Christian pastor prefers frisks from male airport security agents because scanners ‘turn you gay’
Andrew Isker. (YouTube)
Andrew Isker. (YouTube)
A Christian podcaster and pastor has said he prefers being “patted down” by airport security agents than going through body scanners because he thinks they turn people gay.
Fourth Street Evangelical Church preacher and conspiracy theorist author Andrew Isker used a portion of his right-wing current affairs podcast Contra Mundum to spread a baseless and ridiculous conspiracy theory that TSA body scanners in airports can make people queer.
Speaking with co-host C. Jay Engel, the right-wing pastor said he much prefers being frisked by TSA agents instead of going through what he unironically described as a “gay beam” in the scanners.
Full body scanners in airport security terminals are devices that can scan for hidden items either swallowed by a person or that have otherwise been missed during searches. They differ from metal detectors by being able to detect non-metal objects inside or on a person’s body. They do not, and cannot, make you gay.
Despite having no available evidence to back up the claim, Isker said during the segment: “I’m not going to go through the ‘gay beam’ machine. I didn’t let C. Jay do it, I wouldn’t let him do it. I said, ‘You’re getting patted down, too, buddy. I don’t want them turning you gay.'”
The podcaster then reassured his clearly worried and clearly homophobic fans that he is aware “having a guy touch you all over the place, on its face, seems worse,” but responded claiming: “You don’t really know what those things are doing to you. They can just take a picture of me naked? Like, no.”
Full-body scanners cannot take naked pictures of individuals who go through them. The devices use a combination of X-ray, infra-red, and Millimeter wave scanners to detect contraband. If any threatening or illegal items are detected, they are shown to TSA officials via a cartoonish outline of an individual.
Isker has previous when it comes to espousing anti-gay views. During an interview published to the Tucker Carlson Network in early April, Isker claimed he had “fled” to Tennessee after saying that his home state of Minnesota had “declared war on Christians.” He also went on a homophobic tirade claiming that LGBTQ+ people are naturally sinful and claimed “financial sin” is associated with “homosexuality.”
“If you’re greedy for money you’re also going to be lustful for the flesh,” he said, whilst pushing further false conspiracies that LGBTQ+ people and allies are “sacrificing babies” and are “sodomites.”
