Pat Robertson is no stranger to anti-gay declarations, but that doesn't mean the U.S. televangelist is opposed to Christians having friends who are members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.
"You don't turn the light out just because you disagree with somebody," Robertson advised a listener on the "700 Club" television program, Gay Star News and OnTop magazine (among other media outlets) are reporting. "The Lord's not going to punish you for having homosexuals as your friends."
Specifying that a heterosexual Christian "can't indulge," he added, "There are some very, very creative homosexual people. They're in the fashion industry, they're in design, they're in various types of creative arts."
He then concluded, "You would almost need to leave the world not to associate with folks like that." (You can view Robertson's remarks, starting at about 4:45, in the above video)
Earlier this year, Robertson -- who was named "Bigot of the Year" at the 2013 Stonewall Awards -- argued that Jesus Christ wouldn't have served same-sex couples because they would have been stoned to death instead, as Right Wing Watch first reported.
In the past, he has claimed that LGBT nondiscrimination ordinances will put Christians in jail, and stated that gays are just straight people who have "forsaken God." And who could forget his desire for a "vomit" button on Facebook so he could express his feelings surrounding LGBT-related posts?
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