Scott Lively, Anti-Gay Evangelical, Calls Meningitis 'Consequence Of Homosexual Sin'

Following the meningitis death of a young, gay lawyer in California last week, health officials have been careful to stress that meningitis is not a "gay disease." But that has not stopped various conservative news outlets from making the link on their own. Controversial evangelical Scott Lively, who has made no secret of his anti-gay attitudes, posted on his website one such "story."

Lively linked to the WorldNetDaily (WND) article in the "News Archive" section of his Defend the Family site. The headline for the entry, "Another killer disease striking homosexuals," was paired on Lively's site with this Bible passage from the Book of Romans in the New Testament:

Romans 1:27 "and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error."

Reached by The Huffington Post over email, Lively said that he is "not saying meningitis is a 'gay' disease," despite what posting such a link might suggest.

"I'm saying that the Bible warns that the consequences of homosexual sin are implicit in the conduct itself," wrote Lively. "And while this is true of all sin, God places special emphasis on homosexual sin as an exemplar."

In the past, Lively has supported versions of Uganda's bill criminalizing homosexuality, suggested that gay wedding songs brought on the biblical Noah's flood and also linked to another controversial WND story that claimed President Obama might be gay.

(Hat tip, Right Wing Watch)