Christians shout hate speech & block buses as students leave school

A group of Christian “street preachers” shouted anti-LGBTQ+ hate speech at teens leaving a Texas high school earlier this week.

On Tuesday at around 4 p.m., eight demonstrators, apparently with the group Lift Up Thy Voice, gathered outside McCallum High School in Austin, Texas, as students were leaving for the day. The group carried anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ+ signs and used a megaphone to shout hate speech and tell students they were “the devil.”

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“You should have died in the f**king closet!”

According to the Los Angeles Blade, a spokesperson for the Austin Independent School District said that the protesters initially blocked buses that students were trying to board. The Austin Chronicle reports that school staff asked the protesters to move away, but they refused.

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“Austin ISD Police officers were on-site to ensure everyone’s safety, and the protesters left after about an hour,” the school spokesperson said.

“If you had an abortion, you’re going to hell because you are evil,” one demonstrator reportedly shouted.

Another yelled that Jesus will “judge the living and the dead,” according to the Chronicle. “That’s what he’s gonna do. I’ve already seen some transvestite out here boo-hooing and crying. … God’s people will never comply with the Devil’s lies.”

Video posted to Lift Up Thy Voice’s YouTube channel shows a chaotic scene, with students lingering to shout down the demonstrators as staff and Austin ISD Police try to manage the situation. One adult can be seen angrily telling them to “leave the kids alone,” while later in the video, a student appears to spit at the demonstrators.

The video’s caption notes that “The creators of this content do not encourage violence or hatred against any individual or group.” Lift Up Thy Voice describes its mission as showcasing and documenting “protests against ‘SIN’ also commonly know as ‘street preaching.’” On its website, the group describes its approach as “confrontational, unorthodox…raw, offensive…hardcore, radical, extreme.” In its “Statement of Faith,” the group states that “We do not go preach to fight with sinners but we will defend ourselves,” and “We must be willing to preach the truth and use controversial words, even if that truth will be offensive to others.”

Other videos on the group’s YouTube channel show similar protests at Pride events in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Santa Ana, California; at comic book conventions and anime expos; RuPaul’s Drag Con; and even a stop on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour.

Notably, the majority of the group’s video from the McCallum demonstration is overlaid with raucous music so that viewers can’t hear what the so-called “preachers” are yelling at the kids.

“I want to emphasize that these hateful messages are in direct opposition to our values here at McCallum and to the values of our district,” McCallum Principal Andy Baxa wrote in a letter to parents following the event. “Austin ISD is committed to creating a safe, supportive, and inclusive environment for all students and staff.” Baxa added that the school’s counseling team would be available to students who need support after being “exposed to this hateful demonstration.”

One parent told the Austin Chronicle that the event had been “very upsetting” and the school’s community had been left “wondering what to do.”

“Should we respond? Should we ignore? Just very unsettling that something like this could happen so close to a school,” they said.