Ken Hutcherson Kenneth Lee Hutcherson ( born July 14 , 1952 ) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League who is now the pastor of the Antioch Bible Church in Kirkland , Washington , where he has been since 1985 . His nickname from his NFL days is " The Hutch " . Football career . Hutcherson played linebacker for Livingston University ( now the University of West Alabama ) from 1970 - 73 . He was a starting outside linebacker for the Tiger ’ s 1971 NAIA National Championship team , and was an All - American both his junior and senior seasons . He was the NAIA National Player of the Week in 1972 when he made 21 tackles against Southern State . Hutcherson was named GSC Defensive Player of the Year in 1972 , and was an All - GSC and All - Alabama Small College selection in 1972 and 1973 . Hutcherson was drafted in the fourth round by the Dallas Cowboys in 1974 , and played five years in the NFL spending time with the Dallas Cowboys , San Diego Chargers , and Seattle Seahawks . Pastoral career . After ending his football career , Hutcherson conducted theological studies at Cascade Bible College in Bellevue , Washington in 1979 . After finishing his studies , he served eight years as director of high school ministries at Westminster Chapel in Bellevue . In 1984 , he started Antioch Bible Church in Kirkland , Washington , along with Mark Webster and Dwight Englund . Hutcherson accepted the position of senior pastor in 1985 and was ordained in 1986 . He was once quoted on his church ' s website as saying , " The greatest need today in the church - which does not seem to be important in the average church - is the training of people in evangelism , discipleship and the responsibility they have for the church and responsibility they have for God . " Hutcherson is a frequent football guest caller on The Rush Limbaugh Show , and usually appears in around NFL playoff , and Super Bowl time . Rev . Hutcherson and Limbaugh are such close friends that he officiated Limbaugh ' s fourth wedding in June 2010 in Palm Beach , Florida . Gay rights opposition . Gay rights as a civil rights movement . Ken Hutcherson strongly objects to suggestions that the current gay civil rights movement bears a resemblance to the African - American civil rights movement in the 1960s . An opinion piece by Hutcherson published in " The Seattle Times " on March 29 , 2004 , stated , " It has been said loudly and proudly that gay marriage is a civil rights issue . If that ' s the case , then gays would be the new African Americans . I ' m here to tell you now , and hopefully for the last time , that the gay community is not the new African - American community . " Hutcherson has been reported as saying that he is offended by those that say same - sex marriage is a civil rights issue and instead is “ a moral and sexual preference issue , ” because he believes that homosexuality is a choice and race is not . He has said , " I ' ve met many ex - gay s , but I ' ve never met an ex - black . " On April 25 , 2008 Hutcherson protested at a school hosting the National Day of Silence . He planned on organizing , and took an ad out in a local paper calling for , 1 , 000 people to protest Mount Si High School , the school his daughter attended , in Snoqualmie , Washington . The National Day of Silence brings attention to anti - LGBT ( Lesbian , Gay , Bisexual , Transgender ) name - calling , bullying and harassment in schools . On March 2 , 2006 , Hutcherson and King County Executive Ron Sims , himself a Baptist Minister and a supporter of same - sex marriage , met at Seattle Town Hall to debate publicly the question " Is the gay rights movement the new civil rights movement ? " The debate , sponsored by " The Stranger " was arranged as a dare and drew a crowd of around 800 people . Gay anti - discrimination legislation . Hutcherson has repeatedly opposed state anti - discrimination laws . On February 9 , 2006 , Tim Eyman lodged referendum Initiative 65 which sought a public vote to repeal the Murray Anderson Civil Rights Bill before it could take effect on June 7 , 2006 . Hutcherson supported the initiative and conducted petition signature gathering at his Antioch Bible Church . When the June 6 , 2006 deadline arrived the campaign announced they had failed to collect the 112 , 400 signatures required to qualify for the ballot . Still focused on overturning anti - discrimination protection for gays and lesbians , Hutcherson lodged his own ballot initiative on January 19 , 2007 . Initiative 963 proposed removing any reference to sexual orientation or sexual preference from existing anti - discrimination legislation and required 224 , 800 valid signatures be collected by the July 6 , 2007 deadline to qualify for the ballot . On January 27 , 2007 , " The Seattle Times " reported that Hutcherson had allied with a network of churches , including Watchmen on the Walls , that are tied to conservative evangelical Slavic communities in Washington State and California that have been active in anti - gay causes . The stated purpose of this alliance was to collect signatures for initiative 963 to overturn the recently passed state law that banned discrimination based on sexual orientation . On June 29 , 2007 , Hutcherson told " The Seattle Times " that he had dropped the initiative some months earlier at the urging of Pastor Joe Fuiten , who argued that the time was not right for the campaign and asked instead for his help in opposing domestic partnership rights for gay and lesbian couples . Microsoft . In 2005 , the Seattle weekly newspaper " The Stranger " reported that Hutcherson persuaded Microsoft to withdraw support for the Washington anti - discrimination bill that would have made it illegal to fire an employee due to their sexual orientation . Hutcherson had reportedly told the Microsoft general counsel that 700 evangelical Microsoft employees attend his church , and all of them opposed the bill . He added that if Microsoft did not withdraw support of the bill , he would organize a national boycott of the software maker . Sometime after the meeting Microsoft changed its long held position on the issue from support to neutral stating that anti - discrimination was not a priority for that legislative session . A few weeks later , after furious protests from Microsoft employees and advocacy by GLEAM , Microsoft ’ s gay , lesbian , bisexual and transgender employee resource group , the company reversed itself and pledged to support future anti - discrimination legislation . The Anderson Murray Civil Rights Bill was passed in the Washington State House on January 20 , 2006 , in the Senate on January 27 , 2006 , and signed into law by Governor Christine Gregoire on January 31 , 2006 . When the bill was passed , Hutcherson again called for a boycott , but no such organized effort emerged . On January 25 , 2006 , Hutcherson called for supporters to take action against Microsoft for reinstating its support of the Washington State Anti - Discrimination bill by driving down the company ’ s stock price . Hutcherson asked that supporters purchase one or two Microsoft shares over the following months with the goal of selling them on May 1 , 2006 . Market experts stated that the “ buy - and - dump ” plan had no realistic chance of affecting Microsoft stock while legal scholars warned that the plan could be considered illegal market manipulation . Microsoft maintained its support of the bill and on May 1 , 2006 Microsoft shares closed up 14 cents on the previous day ’ s close . On November 13 , 2007 , Hutcherson addressed the Microsoft Annual Stockholders meeting . During the question and answer session he referred to previous discussions with Microsoft executives regarding their support for anti - discrimination legislation in Washington State and threatened further action against the company without clearly specifying the policy position or activity he hopes to change . Hutcherson stated " I could work with you , or I could be your worst nightmare , because I am a black man with a righteous cause , with a host of powerful white people behind me . . . " . After Hutcherson ' s comments , one attendee asked what shareholders could do to help the company to oppose Hutcherson . Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith responded , " As a company , we ' ve had a clear policy with respect to the way we treat our people , and we believe in that policy . It ' s a policy that ' s founded on non - discrimination , it ' s a policy that we believe has served our employees well , it ' s served our shareholders well , and I think that was reflected last year when all of our shareholders were asked to vote on that policy , and over 97 percent of you and all of our other shareholders stood up and agreed with us . And I think that it is precisely in that form that shareholders have the opportunity to continue to make their views known , and we very much appreciate that support " . On November 16 , 2007 , an interview appeared in " The Daily Telegraph " , a UK newspaper , where Hutcherson described his plan to ask millions of evangelical activists , Orthodox religious and other allies , to purchase Microsoft shares and demand a return to ' traditional values ' . He described Microsoft as just the first company to be targeted in a larger campaign which will attempt to force American corporations to support only biblically - based social policy positions . In the article Hutcherson alleged " There are 256 Fortune 500 companies alone pouring millions upon millions of dollars into pushing the homosexual agenda . . . " but he has yet to provide any evidence for his claims . However , in accordance with a May 6 , 2005 e - mail where Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer laid out guidelines and restrictions for future public policy engagement , the company has expressed no position on same - sex marriage , civil unions , or domestic partnership legislation at the Washington State or Federal levels . In a January 12 , 2008 radio interview on " Sirius OutQ " with Michelangelo Signorile , Hutcherson once again claimed that Microsoft was advocating in support of same - sex marriage . On January 8 , 2008 , Hutcherson announced details of his " Buy Three , Donate One " campaign which asked supporters to purchase three shares of Microsoft stock , donate one share to the " AGN Financial Network , " and prepare to vote on a Shareholder Proposal that would be presented at the next Microsoft Stockholders Annual meeting in November 2008 . Hate crimes legislation . On April 17 , 2007 , Hutcherson was scheduled to participate in a press conference hosted by Exodus International opposing passage of the federal Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007 . The event , to be held at the National Press Club , was intended to put pressure on lawmakers to drop the legislation which proposed adding sexual orientation and gender identity to the currently protected classes of race , color , religion and national origin . The press conference was cancelled in the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings . The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007 passed the House on May 3 , 2007 by a vote of 237 to 180 . On June 18 , 2007 , Hutcherson and 29 other African - American pastors in the High Impact Leadership Coalition publicly opposed the Senate hate crimes bill renamed The Matthew Shepard Act on 1st Amendment grounds . Same - sex marriage . On May 1 , 2004 , Hutcherson organized a " Mayday for Marriage " rally against marriage rights for lesbian and gay couples . The highly - publicized effort drew an estimated 20 , 000 supporters from around the Puget Sound region to Safeco Field in Seattle , Washington . Later , in October 2004 , he organized another " Mayday for Marriage " rally in Washington , D . C . which attracted an estimated 140 , 000 participants . Comparing the “ Mayday for Marriage ” rally he organized in Washington D . C . to the Madrid train bombing by terrorists that killed 191 people , he said , " My idea here is to drop a spiritual bomb on D . C . , like Spain , where they had the terrorist bomb . " After switching focus from opposing anti - discrimination legislation to fighting recognition of domestic partnerships in early 2007 , Hutcherson claims that the Christian group who were in charge of the effort failed to follow through on their plans . Despite opposition from Hutcherson and Christian groups the Domestic Partnership bill passed the state legislature and was signed into law on April 21 , 2007 . Angered by the situation , Hutcherson has said he intends to force a state - wide debate on legal recognition for same - sex relationships which he and other opponents see as an incremental step towards securing same - sex marriage rights . Speaking with " The Olympian " , Hutcherson said “ I am going to do something that deals with the main issue , ” adding that he intends to provide broader political leadership for Christians that he believes has been absent in recent years . Latvia controversy . On March 21 , 2007 , Seattle attorney Dave Coffman filed a complaint with the Federal Bureau of Investigation asking them to investigate whether or not Pastor Hutcherson violated federal law by claiming to be a White House " Special Envoy " on a 2007 trip to Latvia . Hutcherson claims his work and trip were sanctioned by the Bush White House . The trip was the centerpiece of a four - day anti - gay - rights " crisis conference " held in Latvia . Hutcherson claims that the director of the White House Office of Faith - Based and Community Initiatives Jay Hein appointed him as a " special envoy " for the Latvia trip , where he appeared with Scott Lively , an opponent of LGBT civil rights and author , with Kevin Abrams , of the book " The Pink Swastika " which purports to document the role of homosexuals in the formation of the Nazi Party and the administration of the Third Reich . According to Eli Sanders of the Seattle alternative weekly newspaper " The Stranger " , who spoke to an agent at the FBI , the agency does investigate allegations that people have represented themselves as speaking for the White House . Hutcherson has claimed that he was made a Special Envoy for Adoptions , Family Values , Religious Freedom , and Medical Relief by the White House Office of Faith - Based and Community Initiatives . White House spokesperson Alyssa J . McLenning communicated to the newspaper that Hutcherson was never given the title of Special Envoy . In her statement , McLenning wrote " The White House Office of Faith - based and Community Initiatives did not give Hutcherson the title , ' Special Envoy for Adoptions , Family Values , Religious Freedom , and Medical Relief . ' The White House did not give Hutcherson any other titles and did not coordinate with Hutcherson on his recent trip to Latvia . " Hutcherson claims the White House is lying and told " The Stranger " that they should speak with Hein , who met with him at the White House and in Seattle . Hutcherson claims to have met with Hein at least twice in person about this partnership , once in January 2007 in Seattle , and once in February 2007 at the White House . Hutcherson said of the title and partnership relating to his work in Latvia , " In my meetings , I can represent as being with them ( the Bush White House ) and having the power I need to get things done . " Hutcherson claims there is a video that was shot after a meeting on 8 February 2007 at the White House between himself ; Jay Hein ; and Alexei Ledyaev , pastor of New Generation Church in Riga , Latvia . Hutcherson said this White House meeting was the second of two meetings he had with Hein about his plans in Latvia . The first meeting , according to Hutcherson , took place on January 18 , 2007 during a conference in Seattle on faith - based initiatives that was attended by Hein . " That was when he made his first commitment to me and said it was a done deal , " Hutcherson told me . Hutcherson describes the " done deal " as " our partnership . " Hutcherson claims requested the first meeting with Hein because " I just wanted Faith - Based to give me the power to do what I needed to do " and that " the Office of Faith - Based and Community Initiatives did just that . " according to Hutcherson . Hutcherson claims that in the video from the second meeting on February 8 , 2007 in Washington D . C . , the three men — Hutcherson , Hein , and Ledyaev — are standing on the White House lawn answering questions from a Latvian television reporter . Hutcherson claims the video will show that Hein met with him , knew of his new title , and approved of his mission to Latvia . Hutcherson told the " Seattle Stranger " newspaper " I ’ m gonna prove that I had those meetings , I ’ m gonna prove that I got that title behind me , and I ’ m gonna show you the video that says I was coming to Latvia and the purpose why . "