Unequal Rights: Bronson's AERC "Prophet" pick has hateful social media trail
On Monday, Mayor Bronson's appointee, Pastor Cheston McCrea, a self-described prophet, withdrew his name from consideration for the Anchorage Equal Rights Commission (AERC).
The Anchorage Equal Rights Commission (AERC) was established in the Anchorage Charter in 1975 and is the municipal law enforcement agency charged with preventing and eliminating unlawful discrimination under Title 5 of the Anchorage Municipal Code. The AERC is governed by nine commissioners appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the Anchorage Assembly, and the Commission meets regularly.
The Anchorage Equal Rights Commission website asks visitors whether they've suffered discrimination at their job, in housing, or at a local business, school, financial institution, or governmental agency within the Municipality of Anchorage and provides free and confidential services to the public in cases involving discrimination and harassment.
Associate Pastor of Praise Temple Ministries and self-described Prophet Cheston R. McCrea has been appointed to the Anchorage Equal Rights Commission. The sheer number of ostensibly homophobic, misogynistic, transphobic posts shared by the Facebook account bearing the "Prophet's" name is breathtaking.
On July 1, 2021, McCrea called it an honor to have conducted invocations for both ceremonies related to Mayor Bronson's inauguration and shared a photograph of himself standing with Mayor Bronson and his wife.
In a July 7, 2021, Facebook post, the account bearing McCrea's name wrote that his six-year-old niece had "randomly" shared with McCrea how upset she was to see a gay pride walk during the Mayor's Inauguration. McCrea opined that these individuals attempted to interrupt the inauguration but were unsuccessful.
"Uncle, I just don't understand why people want to be gay. You don't get the same benefits that God created for a real man and wife," the post states.
A Facebook post made on September 19, 2014, in which McCrea was tagged, included text purportedly made by Pastor McCrea.
The post told readers that if they were "feminine, sissy, lips shining, self tasting, make up wearing, wrist bending, candy smelling He-Shes...you WILL NOT lay your pretty nails hands on me."
The blue tag in the Facebook post attached to McCrea's name disappeared yesterday after the account bearing his name was likely deleted or temporarily deactivated.
Another Facebook post that appears to have been made on August 15, 2021, under McCrea's name, said that he "personally believed" that "COVID-19 was/is literally the DRESS REHEARSAL for the ANTI-CHRIST and the MARK OF THE BEAST."
The account bearing the Prophetic McCrea's name appeared to share a meme on Facebook that "humorously" referred to a firearm as a "cordless hole puncher."
The Facebook account bearing McCrea's name appeared to have written: "For the record…the rainbow is attached to a promise from God that He has upheld for thousands of years..NOT sexual orientation. #GodsRainbow." Perhaps interesting to note is the use of the word "thousands" instead of millions. Other social media posts bearing McCrea's name encouraged Christians to "take back the rainbow," a symbol often used by the LGBTQ+ community to demonstrate inclusivity and diversity.
The same Facebook account appeared to opine that women and men were not created equal but were rather "created for balance."
A 2019 Facebook event listed an address associated with the non-profit Life Line Outreach Center in Chugiak. The event advertised Pastor/Prophet Cheston R. McCrea as a guest speaker. The Facebook event is no longer publicly available as of this evening.
By the way, the Facebook account bearing McCrea's name is no longer publicly available, a seemingly strange oddity when one has so strongly vocalized their religious convictions. I'm all for freedom of speech and religion...still, one might wonder why the Bronson administration chose this particular individual to serve on a commission that seeks to help those who have experienced discrimination and harassment.
I reached out to Mitzi Bolaños Anderson, director of the Anchorage Equal Rights Commission, to get her response to McCrea's social media posts. In a written statement, Anderson responded:
"Commissioners are individuals who support and advocate for our mission. They represent our work and staff at outreach events and may be called upon to enforce Title 5 at certain stages of our work, such as during reconsideration or a hearing."
McCrea is on the agenda for the November 9 Anchorage Assembly meeting to be confirmed for his appointed role. His name was added to the agenda Thursday afternoon after a work session on dozens of other appointments had already taken place.
I'm also told that the Bronson Administration, which claims to support diversity in our community, is not reappointing the only two immigrants on the AERC or the only person with a physical disability. Important perspectives will now be missing from the table.
This post was updated with additional information.
https://thebluealaskan.com/the-radical-anti-lgbt-views-of-mayoral-candidate-dave-bronson/
