Getty Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright.
Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright‘s wedding pastor, Ryan Dotson, will not be officiating the Vanderpump Rules stars’ wedding.
After Brittany and Jax attended LA Pride, anti-LGBTQ comments made by Dotson in 2015 were shared on Twitter, causing a fan controversy. The backlash was so severe that Brittany and Jax had to ask the pastor to step back from his role and they asked Lisa Vanderpump to officiate. Ultimately, their wedding officiant was Lance Bass, formerly of NSYNC.
Here’s what we know about pastor Ryan Dotson’s questionable posts:
Ryan Dotson Is A Minister at The Church of God of Prophecy
I’m confused as to why @mrjaxtaylor or @BNCartwright would participate in the LA #Pride parade if they have a homophobic bigot marrying them later this month? It’s revolting and shameful to give this spigot of hate a platform. #PumpRules
The pastor is pro-life and does not support transgender individuals in the ministry. He also criticized the supreme court decision to legalize gay marriage. On the February 18 season 8 episode the couple has to deal with the fall out from the pastor’s comments. The episode shows Brittany and Jax handling the situation.
“I want [Brittany] to have the very best day she possibly can,” Dotson told Page Six, saying that the couple asked him to no longer participate in their nuptials. “They asked me to be a guest, but I probably won’t. I’m too much of a distraction.”
The pastor’s questionable posts were discovered when people on the internet looked him up and found his personal views expressed on his personal social media feed after the cast shared photos from the Los Angeles Pride Parade, fans expressed their concerns. Lisa Vanderpump released a statement, revealing that she reached out to her SUR employees to make a change in their wedding plans, Us Weekly reported.
“I’ve contacted Jax and Brittany who are extremely disappointed as to the depth and seriousness of these comments by the minister and are very shocked and feel that obviously major alterations will have to be made in their ceremonial plans,” the restaurant owner told Us Weekly. “They are dealing with this today. This attitude is totally not acceptable to them and changes are forthcoming.”
Brittany & Jax Planned to Get Married at An Evangelical Mega Church
@adru_6 @mrjaxtaylor We already took care of this so I would appreciate it if people would quit trying to spread rumors like we don’t care and aren’t supporters when you guys have no clue how we feel or the fact that we have already changed. I’m focused on marrying the man I love. Nothing else. ❤️
The couple announced in December 2018 that Ryan Dotson, a Kentucky pastor, was going to marry them at The Kentucky Castle, in Versailles, Kentucky. Brittany first addressed backlash over the pair’s decision during a January appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen.
Dotson also responded to the criticism over his anti-LGBTQ remarks in an exclusive statement to Page Six. “I am neither Transphobic nor homophobic.” Dotson said he believes he is entitled to his Christian values “as an American,” adding that “although, I do not agree with the homosexual lifestyle, I love the homosexual.” The Kentucky pastor said he employs gay people and has “never discriminated against anyone because of their sexuality… To be honest, many of my homosexual employees have been some of my greatest employees,” he added.
According to screenshots obtained by BuzzFeed, the pastor previously criticized a church for appointing a transgender deacon and condemned the Supreme Court for ruling to legalize gay marriage in June 2015. After Taylor, 39, and Cartwright, 30, attended LA Pride over the weekend, anti-LGBTQ comments made by Dotson in 2015 were shared on Twitter, causing an uproar amongst fans.
Dotson is reported to have spoken out against abortion as well. Fans reacted by calling the couple out on social media. Buzzfeed reported the couple blocked one of their reporters after they had inquired about the controversy through social media.
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VPR: Brittany & Jax Minister’s Homophobic Tweets