Illinois Family Institute Responds to Campion Suspension

The Minneapolis Police Department recently suspended Michael Campion's contract as a police department psychologist after complaints of his serving on the board of the anti-gay Illinois Family Institute. IFI Executive Director David Smith responded with a press release claiming religious discrimination:

"Does this mean that any person with a Christian or moral belief system cannot work for the City of Minneapolis?" Smith asked. "This case has all the markings of blatant anti-Christian discrimination and bigotry. People of faith should follow it carefully, because they could be next."

The City of Minneapolis hires many people who are Christian and many people who are Christian work for the city, and have for years. It would be nearly impossible for the city not to employ Christians, given that 77% of the US population is Christian and 75% of Minnesotans identify themselves as Christians.

The Minneapolis Police Department merely responded to concerns by citizens over Campion's involvement with the Illinois Famliy Institute. The IFI is based in religion, but is not a church or place of worship, nor is it a specific belief system. It's a non-profit dedicated to making life miserable for gay people. The talk of Christian discrimination is a page from the Christian Nationalism movement, a network of churches and organizations such as IFI that are committed to forcing their version of Christianity down everyone's throats.

Smith of IFI went on to say:

"It is ironic that advocates of tolerance and diversity would deny Dr. Campion's right to exercise his First Amendment freedoms of speech and association--not to mention his freedom of religion."

It is ironic that IFI would be tossing around terms like 'tolerance and diversity' when the major platform of their group is to eliminate homosexuality from the United States.