Derick Dillard Defends Hate Against Trans Star Jazz Jennings: ‘It’s Free Speech!’

Counting On star Derick Dillard has slammed the LGBTQ community in the past. Despite receiving backlash for his views, Dillard continues to defend himself in a shocking blog post.

He explained that just because you don’t agree with someone, doesn’t mean you hate the person or group.

“That one thinks of someone’s idea or actions really doesn’t serve at all, to tell what they think of them personally, one way or the other,” he wrote. “For example, I disagree with about 95% of what my son does or suggests that I do), yet I love him dearly! I disagree with my wife far less than my son, and I also love her very much. It’s not bigotry, fascism, etc… to exercise one’s right of free speech.”

He added that it is fine for someone to have different beliefs. 

“It’s not a problem that someone has different beliefs than you,” he wrote. “Or that they’re LGBT, or that they do anything else other than what you agree with. That’s the beauty of America, that we have the freedom to make personal choices, within a civilized society of law and order. All people should be treated equally before the law, plain and simple. If you do bad stuff, you should pay the consequences regardless of who you are. One’s consequences, good or bad, should be based on actions, not identity.”

In August, Dillard attacked fellow TLC co-star Jazz Jennings, 16, for being transgender.

“What an oxymoron,” he wrote. “A ‘reality’ show which follows a non-reality. ‘Transgender’ is a myth. Gender is not fluid; it’s ordained by God.”

Dillard then received backlash for the tweet.

“Very hypocritical of your family to profit from a network which airs content against your beliefs. Don’t like it? Don’t associate with it,” one user tweeted, as a second fired, “What an oxymoron. A Christian judging someone when our God calls us not to judge. Matthew 7:1. Disagree all u want, don’t judge.”

He then backtracked by tweeting, “I want to be clear, I have nothing against him. I only have issue with the words and definitions being propagated here.” 

Jennings responded to the tweet, “Every day I experience cyber-bullying, but I keep sharing my story. Today was no different.”

Earlier this month, he caused controversy again by retweeting a quote from Janice Raymond.

“No one – women, men, children or transgender persons – should be subjected to any form of exploitation or targeted for discrimination," the post read. "Transsexual and transgendered persons are entitled to the same human and civil rights as others. Recognizing these rights, however, does not mean that we must accept that hormones and surgery transform men into women and women into men; or that persons who self-identify as members of the opposite sex, are what they subjectively claim to be.”