The Pentagon’s New Spiritual Guide Has a Decade-Long Digital Record of Anti-LGBTQ+ Bigotry
When Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth introduced monthly Christian worship services inside the Pentagon and established a brand-new Office of Religious Affairs, he promised to prioritize the “spiritual health” of America’s troops. But the man helping steer that culture war—senior faith adviser Ryan Higgins—brings a history of vitriolic, far-right rhetoric directly into the halls of military leadership.
A comprehensive CNN investigation into hundreds of social media posts, archived blog entries, and video streams reveals that Higgins has spent the last decade spreading conspiracy theories, denigrating immigrants, and launching direct, aggressive attacks on the LGBTQ+ community.
Mainstreaming Extremism at the DoD
While multiple sources confirm Higgins holds substantial influence over Hegseth’s public messaging—including high-profile addresses celebrating “Western Christian” values and attacking the “Godless left”—his personal digital footprint paints a picture of hardline extremism.
Higgins has repeatedly targeted queer families and individuals, using dehumanizing language to disparage the community:
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Attacking Marriage Equality: Higgins explicitly labeled same-sex marriage “abominable”, shared an inflammatory post declaring that “two males cannot be Dads and two females cannot be Moms,” and repeatedly railed against the existence of Pride Month.
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Demonizing Queer Youth and Parents: Since joining the administration, Higgins has doubled down rather than moderated. In March, he railed against what he termed “the satanic cult of LGBTQ,” and later dismissed a same-sex couple adopting a child as “two dudes buying babies.”
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Targeting Transgender Americans: He has routinely attacked transgender people, characterizing trans identity as a “mental disorder” and posting advice telling individuals to “stop playing dress up… and find Jesus.”
Broader Extremism and White Nationalists Ties
Higgins’ ideology extends far beyond anti-queer rhetoric. The aide has a documented history of defending racist tropes, promoting stolen-election conspiracy theories, and disparaging immigrants. In early 2025, he mocked King Charles for acknowledging the contributions of Muslim communities, writing that “Islam teaches death to all who do not comply.” He has also downplayed systemic racism, defended a social media post shared by Donald Trump that depicted the Obamas as apes, and trivialized the Holocaust by comparing public health measures and abortion access to Nazi atrocities.
The Department’s Response
Despite the alarming scope of Higgins’ commentary, the Department of Defense is standing by the appointee. Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell defended Higgins as a “valued member of the Secretary’s team” who “does an outstanding job serving as a senior adviser” focused entirely on troops’ spiritual health.
For LGBTQ+ service members and advocates, however, the presence of a top adviser who views their families and identities as “abominable” underscores a deeply troubling shift in how military leadership views inclusion, diversity, and the foundational principle of church-state separation—a concept Higgins flatly rejected online, writing that “Separation of Church and State does not exist.”