Robbie Pierce, his husband, Neal Broverman and their two young children were traveling on an Amtrak train in California in 2022 when they were harassed by a fellow passenger at a stop in San Jose.
Broverman is the editorial director for print media at Pride, The Advocate’s parent company,
“All of a sudden, there was a man standing there next to me,” Pierce told The Advocate. The man told their son, “Remember what I told you earlier. They stole you and they’re pedophiles,” Pierce recounts. The man also said that gay people are abominations.
The police were called and the man was thrown off the train, but the incident was a frightening reminder that gay families could be the target of bigots, even in liberal Northern California. “It’s a new level of homophobia out there,” Pierce added.
Seven months later, Pierce’s son was the victim of harassment, this time from a child at a park. “A random unattended 7-year-old at the park told me and my son that gay people are the devil,” he recounted in a viral X thread. “My son scoffed, but the boy said it was true because God said so.”
Pierce reacted to the boy’s hatred — which he probably learned at home — with his own lesson. “I told him parents made up God to make their Kids do what they want. His eyes got so big,” he wrote on X.
A random unattended 7yo at the park told me and my son that gay people are the devil and are going to hell. My son scoffed, but the boy said it was true because God said so. I told him parents made up God to make their kids do what they want. His eyes got so big.
— 🤐 (@Robbiepierce) September 29, 2022
Addressing complex issues like religion and sexuality with a young child, who’s a stranger, is a tricky needle to thread, so Pierce admits he had some reservations about his response. But he stands by his decision.
“I’m sorry but if you teach your kids to hate I’m going to teach them to disobey you,” he wrote on X.
I’m sorry but if you teach your kids to hate I’m going to teach them to disobey you.
— 🤐 (@Robbiepierce) September 29, 2022
As someone who has been harassed by religious, homophobic people in the past, Pierce took the opportunity to help steer a young child away from hatred. At the age of 7, most children believe whatever their parents tell them. However, Pierce planted a seed in the child’s mind that may one day encourage him to challenge his indoctrination when he gets older.
The vast majority of commenters on X agreed with Pierce’s response to the child’s comment.
But what Robbie said wasn’t exactly wrong? And if you’re going to hell anyway, why not say it lol.
— Sir David Lee 😁 (@davidleedesign) September 30, 2022
It’s honestly probably the best thing Robbie could have said for the well being of the kid.
— Alexander the Mediocre (@sunflahr) September 29, 2022
Good on you Robbie!
I can’t stop laughing when I think of the conversation that kid is going to have at bedtime tonight.— Miggie (@Miggie07758273) September 30, 2022
Children do not belong to their parents. He is his own person, and so are you. He interacted with a stranger, and you weren’t mean to him, you just showed him that there’s more to the world than what his parents tell him.
You did nothing wrong.
— I’m so Dane (@Nikolaj777) September 30, 2022
— TCastillo✊🏾✊🏿 (@lombcast) September 29, 2022
However, some people thought Pierce’s response to the child was inappropriate.
maybe because the conversation was with a 7yo child? Are we going to victimize ourselves to THAT degree?
This wasn’t an admirable way to handle this situation.
My personal beliefs don’t have anything to do with it. I believe God is Love and I love all the gays. I love children.
— PoplarTree (@PoplarTree20) September 30, 2022
That was quite wrong of you to do to a kid.
You had a chance to enlighten a child. You could have told him that gay people are just like everyone else and should be respected. Instead you threw his mind into darkness and chaos. You made a bad situation worse.— The Ghost of CJ. (@CarlaJM) September 30, 2022
I’ll take: you are telling the truth and you took the time to own a seven year old kid to make yourself feel better. Very big of you. Or. You are making things up again. Either way, probably not something to hold as a moment of righteousness. Be better.
— Jett Breffery (@emolawncare) September 30, 2022
No matter how one feels about Pierce’s reaction, what’s clear is that there is something very inappropriate about a 7-year-old child openly harassing LGBTQ families. The unfortunate problem is that this type of hyper-religious upbringing can cause lasting emotional and psychological trauma to a child. And it’s a common problem. A recent study in the growing field of religious trauma found that 1 in 3 Americans suffer from trauma related to religion at some point in their life.
While we might be quick to dismiss the child’s behavior as innocent or simply as a symptom of growing up in a religious household, the more we learn about religious trauma, the more these children appear to be the victims of abuse.
