A Primer on Steven Anderson, the Antigay Monster Banned From Ireland

It took a lot of hate to provoke Ireland into making its first use of a power allowing it to keep undesirable people out of the country -- but anti-LGBTQ minister Steven Anderson delivered just that.

Anderson, who has been banned by more than 30 other countries around the globe, has called for the extermination of LGBTQ people as a means of eradicating AIDS. He has praised the gunman who killed 49 people at the Pulse gay nightclub in Orlando in 2016 and prayed for the death of Barack Obama. He has also deemed the LGBTQ population "basically rapists" and likened same-sex relations to bestiality and suicide.

The pastor of Faithful Word Baptist Church in Tempe, Ariz., Anderson had been scheduled to appear in Dublin May 26, according to the church's website. But Sunday, Irish Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan signed an exclusion order barring Anderson from entering the nation. The order is made possible by a provision of the Immigration Act of 1999, but this marked the first time the republic's officials had used it, the Irish Times reports.

Section 4 of the law allows the minister for justice to issue an exclusion order if he or she "considers it necessary in the interest of national security or public policy." Flanagan said he signed the order because of public policy concerns, according to the Times.

Trending stories

Beyond Wonderland's accepting & unifying rave culture is needed more than ever

'White Lotus' S3 finale recap: Here's how each character's story ended

Who died on 'The White Lotus' season 3? The finale, explained.

All 6 rogue Mississippi cops got long prison sentences in 'Goon Squad' torture of 2 Black men

Ranking NWSL teams by how gay the name is

Here's what the 'White Lotus' stars revealed about the season 3 finale

Out and About with Karan Soni

Peaches Christ says she's been 'retraumatized' by police investigating drag icon Heklina's death

Dylan Efron dishes on his sexy back arch & Speedo pics: 'That's what I'm good at!'

'White Lotus' star Arnas Fedaravicius reacts to gays flooding his DMs

Trump's orders prompt CDC to erase HIV resources

Broadway bound: The best hotels in NYC’s Theater District for every type of traveler

Robert Irwin is stripping down & rocking tiny briefs in new underwear campaign

Gerald Garth is keeping people of color happy and healthy through trying times

How LGBTQ+ student loan borrowers can survive a chaotic new era

Elon Musk uses burner accounts on X, doesn’t fact-check: report

Joe Biden has tied the record for most LGBTQ+ judges confirmed in federal courts

Cowboys & Queens U.S. tour by Jane Hilton: A modern American dream

Discover the power of Wellness in your life

France becomes world’s first country to enshrine abortion rights in constitution

The Charles is Pacific Grove's new LGBTQ+ hotel

How climate disasters hurt mental health in young people

Matt Bomer reveals his favorite 'Fellow Travelers' sex scene with Jonathan Bailey

Broadway's best raise over $1 million for LGBTQ+ and HIV causes

Season 4 of The Switch on resilience & radical self-love returns this spring

• 0
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8

Residents who opposed Anderson's appearance in Ireland had already started an online petition calling for him to be blocked from entering the nation, and by the time Flanagan acted, 14,000 people had signed it.

Several other nations have deemed Anderson persona non grata as well. He had scheduled a May 23 appearance in the Netherlands, which took action May 1 to keep him out. He has also been barred from most other countries in the European Union. In 2016, South Africa denied him entry, and then neighboring Botswana deported him after he said on a radio broadcast that gay people should be stoned to death. And even Jamaica, which is known for intense homophobia, last year barred him from entering.