A McKinney resident is encouraging LGBTQ people and their allies in North Texas to attend the McKinney Pride event being held Friday afternoon in downtown to counteract right-wing protesters planning to attend.

The Groovy Coop, located at 109 S. Tennessee St. in McKinney, is hosting McKinney Pride from 2-6 p.m., inside the shop. The free event will include LGBTQ-friendly vendors, special guests and prices, along with light snacks and drinks.

The event will be held entirely inside the privately-owned business, according to a McKinney resident who notified Dallas Voice about the situation. Still, he said, people are planning to show up to protest outside the store in McKinney’s downtown historic district.

According to a post in the McKinney Conservatives Facebook page, “Tammy TDubs” has asked protesters to “Please come pray and support … in response to a McKinney Pride event hosted by Groovy Coop — making sure nothing is seen in public that is meant to be seen in private, if you know what I mean.”

She invites protesters to “come and go — Pray for McKinney, Collin County, our State, our Country.”

The resident who contacted Dallas Voice said, “Protesting a public event on public grounds is completely legal. However, blocking entrances to businesses by grouping and standing silently and praying to guilt patrons who are not only going into that business but also to surrounding businesses is detrimental to commerce. And it will scare away more progressive businesses from setting up shop here.

“It would be great to garner support and flood the square with a bunch of people showing support for businesses of every type,” he added. “This is a damn clothing store holding an event inside. This [protest][ is nothing but a bunch of Karens trying to push their weight around while claiming that they stand for equality for everybody. And there are a lot of people here who are sick of it.”

— Tammye Nash