Rep. Ted Lieu Recites What Jesus Said About Homosexuality on House Floor — by Remaining Silent

Alex Brandon/AP/Shutterstock Rep. Ted Lieu

California Rep. Ted Lieu made a big statement by keeping quiet on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday.

In his speech, the Democratic lawmaker cited two articles that appeared in The Washington Post about the groundswell of legislation affecting the rights of LGBTQ+ Americans.

The two stories Lieu, 53, mentioned were headlined "GOP lawmakers push historic wave of bills targeting rights of LGBTQ teens, children and their families" and "Some Republicans fear party overreach on LGBT measures."

Both articles cover controversial measures like Florida's so-called "Don't Say Gay" bill and others that seek to restrict topics related to sexual orientation and gender identity from school library collections, classroom discussions and curriculum.

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"I just thought I would now recite for you what Jesus Christ said about homosexuality," Lieu told fellow members of Congress while cameras rolled at the U.S. Capitol.

Lieu then remained silent for about 20 seconds before saying, "I yield back," ending his speech.

The video of his remarks — and his silence — has been viewed more than 1.5 million times on Twitter.

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In a June 5 tweet, Lieu made a similar statement in response to a story about Tampa Bay pitchers refusing to wear rainbow logos on their uniforms during the team's Pride Night celebration.

Jason Adams spoke on behalf of the players about their decision.

"A lot of it comes down to faith, to like a faith-based decision," he told The Tampa Bay Times. "It's a hard decision. Because ultimately, we all said what we want is them to know that all are welcome and loved here. But when we put it on our bodies, I think a lot of guys decided that it's just a lifestyle that maybe — not that they look down on anybody or think differently — it's just that maybe we don't want to encourage it if we believe in Jesus, who's encouraged us to live a lifestyle that would abstain from that behavior, just like (Jesus) encourages me as a heterosexual male to abstain from sex outside of the confines of marriage. It's no different."

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Lieu, a practicing Christian who is married to a woman, replied to a tweet that included a link to a story with a portion of Adams' quote.

"Pitcher Jason Adam should read the New Testament. This is what Jesus said about homosexuality," he wrote, before including a blank space inside quotation marks. "Jesus is about love, not about hating people who are different from you."

The representative's comments come during Pride Month, which occurs annually in June to commemorate LGBTQ+ history, celebrate LGBTQ+ culture and continue pushing for equal rights.