Pastor attacks superintendent finalist’s sexuality in Texas. ‘Ungodly and immoral’

A Texas church is receiving backlash after its pastor spoke out against a finalist for school district superintendent, attacking her sexual orientation and saying she would usher in “sexual immorality” within the Houston-area community.

Doug Harris, pastor at Central Baptist Church, in Deer Park, made the comments at the end of a sermon on March 16 — two days after Deer Park Independent School District announced that it had a “sole finalist” to fill the role of superintendent, Tiffany Regan.

Regan “is well-respected within our district,” Harris said, standing before his congregation, video shows. “Truth be told she has a lot of great experience and she is well-educated.”

Despite the sterling resume, Harris said he must act as the “tip of the spear to say no” to Regan being made superintendent.

“The difficulty is in her morality. She lives a lifestyle that is ungodly and immoral,” he said, adding that if she’s placed in the district’s top role, the community of Deer Park will have taken its first step “down a slippery slope.”

“When you live a lifestyle of sexual immorality and that is your corrupted worldview, everything that you do stems out of the worldview which you have,” he said.

“It will only be a matter of time before the wokeism, the liberalism and sexual immorality begins to be pushed at a fast pace in our district,” he continued.

Harris encouraged those in attendance to write to the school board in opposition to Regan.

Harris said it is not his intention to hurt Regan or derail her career.

“It is really just the opposite,” he said. “I would hope that she would come to true faith in Christ and repent of her sins and get some things right.”

The finalist

Regan graduated high school in Deer Park, then returned to the district as a substitute teacher in 1995, according to the district. From there she worked her way up, becoming a full-time teacher, then serving as a junior high school principal for years before being named assistant superintendent in 2021.

Out of 26 candidates, both from within and outside of Deer Park ISD, the school board chose Regan as its finalist, “the person who will get the job done,” a statement read.

In response to Harris’ comments, a community petition was created demanding an apology from the pastor, a statement from Central Baptist Church “disavowing hate speech,” and a public message of support for Regan from city and school officials.

“This is not about policy. This is not about performance,” the petition read. “This is targeted, identity-based discrimination against a public servant.”

The petition has over 1,700 signatures as of the afternoon of Thursday, March 27.

Though the school district declined to comment on Harris’ remarks, it shared a statement from school board president Jason Cable.

“As a public institution, we adhere to state and federal employment laws, which prohibit discrimination based on certain personal characteristics unrelated to job performance. Our focus has been on ensuring that the best candidate is in place to lead our district forward, fostering an environment that supports all students, educators, and families,” Cable said.

“I recognize that there are differing perspectives within our community … however, the Board will remain steadfast in our commitment to making decisions rooted in qualifications, integrity, and what is best for our students and district.”

Before Regan can be named superintendent, there is a 21-day waiting period during which the community can send feedback for consideration, according to the district. Meaning that unless the district changes its mind, Regan will be officially hired as superintendent on April 4.

Deer Park is a roughly 20-mile drive east from downtown Houston.