A former vice president of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts claims that he was fired over his "past writings and statements about traditional marriage and homosexual influence" in the Republican Party just a few hours after receiving questions from CNN about those comments.
Floyd Brown wrote on social media Thursday that he was "fired yesterday by [Kennedy Center President] Richard Grenell" just one month after he was "recruited to join the Kennedy Center as a Vice President."
Brown notes that his "firing came approximately two hours after CNN sent an email asking me to comment on my past writings and statements about traditional marriage and homosexual influence in the GOP."
In an article released on Thursday, CNN described Brown as "a far-right political activist with a history of anti-gay rhetoric and promoting conspiracy theories about former President Barack Obama" being Muslim and not being a natural-born U.S. citizen, and noting that Brown previously called homosexuality "a punishment" for America.
Brown wrote in his statement on Thursday that he was told to "recant" his "belief in traditional marriage and ... past statements on the topic" or be fired, but noted that he never actually spoke with Grenell about his dismissal.
"Needless to say, I refused to recant and was shown the door. My beliefs are much more common to Biblical Christianity," he wrote, going on to accuse Grenell, who is openly gay, of being "intimidated by a CNN story, which hasn't been aired or published, so he preemptively fired me for my Christian beliefs on marriage."
Grenell did not respond to CNN’s request for comment. A source close to the Kennedy Center told the news network that Grenell was not involved in Brown's hiring, does not know him, and did not meet with him during his time as a vice president.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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