Later this month, Christian Home Educators of Colorado (CHEC), one of the state’s largest and most prominent homeschool advocacy groups, is scheduled to hold its yearly Rocky Mountain Homeschool Conference. The event will feature speeches by numerous activists and representatives of conservative Christian organizations.
But CHEC’s activism goes beyond just advocacy for religious homeschool education. Members of the organization have frequently advocated against LGBTQ rights, and some of those members are playing a key role in the conference.
One of the conference’s keynote speakers is Kevin Swanson, a Colorado pastor and host of the radio show “Generations.” Swanson previously said that gay people should be put to death, in accordance with his interpretation of the Bible.
“Yes, Leviticus 20:13 calls for the death penalty for homosexuals,” Swanson said at an Iowa conference in 2013. “Yes, Romans, Chapter 1, Verse 32, the apostle Paul does say that homosexuals are worthy of death! His words, not mine! And I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ!”
At another point, Swanson said that multiple recent natural disasters in Colorado, including floods and wildfires, could have been caused by “decadent homosexual activity.”
Though it’s been over a decade since Swanson made those comments, his general attitude toward gay people doesn’t seem to have shifted.
A May 31 episode of “Generations” decried the recent announcement that three French drag queens will carry the ceremonial torch during the Paris Olympics later this year.
“Paris is proud that a drag queen will carry the torch. And the values of peace and humanity. Okay, so that’s Paris’ mayor. That’s where the French Revolution happened. I don’t think it’s over yet,” Swanson said.
Swanson went on to characterize the French Revolution’s bloody “Reign of Terror” as the result of demonic influence and the Illuminati, which he said spread to America during the early 1800s. The Illuminati was a secret society of European intellectuals founded in the late 1700s dedicated to promoting Enlightenment-era ideals. While the group ultimately disbanded, its brief existence has been heavily mythologized, and is the subject of conspiracy theories to this day.
“Very interesting in how this demonic thing came over from the Illuminati in the French Revolution,” Swanson said. “The 1790s, it made its way into America and it began to affect America. You begin to the spiritualist movement of the 1820s, 1830, 1840s, and everybody knows about all this stuff, but very few people actually will connect the dots.”
Swanson has spoken at the Rocky Mountain Homeschool Conference for multiple years. He has also been featured at other official CHEC events, including CHEC’s Relational Lifestyle Summit in April.
Another speaker at the conference is Abraham Hamilton III of the American Family Association (AFA). Since its founding, AFA has been vocally opposed to LGBTQ rights and marriage equality. At the time of writing, one of the first items on AFA’s website is a post decrying Walmart for “aggressive ‘in your face’ LGBTQ+ promotions.”
The post, written by AFA President Tim Wildmon, goes on to instruct readers to contact their local Walmarts and tell them to pull Pride-themed merchandise from the shelves.
Other keynote speakers include Arizona Christian University media research specialist George Barna and Christian lifestyle blogger Heidi St. John.
Anti-LGBTQ sentiment is not just something promoted by Swanson and AFA – it’s a core part of CHEC’s activism. Earlier this year, an official legislative update from Carolyn Martin, CHEC’s Director of Government Relations, claimed that the LGBTQ rights movement is driven by a “queer cult” aiming to brainwash children.
“A bill (HB24-1039 Non-Legal Name Change) will be heard in the Senate Education Committee on Monday, March 25th at 1:30 PM,” Martin wrote. “It attempts to criminalize anyone not using an individual’s ‘chosen name’ under the guise of ‘gender expression’ discrimination. … The proposed bill is really about engraining in our society’s psyche the religious tenets of the ‘queer cult.’”
Martin, along with multiple other CHEC staffers, is listed as a workshop speaker for the conference.
The Rocky Mountain Homeschool Conference also incorporates groups and figures in the national anti-abortion movement. The event is sponsored by statewide anti-abortion group Colorado Right to Life.
Additionally, Bradley Pierce, a co-founder of Heritage Defense, is set to be one of the conference’s workshop speakers. Pierce is a member of the abortion abolition movement, and has had a prolific influence in state legislatures across the country, authoring multiple bills aiming to completely outlaw abortion.
The conference’s list of activity providers includes some prominent groups, including Colorado’s Butterfly Pavilion, wildlife education group Nature’s Educators, and the Wings Over the Rockies museum. None of these groups responded to a request for comment. This article will be updated with any response received.
On its own events page, the Butterfly Pavilion currently lists a Pride-themed event scheduled for June 20. Wings Over the Rockies has a page outlining its dedication to diversity and inclusion.
“Wings Over the Rockies is actively committed to cultivating a safe space for all people, removing barriers to access, and fostering an atmosphere of inclusion and respect. We value and celebrate the unique identities, perspectives, and abilities of our guests, staff, volunteers, board, and community members. We are on a journey to make Wings a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive community,” the page reads.
