Yesterday, we told you about 10-year-old Will Phillips being chosen as grand marshal of the Northwest Arkansas Gay Pride Parade in his hometown of Fayetteville. Phillips is the young man who made news last fall when he refused to stand in class to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, because the pledge promises “liberty and justice for all” and, as he says, it’s a lie because LGBT people aren’t given equal rights in this country.
Well, leave it up to our old buddy Tim Wildmon over at the American Family Association to say something egregiously stupid and outrageous about Will being given this honor.
Wildmon is the same one who earlier this week railed against Home Depot for sponsoring the Southern Maine Pride festival and planning a booth at the Pride festival that will offer workshops for kids. He said then that “Home Depot is basically encouraging the attendance of children at events which openly expose them to transvestites, cross-dressers, and homosexual activists.”
Wildmon’s e-mail today about Will being grand marshal was headlined “AFA says using 10-year-old as gay pride parade grand marshal a form of child abuse.”
The rest of the e-mail says:
“This weekend, the Northwest Arkansas Gay Pride Parade will have a 10-year-old boy, Will Marshall, serving as Grand Marshal. The boy says of homosexuals that this ‘is the way they are born.’
“‘It’s shameful that adults would abuse a brain-washed child in this way,’ said AFA president Tim Wildmon. ‘He’s obviously just parroting the nonsense he’s been told by manipulative adults. For gay activists to trot out this child and make him the poster child for promoting unnatural sexual expression is a form of child abuse.
“‘When you realize that the FDA won’t allow a male to donate blood if he’s had sex with another male even one time since 1977, you begin to understand the enormous health risks involved in this kind of sexual behavior,’ added Wildmon. ‘We call on Mayor Lioneld Jordan of Fayetteville to cancel his plans to issue a proclamation celebrating homosexual behavior and Gay Pride. There is nothing about homosexual conduct to be proud of, and much to be ashamed of.'”
I could go on and on about how angry this latest Wildmon e-mail made me. But instead, I am going to just end by suggesting that everybody out there in Instant Tea land take a minute to go to the city of Fayetteville’s official homepage, click on the link to contact Mayor Jordan and tell him thanks for the Pride proclamation and please ignore idiots like Tim Wildmon.
Sent my email 🙂
Dear Tammye,
Thanks for this alert. If you have ever met Will Phillips and his parents, you know how ridiculous these unfounded accusations are. My children are brilliant (she said, modestly), the Phillips’ children are genius level and Will is among the brightest people of any age I have ever had the pleasure to meet. We all have to run just to keep pace with his amble! Will’s parents are the most nurturing and attentive parents I have met in a very long time. It takes a huge heart to teach your kids to embrace diversity in the face of this kind of bigotry.
best, Judith Levine
Wow… you would think with all that pent-up anger they have over there at the AFA, there would be at least ONE proof-reader with the clarity to see that they got young Master Phillips’ name wrong. Oh well… so much for accuracy when you are screaming eternal damnation to people.
I always feel so proud of myself after sending letters to political leaders!
Sent mine =)
GO WILL! This kid is amazing…..
As a former resident of Dallas, I would encourage everyone reading this to email. Your support is needed.
Thank you for helping us spread the word that the AFA is full of hate and rhetoric while the City of Fayetteville is a diverse and welcoming community.
Thank you for posting this! I just sent an e-mail too.
Exposing children to Wildmon’s and his followers views is a form of child abuse.
It’s ironic that they are the ones brainwashing kids in a way that will make them unable to join, enjoy, and thrive in our future, inclusive society, yet they make these accusations.