And how will the children fare? I know people have decided that discussing Barrett’s religious faith is off limits, but looking at all her cygnets trailing her raises in my mind (as an LGBTQ person) a very important point.

Statistically, it is not unlikely given Barrett’s large family size that at least one of her children will turn out to be LGBTQ.

If so, that would be very unfortunate for the child. We know from accounts of former members of People of Praise that conversion therapy is expected if members turn out to be gay or trans. We know that young people are put under intense pressure to be straight and cis, even though such pressure can only do intense harm and can never change who a person is.

We know that Barrett has associated for years with the Alliance Defending Freedom, an SPLC-designated anti-LGBTQ hate group that aside from pushing for laws to criminalize homosexuality and severely restrict LGBTQ civil liberties, also fights to keep conversion therapy legal.

So when we talk about Barrett’s motherhood, shouldn’t it be appropriate to talk about her harmful parenting values? If she actually follows People of Praise practices, any LGBTQ children of hers would suffer terribly.

As a gay man, I think that’s really important to acknowledge.