Turning Point USA’s recent Pastors Summit was brought to you, in part, by a registered sex offender.
Members and affiliates of the right-wing, extremist-friendly group are some of the most vocal in the crusade to malign LGBTQ people and their allies as child sex predators. But the group appears to be more accepting of those found to have preyed on minors than it lets on. And that hypocrisy led to a wave of criticism over the weekend.
Late last week, I wrote about allegations of widespread child sex abuse in conservative-leaning religious groups like the Catholic Church and the Southern Baptist Convention. The next day, Rolling Stone reported on TPUSA hosting its pastor summit in connection with an organization founded by a registered sex offender:
[O]ne of the TPUSA summit’s corporate sponsors is a Christian fashion company that is led by a registered sex offender, Shawn Bergstrand, who served time in federal prison for attempted “coercion and enticement” after trying to persuade “a minor female” to “engage in sexual activity.”
It’s ironic given TPUSA President Charlie Kirk’s recent rants about purported “groomers.” Needless to say, if you’ve been baselessly lobbing allegations of child sex predation at others, it’s probably best to ensure no one you’re affiliated with has been convicted of similar crimes. This rule apparently never made it into the TPUSA trainers’ manual.
Referring to Bergstrand’s conviction, TPUSA spokesman Andrew Kolvet told Rolling Stone the group “was not aware of this incident.” He noted that Bergstrand was an “exhibit sponsor” and was not a speaker or organizer at the event.
Of course, TPUSA is trotting out a convenient excuse for allowing Bergstrand’s company to sponsor the event.
“One of the core tenets of the Christian faith is forgiveness rooted in repentance,” Kolvet told Rolling Stone. “After discussing the issue with him, we believe [it] was critical to bringing him to faith.”
Kolvet continued: “He…
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