Arkansas
Arkansas Republican says LGBTQ+ community is ‘of the devil’ in viral video
A homophobic Republican politician in Arkansas not only confirmed he said the LGBTQ+ community is “of the devil” in a recent sermon posted to social media, but also embraced the comments. The video clip has since gone viral.
Jason Rapert, the man responsible for the comments, is a former state senator most recently appointed to the Arkansas State Library Board. The video was uncovered and posted to X, formerly Twitter, by Right Wing Watch.
“The LGBTQ movement in the country is of the devil,” Rapert said at the beginning of the 38-second clip, beginning his comments with an anti-trans slur.
“That’s right,” one member of the congregation said, as others murmured in agreement
“Period. Of the devil,” Rapert continued. “So you don’t need to be supporting people or voting for people that do things of the devil.”
“That’s exactly right,” an attendee said in approval.
“Amen,” said another.
“There’s no way a real Christian can do that,” Rapert said, before looking at the camera. “I don’t know if you’re live-streaming this or not. I’m telling all of you today: you cannot be a Christian and vote for people that do the devil’s work. You can’t do it.
Rather than shy away from the public spotlight on his anti-LGBTQ+ comments, Rapert embraced the controversy in a post to X Twitter.
“I am Jason Rapert and YES I endorse this message from my recent sermon,” Rapert said in a post to X Twitter on Monday.
Rapert is a former State Senator from 2011 to 2023 representing Arkansas’s 18th and later the 35th districts. He is also the founder and president of the National Association of Christian Lawmakers.
Rapert was appointed to the Arkansas State Library Board by Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders. He made headlines recently after attempting to use the board to withhold state funds for libraries suing the state in opposition to Act 372, which requires libraries to segregate LGBTQ+ books deemed offensive by some community members, the Arkansas Advocate reported at the time.
He tried but was prevented from reading an excerpt All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson at a board meeting in August. He claimed the book was pornography and inappropriate for children.
“We do not ban books on this board,” board member Shari Bales, another Sanders appointee, told Rapert during heated discussions.
“I will never vote for censorship.” board member Pamela Meredith told Rapert at another point in the meeting.
Later in the same meeting, Rapert said he had been contacted by state politicians wanting to disband the board unless they approved his proposals.
“And unless the board acts, I say, amen, destroy it and put it in the hands of somebody who knows you shouldn’t be putting pornography in front of children,” Rapert warned.
Purdue has landed its first transfer portal commitment. On Thursday, On3 reported that former Arkansas quarterback Malachi Singleton has committed to play for coach Barry Odom and the Boilermakers after spending the last two seasons with the Razorbacks.
Singleton, a member of the 2023 recruiting class, just completed his redshirt freshman season at Arkansas and will have three years of eligibility to use. It’s a huge addition for Purdue, which needs help at the quarterback position after losing Hudson Card (graduation) and Ryan Browne (transferring to North Carolina). Marcos Davila is also in the transfer portal.
During the 2024 season, Singleton appeared in five games for the Razorbacks, completing 21-of-28 passes for 358 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 74 yards and three touchdowns on 17 attempts.
As a high school recruit, Singleton was a four-star prospect out of Kennesaw, Ga. He ranked as a top-400 overall prospect in the 2023 class and was listed as the No. 17 quarterback of the cycle.
Landing Singleton was a significant addition for the Boilermakers, who will need to fill plenty of roster spots after being hit hard with transfer portal departures and landing just a dozen players in the 2025 recruiting class.
PURDUE FINDS NEW DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Barry Odom is bringing Mike Scherer, his defensive coordinator at UNLV, to West Lafayette, per reports. Scherer will be the Boilers’ defensive coordinator. CLICK HERE
PURDUE HIRES DE COACH: Purdue coach Barry Odom has hired Jake Trump as the next defensive ends coach of the Boilermakers. Trump played at Missouri under Odom. CLICK HERE
PURDUE HIRES NEW DL COACH: Purdue has hired former Arkansas assistant coach Kelvin Green to be the next defensive line coach in West Lafayette. The school made the announcement Wednesday. CLICK HERE
The wait is over. Purdue and Barry Odom have landed their first transfer portal commitment of the cycle, as former Arkansas quarterback Malachi Singleton is set to ink with the Boilermakers. Singleton emerged as a serious option early Thursday morning and he now gives the Boilermakers with their potential signal caller moving forward.
The former Razorback spent two seasons in Fayetteville, playing in five games this season. In those five games, Singleton completed 75% of his 28 passes for 368 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for 74 yards and three scores on 15 attempts.
Singleton was a four-star recruit in the 2023 class, while being the No. 9 dual-threat quarterback in the country, according to Rivals. He chose the Razorbacks over the likes of Miami, West Virginia, Louisville, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Cincinnati and others.
At 6-foot-1 and 225 pounds, Singleton provides the Boilermakers with an intriguing option under center for 2025 and beyond. He flashed in limited reps as a redshirt freshman, even earning SEC Freshman of the Week honors after throwing for 207 yards and a score, as well as rushing for 44 yards and another touchdown against Ole Miss.
Barry Odom, offensive coordinator Josh Henson and quarterbacks coach Darin Hinshaw now have their signal caller moving forward, when they needed it most. Purdue had only two scholarship quarterbacks on the roster prior to Singleton’s commitment, with incoming freshman Garyt Odom and redshirt sophomore Bennett Meredith in the mix after the departures of Ryan Browne, Marcos Davila and Hudson Card.
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