Tell event venuesDon't host Franklin Graham

Posted: Nov. 10, 2023

Evangelist Franklin Graham is preaching his partisan, anti-LGBTQ, anti-immigrant, Christian-nationalist agenda in communities all along the southern U.S. border this February and March -- and social-justice Christians need to push back now.

Graham hypocritically calls his roadshow the "God Loves You Tour," but his message is full of vicious anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and deadly MAGA conspiracy theories. And it's almost certainly not a coincidence that he's hitting the road during a pivotal election year -- after all, he endorsed Trump in 2016 and 2020, made numerous statements backing Trump's Big Lie of a stolen election, and even tried to blame the January 6 attack on "antifa."

Now more than ever, it's critical that we show the public and the press that Graham's right-wing ideology doesn't represent all of Christianity. But we don't have much time left to tell the arenas, ballparks, and fairgrounds hosting this tour that we want them to stand up to Graham's anti-LGBTQ hate and political violence. Add your name and tell event venues to reject Graham's border tour now.

Sign the petition:

[This petition will be delivered to the 10 event venues in three states currently scheduled to host Franklin Graham in February and March 2024, plus any additional venues that the tour may add in the future.]

Dear venue owners and managers,

As concerned Christians and consumers, we write to ask that you not host Franklin Graham's so-called "God Loves You Tour" this spring. Event venues have pulled out of Graham's tours in objection to his support for discrimination and conspiracy theories before, and we hope that you will now do the same.

Despite the tour's deceptive name, Graham is a divisive figure who tries to hide a series of deeply hateful messages behind his father's Christian legacy. His message is not one of Christ-like love but of anti-democracy, anti-LGBTQ, partisan bigotry and harm. He once called LGBTQ people "evil and rebellious" in a Facebook post opposing the Respect for Marriage Act and supporting Republican candidates. He has previously praised Vladimir Putin for passing anti-LGBTQ laws, criticized Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg's faith as a gay Christian, and called teaching LGBTQ history "an affront to God." Attacks like these have been shown to cause higher suicide and self-harm rates among LGBTQ youth.

Graham has also helped spread Donald Trump's baseless claims of a stolen election, downplayed the January 6 attack on our nation's Capitol by blaming it on "antifa" rather than pro-Trump insurrectionists, and amplified more recent anti-government conspiracy theories that ultimately led to a wave of death threats against FBI employees, judges, and other federal officials.

The upcoming "frontera" iteration of Graham's tour feels especially distasteful and hypocritical given that, in an effort to dismiss criticisms of Donald Trump's immigration policies, Graham once falsely claimed that immigration is "not a Bible issue" -- yet there are few topics the Bible addresses more.

Franklin Graham should and does have the freedom of speech to say whatever he pleases without facing punishment from the government, but that does not automatically entitle him to your platform. As Christians, we are tired of seeing him hijack and twist our faith for partisan hatred, and as consumers, we ask that you use your own freedom of speech and choice by refraining from helping spread Graham's anti-LGBTQ, anti-democracy agenda. Please withdraw your venue from his tour.

Thank you.

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