Franklin Graham Blasts Sports Illustrated for Caitlyn Jenner Nude Cover Shoot
Evangelical leader Franklin Graham says Sports Illustrated's plans to feature a nude Caitlyn Jenner on the cover of its magazine is tantamount to moral bankruptcy.
The head of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association commented in a post on Facebook Monday that Jenner's photo shoot is what happens when biblical principles are abandoned.
"CBS News just reported that Caitlyn Jenner will pose nude for the cover of Sports Illustrated, draped only in his Olympic gold medal and an American flag. There's a lot wrong with that picture," wrote Graham.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
"What happens when you remove biblical standards and leadership from a country? Moral bankruptcy, that's what. As our culture abandons its once cherished Judeo-Christian foundation and values, godly traditions disappear and we sink deeper into secularism."
In addition to the news about Jenner posing nude for Sports Illustrated, Graham noted: "The New York Times just published a story asking 'Should Prostitution be a Crime?' because some want 'full decriminalization of consensual sex work.'"
"And, as if that isn't enough, our cartoons aren't even immune! Disney's 'Frozen,' the highest-grossing animated movie of all time, has some supporters calling for the heroine Elsa to have a lesbian girlfriend in the movie's sequel."
The announcement that former Oympic Gold Medalist Caitlyn Jenner was going to pose nude for a photo shoot with Sports Illustrated was reported last week in the magazine Us Weekly.
"The 66-year-old 'I Am Cait' star (formerly known as Bruce) set a world decathlon record at the 1976 Montreal Summer Games. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of her win, she'll pose with her gold medal for the first time post-transition," noted Us Weekly.
Jenner told ABC's Diane Sawyer in an interview that was aired in April 2015: "For all intents and purposes, I'm a woman. People look at me differently. They see you as this macho male, but my heart and my soul and everything that I do in life — it is part of me. That female side is part of me. That's who I am."
According to a 2003 study conducted in Sweden, transsexuals who change their gender through body mutilation or hormone therapy have a higher suicide rate than the general population.
The study, which followed 191 male-to-female gender reassignments and 133 female-to-male gender reassignments from 1973-2003, found that suicide attempts and in-patient psychiatric treatment actually increased in Sweden among those who had a sex change.
Posted Monday, Graham's comment on Jenner's photo shoot has garnered as of Tuesday afternoon over 100,000 likes and more than 54,000 shares.
Graham's post comes as he continues his Decision America Tour, which involves holding prayer rallies in every state capital and the District of Columbia to encourage Christians to vote.
Last week the tour took him to West Virginia, with organizers estimating that approximately 4,200 people attended the rally.
