Do you remember when Ann Coulter was laughed to scorn on Bill Maher's TV show when she stated that, out of the announced Republican candidates in 2015, Donald Trump was the most likely to become president? "Trump? No way! You're crazy!"
Who knew she would be so accurate in her prediction?
Now, what if I told you several years ago that Piers Morgan, well-known as a strong ally of the gay community, would become one of the loudest, most persistent voices against trans-activism? I imagine I would have been laughed to scorn, just as Coulter was.
The difference is that I did not make any such prediction.
That's because Morgan was known as a very strong ally of the LGBT community, not to mention a good friend of Elton John.
If anything, I would have predicted that Morgan would also take up the trans cause, just as he had taken up the gay cause.
To my knowledge, he had not been on the record for separating the T from the LGB, nor, to my knowledge did he affirm the reality of gay identity while taking issue with the idea of trans identity.
And the only time I interacted with him personally was back in 2013, when he challenged me on the air to give him one scripture where Jesus said anything about gay or being gay. (That was an easy challenge; I actually gave him three passages. I also clashed with CNN's Marc Lamont Hill on the same show. You can watch the relevant interaction here.)
To this moment, Morgan remains a passionate defender of same-sex relationships and, in his opinion, doesn't think most people really care to debate this anymore. Yet on broadcast after broadcast, he is challenging the madness of trans activism. (As always, when I speak of this "madness," I am not attacking individuals who truly and deeply struggle with gender dysphoria. I'm speaking about the societal madness of arguing that you are whatever sex and gender you perceive yourself to be. That idea is nothing less than madness.)
In one hysterical segment, Morgan explains that he now identifies as a cat (with his crew playing some "meows" in the background), only to share data from UK schools that is absolutely terrifying.
The data is so shocking that he had to clarify that what he was saying was not satire.
In recent months (and years) he has also stated that he can identify as a black lesbian and that, for his pronouns, he chooses "hottest man alive."
In other episodes, he has taken issue with the idea that there are endless varieties of gender, asked Roseanne Barr to answer the question of "what is a woman," and challenged the idea that men who identify as women should have the right to compete against them in sports. (He has addressed this subject repeatedly.)
In doing so, Morgan joins other, non-fundamentalist, even non-Christian voices like Joe Rogan in saying, "Enough is enough. This is madness."
The reality is that, for many years now, the emperor was not wearing any clothes.
At last, more and more people are recognizing his nakedness and speaking up.
Interestingly, though, Morgan has gone one step further, actually taking issue with gay leaders for their unceasing, in-your-face, activism, especially during "Pride Month." (These days, the unrelenting LGBTQ+ activism of June simply bleeds into every other month. During June, it's just a little more heightened than the other months of the year.)
And so, in another recent episode, he clashed with LGBT comedian James Barr regarding the over the top nature of "Pride Month," arguing that it will alienate more people than it will win over to the cause.
Morgan said, "The moment it looks like it's over the top, like it's everywhere you go, pride pride pride pride... do we need to be that exuberant about it?"
But when challenged by Barr, as to whether he was blaming gays, Morgan said plainly, "I don't care what sexuality anybody is, I don't think most people do anymore."
Barr asked him, "Why are you so triggered by a flag?"
Morgan answered, "I'm not triggered by a rainbow flag. I'm triggered by the fact that everywhere I go for a month everything has to be a rainbow flag."
Barr responded, "Well I'm triggered that everywhere I go for the entire year, everything has to be straight."
Morgan retorted passionately, "Where's my straight flag?! When have you ever seen a straight flag? There's never been a straight flag."
When Barr responded by telling Morgan that everywhere he turned, he saw heterosexuality, Morgan responded by asking him, "Where's my straight flag?" (You can watch the clip here.)
Well done, Piers Morgan!
All this reminds me of the comment of the astronomer Robert Jastrow who wrote in his book God and the Astronomers,
"For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains of ignorance, he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries."
We hate to say it, but we told you so!
Obviously, Morgan would not agree with this assessment, remaining a friend and ally of the gay community (for the most part) and rejecting the idea that God (and/or the Bible) oppose same-sex relationships.
But he's taking steps in the right direction, and for this, I applaud him.
You're on the right path, sir, step by step. We'll be waiting to greet you when you make it all the way home.
Dr. Michael Brown (www.askdrbrown.org) is the host of the nationally syndicated Line of Fire radio program. His latest book is Why So Many Christians Have Left the Faith. Connect with him on Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube.
