It began when a group of students at Franklin County High School in Winchester, Tennessee (pop.8,527) formed a Gay-Straight Alliance earlier this month.
When parent and small business owner John Wimley learned of the group, he launched a Facebook page encouraging people to attend the next school board meeting to stand up against the “future ISIS members of America” (AKA gay kids) and “protect traditional marriage.”
“OK F.C. [Franklin County] if we do not ban [SIC] together and stop this B.S. the next thing you know they will have a F.I.M.A. (Future ISIS Members of America) #PutGodInSchoolsPlease,” Wimley rallied. “Time to Stand Up for what is RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Others were quick to join the cause.
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“GOD bless you for standing for what is right,” Tina K. Millson wrote. “These gays have no right forceing [sic] their lifestyle of sin on these poor children of GOD.”
“Why is it so important for the LBGT WXYZ community to have 100% support with no opposing opinions?” Greg Gunn added.
“School is for learning, library is for reading, restaurants for eating,” Kayla Ehlers said. “Lets [sic] keep loving, hugging, hand holding, kissing, and sexual ordination for our personal lives at home.”
In response, supporters of the GSA launched their own Facebook page calling on people to boycott Wimley’s business, the Tennessee Car Care Center.
But the damage caused by Wimley was already done.
In a Facebook post, one supporter of the GSA reported that some students has begun wearing “Straight Pride” signs around school and that the GSA’s posters advertising the club’s meetings had been defaced with words like “no gay allowed” and “faggots.”
Despite all this, members of the school’s GSA refuse to be intimidated.
“We are incredibly grateful for this extraordinary showing of love and support for our LGBT community here in rural TN,” the club’s faculty advisor wrote. “We never imagined that the love in the world for us was this strong. Thank you for walking with us on our journey.”
