Drew Brees defends making video backed by anti-LGBTQ group
Metairie, Louisiana — New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees says he wasn't aware when he shot a video promoting Take Your Bible to School Day that the organization behind it was known for its anti-LGBTQ stance or discrimination of any kind, reports CBS New Orleans affiliate WWL-TV.
"I was not aware of any of the things they said about them lobbying for anti-gay, any type of messaging for inequality of any type of hate-type related stuff. I was not aware of that at all," an animated Brees said to reporters after practice Thursday.
Brees earlier Instagrammed and tweeted a response to recent articles that highlighted the video he made to promote the day, a 20-second video that was featured by Focus on the Family, a Christian group with a record of opposition to gay lifestyles.
Brees talks about his favorite Bible verse in the video and talks about children embracing the day, which is October 3.
The video was posted by Focus on the Family, a group known, among other things, for promoting gay conversion therapy, in which gay people are urged, through classes and trainings, to convert to a more Christian way of life and away from being gay through classes and trainings. The practice has been discredited by the American Psychiatric Association.
Brees said he felt that the coverage of his video and the associated headlines weren't fair and weren't "representative of what the video was about."
Brees said at the press gathering after practice and in the Instagram video that he supports everyone.
"The only thing I was promoting was Bring Your Bible to School Day," he said.
Brees has never made a secret of his religious faith, and has also appeared in anti-bullying videos and promotions.
"Let's let my actions speak louder than any of my words," he said.
