Western Reader
Chad Sevearance-Turner, a man once celebrated for his advocacy of LGBT+ issues, has been stripped of his awards following the revelation of a dark past.
Sevearance-Turner, a former music minister, served time in prison for sexually abusing a minor boy. He was initially slated to receive the prestigious 2023 Harvey Milk award for exceptional LGBT+ advocacy. However, Charlotte Pride, the leading LGBT organization in Charlotte, North Carolina, has decided not to present the award this year.
Sevearance-Turner’s past involves allegations of abuse and manipulation. In 1998, when he was 20 years old, he was accused by three minor boys of sexual abuse. All three boys knew him through his role as music director for New Harvest Church of God in Gaffney, South Carolina. The accusations were so serious that they were tried in separate cases.
The first case involved a 14-year-old boy who testified that he spent the night at one of the other victims’ houses with Sevearance-Turner and woke up to find himself being fondled. The boy also stated that Sevearance-Turner invited him to his house and asked him about his willingness to engage in oral sex with another man. The boy was disturbed by these questions, especially considering Sevearance-Turner’s position in the church.
The second boy, who was 15 at the time, testified that Sevearance-Turner showed him a pornographic video and later fondled him while they shared a bed.
The third boy, also 15, reported similar advances from Sevearance-Turner, who stayed at the boy’s home for three weeks and allegedly fondled him multiple times. Despite attempts by the defense attorney to discredit the boys’ testimonies, Sevearance-Turner was convicted in 2000 of performing a lewd act on a minor under 16 and sentenced to ten years in prison. He served only two years before being released on parole.
Despite his conviction, Sevearance-Turner continued to hold a position of influence within the LGBT+ community. In 2016, he resigned as president of Charlotte’s LGBT Chamber of Commerce after his status as a child sex offender came to light. However, he claimed that his past did not hinder his success and even advocated for trans-identifying men to use women’s bathrooms in North Carolina.
Eventually, his past caught up with him when Charlotte Pride removed his name from its website’s list of “Champions of Pride” award winners after his child sex offense conviction became public. Sevearance-Turner, now 45, is currently listed on the North Carolina sex offender registry.
This incident highlights the importance of thorough background checks, especially for individuals in positions of influence and the vetting process for prestigious awards.
This article appeared in Our Patriot and has been published here with permission.
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