Pastor's gay rights comments go viral on YouTube

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- A Missouri pastor's speech about gay rights has gone viral, garnering about 2.5 million views on YouTube.

In the comments to the Springfield City Council in late August, The Rev. Phil Snider initially appeared initially to oppose a Springfield ordinance that would have made it illegal for businesses and landlords to discriminate against gay, lesbian or transgender employees, customers and tenants.

The Springfield News-Leader reported that Snider then told the council he was reading quotes from white preachers who supported racial segregation decades ago. He said he'd replaced the phrase "racial integration" with the phrase "gay rights."

Snider then urged the council to support the ordinance. The council later tabled the ordinance so a task force could review it.

Snider's comments had about 2.5 million YouTube views on Tuesday.