A 14-year-old conservative radio host from West Virginia recently claimed that President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden were "making kids gay" by supporting LGBT rights.
During the May 26 broadcast of his program, Caiden Cowger said it was "sickening" to see other kids subscribe to the "belief" that they were gay or lesbian.
"Homosexuality is a belief," he explained. "It is not mandatory in that person. The person is not born that way. ... It is a decision. There -- it's getting worse where I'm at. I see younger people that is [sic] turning out to be homosexuals -- it's equal, boy and girl both. All of them are starting to turn to homosexuals. We've got about 30 -- I'd say 30 teenagers in this county that I'm at that are homosexuals. And it is sickening."
"They just decided all the sudden, 'I think I'm going to be gay.' And why they are becoming homosexuals, why they are becoming gay is because they are being encouraged by it!" he continued. "President Obama [says], 'It's alright, it's OK, you were born that way. You know what? It gets better.' Rather than saying, 'You need to turn away from homosexuality. That is a perverted belief and it is immoral and it's not natural.'"
Cowger, who claims to be a Pentecostal Christian, added that he was "not for bullying homosexuals" but "when you're trying to teach them the word of God and they consider that bullying? Yeah, I find that a big problem with not being allowed to convert other people to my religion."
"I'm going to tell you this, guys: President Obama, Vice President Biden is [sic] making kids gay!" he insisted. "Obama -- if you are encouraging it, you are making kids gay."
On his Facebook page, Cowger lists his influences as conservative radio hosts Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck. The logo in his studio even seems to be modeled after Beck's GBTV logo.
"I make up my own mind," he explains. "People don't do that for me. I can make deside [sic] my own beliefs. A matter effect [sic] my mom was a democrat! I know scarry [sic] right?"
Since beginning his radio show in 2010, Cowger has become somewhat of a star in conservative circles, interviewing former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain and U.S. Senate candidate John Raise (R-WV).
On his website, he complains that Obama has "officially made the month of June 'Gay Pride Month' and now June is no longer one of my favorite months." However, the video linked on that page has been removed from YouTube for "hate speech."
"Cowger needs to know that what he is doing is wrong and hateful," The New Civil Rights Movement's David Badash wrote. "Homosexuality is not a 'belief' — but religion is. No one is asking him to change his religion."
"Cowger also needs to know it is bullying to tell kids they are going to hell because they’re gay," Badash pointed out. "His religious views don’t trump their rights. If he’s doing this while in school he’s crossed the line."
By Wednesday, The Huffington Post and TMZ had both picked up the young radio host's broadcast.
"However you feel about the issue, the kid is doing West Virginia no favors -- he struggles with the English language during his rant, and for the most part loses the grammar war," TMZ wrote.
