One week after Derick Dillard attacked I Am Jazz star Jazz Jennings in an anti-transgender tweet, Jill Duggar’s husband still hasn’t issued a public apology. It seems that Derick is firmly standing by his strict religious beliefs, despite the backlash he’s received in social media.
Timeline of Derick Dillard’s Anti-Trans Tweet
On August 3, Derick slammed TLC and I Am Jazz for branding the show as reality when, for him, being transgender is a “myth.” The missionary also refused to address 16-year-old Jazz Jennings as a girl and insisted on using the male pronoun in his succeeding replies.
Netizens immediately responded to defend the LGBT community, slamming Derick’s tweet as hateful and misinformed. Jazz Jennings herself tweeted amid the controversy, saying that she constantly experiences cyber-bullying but she will keep on sharing her story anyway.
The day after Derick’s post, TLC issued an official statement denouncing Derick’s opinion. The network produces both the Duggar family’s Counting On– where Derick himself appears regularly–and Jenning’s I Am Jazz.
“It is important for us to let our viewers know that Derick Dillard’s personal statement does not represent the views of TLC.”
Derick Dillard Tweets New Bible Verse, Defends His Stance
Despite these public rebukes, Derick has stubbornly refused to take down his controversial post. Instead, the Duggar son-in-law even tweeted a series of Bible verses that seemed to defend his anti-gay and anti-transgender beliefs.
Derick Dillard’s latest tweet, posted on Wednesday, is his take on the Bible’s Hebrews 13. The Counting On star reflected on how “truth is relative these days,” but God’s word remains absolute forever.
It seems truth is relative these days. So glad my God is the same yesterday, today, and forever! His word is always perfect! #Hebrews13
— Derick Dillard (@derickmdillard) August 8, 2017
Derick seemed to focus on the chapter’s verse 8, where it states that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (New International Version). There was also a verse before that which dissuades Christians from committing adultery and sexual immorality.
However, critics who left comments on Derick’s tweet pointed out that Derick seemed to have ignored the first verse of the passage. Quite interestingly, Hebrews 13 started out by exhorting its readers to “love one another.”
“Stop living in your bubble of hatred. The teachings you are saying are not what our God wants. He is loving and kind,” wrote one fan. Others simply begged Derick to drop the issue and lay off Twitter.
Meanwhile, other Duggar family members have not responded to this latest controversy. Derick’s wife Jill Duggar has yet to come to her husband’s defense amid all the hate he’s getting from the LGBT community. Their show, Counting On, is slated to return for another season this September on TLC.
[Featured Images by Derick Dillard/ Instagram and Lars Niki/Getty Images for NewFest]
