last month when she lectured against homosexuality, single parenthood and masturbation at a Charlotte, North Carolina, Catholic High School. Her rhetoric sparked a petition by parents, students and alumni of the school and led to the cancelation of an upcoming speaking engagement, The Charlotte Observer reports.

On March 21, Sister Jane Dominic Laurel from Nashville, Tenn., addressed a student assembly at Charlotte Catholic High School in which, according to reports, she criticized gays and lesbians and made inflammatory remarks about single and divorced parents.

A petition issuing a formal complaint against school officials for hosting the speech was launched on Change.org. The petition. which has over 3,000 signatures, listed ten objections to Laurel's speech that included: "We reject the suggestion that homosexuality occurs mainly as a result of a parent's shortcomings, masturbation or pornography." and "We recognize the difference between correlation and causation. As a result, we realize that men don't become gay by masturbating in the presence of one another but rather may engage in these activities because they are gay."

According to LGBTQ Nation, Laurel, who has a history of anti-gay views, has partnered in the past with the Ruth Institute.

The Charlotte Observer reports that not everyone was outraged by Laurel's speech. The Rev. Tim Reid, pastor of St. Ann Catholic Church, sent an email lauding the nun, saying "she represented well the Catholic positions on marriage, sex, same-sex attraction and proper gender roles ... The Church has already lost too many generations of Catholic schools students to ... a very muddled and watered-down faith."

Conversely, the Change.org petition states that the student signees are confused "why time was spent condemning the practice of homosexuality when we could have been spent condemning: world hunger, gun violence, the death penalty, unjust care of the elderly, human trafficking, genocide, discrimination etc.; OR been promoting: love, prayer, the Beatitudes, practical ways to serve Christ, patience..."

A speech scheduled to be given by Laurel at an upcoming diocese youth conference in Asheville, N.C., in May has been cancelled. The Observer reports that David Hains, a spokesman for the 46-county Diocese of Charlotte, said the decision was made by Sister Jane Dominic Laurel's religious order in Nashville, Tenn.

"They felt like this just wasn't a good time for the sister to speak again in the diocese," Hains said Tuesday.