Today's Bring It On segment brought a lengthy question by a viewer named Jim: "Our family is planning a big get together for Thanksgiving, and our grandson who is gay, has asked that he be allowed to bring his "friend." We have made it clear in the past that we love him and he will always be welcome to be a part of our lives, but we will not be a part of the lifestyle he has chosen. I have told him before that the presence of his sex partners would not be welcome in our house. The recent decision made by the Supreme Court does not change God's word. Some members of the family seem to think my stance on the subject is a bit harsh, but thankfully most of them agree with me. Am I right, or should I have handled it differently? Should I allow his partner to come for holiday dinner?"
Here is Pat's response:
Pat Robertson: Of course, it's your call. You do what you want to do, but I just believe that you're taking the right stand. Otherwise, you become an enabler and you're condoning that. Chances are -- there's a real good chance that he might come out of that so-called lifestyle. But if you're going along with it... He says, "Mom likes it. It's okay." He's trying to push you, just like these... He's trying to get you to affirmatively accept what he's doing and you don't want to do it so he's trying to force you to do something. And you say, "He doesn't have the right to bring somebody into a family gathering. I mean, what if your son is dating a stripper and he wants to bring her home for Thanksgiving dinner and the family says "NO! We don't want her in our house!"First, when did it become inappropriate for people to ask if they could bring somebody to a family gathering. You can answer "yes" or "no," but it's not inappropriate to ask the question.
Terry Meeuwsen: It's inappropriate for a grandson to ask his grandparents to go against their moral value!
Pat Robertson: Of course it is! It's outrageous that he would do that. But that's what's happening. Let's push the envelope. Push people and see how far they'll bend. And what you're doing is exactly right by saying, "No! I'm not going to let it happen!"
Second, maybe in light of the forementioned Supreme Court decision the grandson plans to actually marry his partner and wants to provide his grandparents the chance to meet this man. The grandparents might not like this, but he could be offering them an opportunity.
Thirdly, Pat really got worked up by this question. The gay grandson was obviously trying to force his grandparents into something awful when he simply asked if his friend could come with him. Sometimes, he really likes to read a lot more into these scenarios than what's in the actual question.
Lastly, I think it's funny that the one commenter (as of this writing) condemned Thanksgiving Day as a Satanic ritual because it's not in the Bible.
It's certainly the grandparents' choice to push away their grandson's partner, but they also need to know that they are also gradually pushing away their grandson. He will eventually settle down with this man or someone else and his relationship with his aging grandparents will gradually decrease as they refuse to invest in his life, as well as refuse to allow him to fully maintain ties to their lives.
You can watch the whole segment here.