According to city officials, the pride parade planned for this weekend will not be rained on.
Despite receiving over 300 emails Wednesday afternoon urging Mayor Lioneld Jordan to withdraw the city’s support for the parade and other festivities including a mayoral proclamation, Fayetteville Communication Director Lindsley Smith said Saturday’s activities will go on as scheduled.
“The Mayor is still excited,” said Smith. “Everything’s still on.”
Most of the messages included identical body copy which came pre-loaded in an online action form set up by the American Family Association. Nearly all of them began with the statement, “I am shocked to learn that the city of Fayetteville is issuing a proclamation in support of the homosexual activist group, Northwest Arkansas Pride.”
Smith said the majority of the emails were from non-Fayetteville residents.
The AFA issued a press release earlier this afternoon criticizing the recent announcement that 10-year-old Will Phillips will serve as grand marshal of Saturday morning’s parade. AFA President Tim Wildmon says allowing Phillips to lead the parade is a form of child abuse.
“It’s shameful that adults would abuse a brain-washed child in this way,” said Wildmon. “He’s obviously just parroting the nonsense he’s been told by manipulative adults.”
Wildmon called on Mayor Jordan to cancel his plans to issue the proclamation saying, “There is nothing about homosexual conduct to be proud of, and much to be ashamed of.”
Wildmon’s online form urged those in support of the AFA’s cause to fill in a custom subject line before submitting the message. “Are you Insane?” reads one subject line. “Please enter your own subject line,” reads another.
Saturday’s activities kick off at 10 a.m. on Dickson Street.
The fact that the mayor is standing with the LGBTQ community shows how wonderful and accepting a place Fayetteville truly is.
On the other hand, the two previous mayors didn’t much care for gay people.
I used the form to support the mayor and the city! Good use of resources?
Allison, I did the same thing! lol Take that AFA!! BTW, I am heterosexual, but I don’t think anyone has the right to tell anyone else who they can and cannot love or be with. So there. :)
Of course when pro-life protesters endanger four-year-olds by standing them next to busy streets with signs as big as they are, they’re not abusing, brainwashing or manipulating anybody.
Thanks for the suggestion of using the AFA’s email tool to send a message of support to the mayor! I just did so.
Tim Wildmon’s phone number is 662-844-5036 ext. 228
His email address is twildmon@afa.net
You can give him your thoughts as well. I did.
[...] the word “GOD” all in caps and something about vengeance. The Mayor, however, has indicated he still supports the parade, and will still issue us a proclamation. (For more information on how [...]
Thanks for the idea! I just sent my email in support as well!
This is great news. I’m sure all 300 e-mails came from the AFA (aka: anti-gay hate group). What were they planning to do if the pride parade took place — boycott Fayetteville? LOL
Have a stupendous gay pride day everyone!
Go Fayetteville! One of the few reasons for me to return back to Arkie-saw.
Someone pointed this out to me
itrollu: “Saturday’s activities kick off at 10 a.m. on Dickson Street.”
And I LOLED.
Send an email to Tim Wildmon? Why yes, yes I did. I love the fact that Fayetteville continues to have such an open mind and progressive stance to events like this! And i humbly commend the mayor for his actions. LGBT UNITE! :)
From the article:
“It’s shameful that adults would abuse a brain-washed child in this way,” said Wildmon. “He’s obviously just parroting the nonsense he’s been told by manipulative adults.”
How about I apply this text to the next Jesus[insert any cause here] parade being led by a young person? When this kid gets older, he will no doubt be in complete control of his own opinions and free to reshape them in the way he is led. Since when did educating our own children with our personal beliefs become such a tragedy?
@Russell – when we start educating them with beliefs that conflict with what narrow minded bigots think they should believe in. that’s when.
Nobody stops a mayoral proclamation in this city. Nobody.
Enough about this Pride Parade. I’m still waiting on the Sloth Parade. We’ve been talking about it for years, but it’s just never quite jelled. Somebody needs to get the ball rolling and put this thing together. Just let me know when and where, and I may or may not show up.
There should be a Gluttony Parade. People would eat it up.
No sense in Fayetteville planning an Avarice Parade, I hear Benton County already has a lock on that one.
David I believe they have a Gluttony Parade – i’m pretty sure its called Golden Corral
I guess BBBBBBBBQ can be our Wrath Parade.
Here’s the worst one I’ve received so far (more than 500 now, and they are still coming in):
Subject: Fayetteville,-AR APPRENTLY SOON TO BE RENAMED GAYETTEVILLE (Needs to fire their pedophilic major and city council!)
Dear Mayor Jordan and Fayetteville
City Council:
MAYOR JORDAN AND GAYETTEVILE’S CITY
COUNCIL ARE SOME KIND OF
DISGUSTING SEXUAL DEVIANTS and
PPREDATORS TO ALIGN THEMSELVES WITH
THIS EVENT. SHAME ON ALL OF THEM FOR
USING A 10 YEAR OLD BOY AS THE CENTER
OF THEIR NASTY, INAPPROPRIATE DEVIANCY
and by issuing a proclamation in
support of the homosexual activist
group, Northwest Arkansas Pride.
It’s offensive enough they are going
to parade their deviant lifestyle on
the streets of the city. It’s even
more abhorrent that the city is
supporting it, knowing very well that
the organizers of this event are
exploiting children to push their
radical sexualizing event. WOW! THE
HOMOSEXUAL GROUP IN THIS AREA MUST BE
DESPERATE TO USE A 10 YEAR OLD BOY AS
THEIR POSTER CHILD!
THIS IS BEYOND INAPPROPRATE AND FULLY
EXPECT YOU TO HAVE SENSE ENOUGH TO
WITHDRAW THE PROCLAMATION AND FOCUS ON
ISSUES that promote a healthy and safe
lifestyle, rather than one that is
risky and dangerous.
THIS MAYOR AND GAYETTEVILLE CITY
COUNCIL ARE NOTHING BUT A BUNCH OF
CREEPERS!
Sincerely,
@MPETTY
I’m glad to see he’s passionate.
I would like to read some more of these letters. It’s nice to have a good laugh during my boring day.
I totally just used the AFA’s form to support Mayor Jordan and sent an email to the AFA guy.
It’s sad that this kind of stuff is still going on.
So I guess we have a new nickname.
Gayetteville. Nawt bawd.
I made some edits like a madlib and sent this to the Mayor – thanks for the article and the advice to use the afa action form to lend support:
Dear Mayor Jordan and Fayetteville City Council:
I am glad to learn that the city of Fayetteville is issuing a proclamation in support of Northwest Arkansas Pride.
It will be a great day to celebrate a city that strives to move beyond hatred and negative stereotypes on the streets of the city.
It’s even more comforting that the city is supporting it, knowing very well that the organizers of this event are seeking to promote unity and bring attention to the basic civil rights that should be afforded all people, regardless of sexual orientation.
I applaud you for refusing to withdraw the proclamation and thank you for your focus on issues that promote a healthy, safe and inclusive community.
It makes me very happy that the city isn’t backing down on supporting the parade just because of a few ignorant people voicing their complaints. On the other hand, it makes me incredibly sad knowing morons like this still exist in 2010.
[...] 2 Alderman Matthew Petty said Wednesday in a comment on the Fayetteville Flyer he has received as many as 500 e-mails so far calling that the city drop its [...]
(I just saw this message on the net. Will the parade anger God? Maria)
For info on the dark unseen forces behind and related to the upcoming Fayetteville, Arkansas gay parade (featuring a brainwashed 10-year-old boy!), Google “Obama Supports Public Depravity,” “Separation of Raunch and State” and “Government-Approved Illegals.” Did Arkansas learn anything from its recent flood-related disaster? Which being has the final say about what goes on on His planet? Try guessing!
It’s so nice to know that even ten-year-olds know the difference between love and hatred. How nastily disgusting these christian freaks are!
Fayetteville needs a marijuana march too… just sayin’
[...] office to pressure them to cancel the celebration/rescind their proclamation of support. Fayetteville wasn’t having any of it: According to city officials, the pride parade planned for this weekend will not be rained [...]
@Me — What?
Just sent my email to Dim Tim and his bigoted homophobic hate-filled bunch of buddies. Thanked him for drawing even more attention and support to this event. It always amazes me how much hate christians spew and spread.
I hope tons and tons and tons of people show up in support of this parade. Go Fayetteville!
@ Innarested Observer – I was going along with the comments about gluttony, avarice, and wrath parades. Unfortunately the marijuana march would probably just start at the top of Dickson and end up at the jail…
@Me — What? Sorry man, I was burning one. Wanna get a pizza?
Just sent a kudos to the Mayor via afa’s website. Hope the parade is a good one, and the weather is good. Low heat, and humidity.
Let me start by making sure everyone is clear, I am an ardent supporter of the LGBT community! I live downtown amongst many gays and will be there Saturday morning to watch the parade. I believe it is an embarrassment that we still have this kind of discrimination and hatred in our community, and country.
The parade is a valid use of A&P money (not Fayetteville coffers as some have suggested) and I believe it is just as valid of an event as a Mardi Gras, Bikes Blues & Bullsh**, or Veteran’s day parade that take up time on Dickson St.
That being said, I do have a problem bringing in a minor to the equation. Let the kid grow up, and form his own opinion. I still am not convinced that the kid knew exactly what he was doing when he withheld reciting the pledge. When I was 10 I was thinking about ways of getting out of just about anything that I didn’t like at the moment. School sick day anyone?
Just like having kids out protesting in front of the clinic on College, I don’t think that kids should be involved in grown up issues. Do the kids that hold those posters really understand the impact of what they are saying? Probably not. Just like the Westboro Church, I don’t agree with the crap they are pushing, but I respect their right to be saying it. But why do they have to include the kids in their “mission”?
I think by having the 10 year kid be the marshall of the parade has taken some of the attention off the meaning of the parade. The message of inclusion, and diversity are in my opinion being overshadowed by the West Fork boy. I think a better place for our kids would be as spectators on the parade route, with a message of tolerance being reinforced by their parents.
Just my 2 cents!
Anyone who questions whether or not Will Phillips knows what he is doing should go watch his CNN interview. The kid is as conscious as any of us, and moreso than most.
I wish I had the empathy and sophisticated speech he does when I was 10. He is destined to be a great leader.
[...] The NWA Pride parade is on Saturday starting behind Hugo’s, and making its way to Dickson St. If all the national media attention is any indication, it will be the biggest one ever in Fayetteville. It starts at 10 a.m. [...]
To Mayor Jordan and the lovely citizens of Fayetteville – well done!!
Sending you lots of love and best wishes all the way from New York for a fantastic celebration.
Look forward to seeing the photos!
@mpetty – I agree. I was nowhere near as thoughtful, intelligent or brave at that age. Perhaps I’m still not.
Would be nice if there was time to get Nick Foley to stand next to him looking mean :)
What the hell your having a person being a marshall for a parade who is protesting the pledge for our country , and we have people fighting for our country in Iraq and Afganistan and dieing for us to be able to say our pledge for the United States of America. Way to spit on our soliders faces right before fourth of july. Mr.Mayor.Mayor Jordan and Obama have similar ideals going way left in politics that never help anybody.
P.S. Nice job on the parking meters to keep the WAC here it looks like the walton family is moving them to Bentonville anyways, which everyone knew many months ago.
@tea party
no, they are fighting for our right to or not to say what ever we want. So in a way that kid is doing more to show respect to the people fighting than you are by trying to stifel his freedom of spech.
@Mullva: That’s not really how it works in our society. As parents, we teach our children the values we believe are right. This isn’t about gay pride, it’s about love, equality, acceptance. I’m not going to tell my daughter to wait until she’s 18 years old to develop morals. If decides of her own accord to display what she beleives (whether or not it’s congruent to what I believe), I’ll support her in that. No one is forving Will to do this, and I applaud him for telling the world how he feels. Unfortunately, it’s a good lesson is defending your beliefs to those who feel differently. But it’s also a great way to show that you accept everyone… even when they espouse a different system of beliefs. He’s practicing as he preaches, something that most religious groups are unable to (in my limited experience with them).
[...] all pretty laughable, really. Check out the fun they’re having over at The Fayetteville Flyer. Matthew Petty even posted a letter from one of the nutjobs. In the letter te guy calls [...]
Tea Party–
The flag is a symbol, albeit an important one, of our country. The Pledge of Allegiance is for the most part a thoughtlessly-repeated ritual recitation, which lost most of its meaning when it became a thumb of the nose at communism during the Cold War. As an invocation of a symbol, the pledge has little of the significance you ascribe to it.
Our soldiers are not fighting and dying for the Pledge of Allegiance. They are fighting and dying for our country, and for “liberty and justice for all.” By recognizing that in that respect at least, our soldiers are fighting and dying in vain, Will Phillips has made an important point. Since the parade is a celebration (a premature one, if you are any indication) of liberty and justice for all, Will Phillips is a good choice for grand marshal.
I shouldn’t be surprised that you have so misconstrued the symbolism here. The Tea Party is known to traffic in simple symbols rather than in complex truths, and has no qualms about misrepresenting symbols to suit their message.
[...] Mayor Lionel Jordan of Fayetteville, Arkansas received around 300 emails yesterday as a result of an action alert from the American Family Association which asked the mayor to drop his support for the Gay Pride parade in which 10-year-old Will Phillips is to serve as Grand Marshall, the Fayetteville Flyer reports: [...]
To David Franks,
Thats great but he could do it in a more respectfull manner in a public place other protesting our pledge What they were implying was this is what the liberal hippies did back in the sixties and that proved nothing other than making us look disrespectful and ignorant .I mean we have the most freedom and liberty in the world to do what ever we want to do and a kid protests the our countries pledge becuase his parents listen to MSNBC about unequal right B.S. I mean this is a joke .
You act like because protesting our flag is a Liberty no it is not
I meant that he should show respect for the pledge for our country around other people in Public places becuase the other students might have parents who are fighting for our country and this one time during the day to show respect for our American Flag .This is why other countries make fun of us protesting untrue liberal B.S that MSNBC makes up when we are a thriving country.
Sometimes, offending a person’s delicate sensibilities is exactly what is needed to make a difference.
Will knows that, and he got national and sustained media attention for it. It has sparked a national conversation. That’s nothing to scoff at, and it certainly isn’t affected by any person’s attempt to belittle or mischaracterize his actions and intentions.
“It’s shameful that adults would abuse a brain-washed child in this way,” said Wildmon. “He’s obviously just parroting the nonsense he’s been told by manipulative adults.”
As if the same can’t be said of children on their way to church.
@Sir Steven,
+1 for you Sir! Wildmon’s quote is hypocrisy, refined and concentrated into weapons-grade stupid.
Sure children are brainwashed in church,think of the great Catholic Church where children have suffered for years as abused alter boys. so what makes this case different? I am liberal and have gay and lesbian friends, but still shudder to think of a ten year old grand marshal of a gay pride event. He is not even old enough to buy the majority of gay oriented magazines, due to their sexual nature. So this is just weird to me. I am for children’s rights. When will their parade be held? I will attend.
Mr. America–
Will Phillips’ original protest was to sit quietly while the rest of the class recited the Pledge. That is about as respectful as ne can be. Except for sassing the substitute teacher who tried to make an issue of his not reciting the Pledge– which was disrespectful to the tracher– he has been resoectful in adopting and explaining his position on the matter.
Your post is so garbled that I can’t claim to fully understand it, but I believe I am rebutting one of your contentions when I point out that the freedom to not say the Pledge of Allegiance is one of the freedoms that our soldiers are fighting and dying for. There is no law requiring that one say the Pledge of Allegiance.
I don’t think that sex inside a lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgendered relationship is an appropriate topic for a child to take on, any more than I think that children should be burdened with explicit knowledge of their parents’ sex lives. However, people of LGBTQ orientation, just like straight people, do a lot more than have sex, and just like straight relationships, LGBTQ relationships are about much more than sex. I don’t think it’s out of bounds for a ten year old to pay attention to his community and the people who live in it. Kids get told over and over again how important it is to play fair, and on those grounds, I think Will Phillips is perfectly qualified to have an opinion on the inequality that exists for LGBTQ individuals and couples.
Kudos to Fayetteville for this. I’m glad I live here.
Some of the “My-country-love-it-or-leave-it” folks don’t get it. They probably never will. What makes us great is that we *don’t* have to salute the flag, say a pledge, go to the church of their choice, etc. We have the liberty to say or not say whatever we want. In places like Nazi Germany, communist countries and those led by religious extremists, you were ostracized and seen as someone to be singled out and repressed if you didn’t do everything everyone else did. So in a way, those who choose to exercise their right to dissent from the conventional are those with the most liberty and freedom of all.
Where is your respect for our country?? Some older people talk about what they miss about our country is the respect for the flag and our country. Most of them fought for our country and for our freedoms that we take forgranted.. which yes is freedom of speech. But we also have the right to speak about our beliefs. You talk about us like we are horrible people when we are just trying to stand for what is right and what our country once stood for… we fled over here because of religious persecution.. so yes we have the right to speak for what’s right and even whatever you may believe… but you get mad at us when we stand up against you… where is our freedom of speech… we go to jail if we say what you are doing is wrong… that one day your going to have to pay for your sin… just like us we sin too… no one is perfect… but all of you seem so selfish… talking about yourselves and making fun of us and how wonderful your city is… i am not originally from fayetteville but now live around the area.. and it saddens me to think of where we are headed… and you may not realize it now but one day you will… we are not judging you but the act of the sin because we think its wrong.. we know it is wrong because that’s what the Bible tells us.. marriage is to be between one man and one woman… and that’s that… if you read the Bible God burned Sodom and Gomora because they were Sodomites… which is man and man and woman and woman… I believe that one of the reasons our country was one of the best is because we had the Lord on our side… we stood for what was right when no one else did and we had respect for our country. But now that everything is becoming so liberal our country is going downhill… I am not brainwashed or whatever you may call it… and you have your own right to think whatever you want about this.. but I also have my right.. and I believe in the AFA association and one day you will see the truth!
I pray that one day you will see the truth and accept Jesus as your Savior.
All you have to do is accept that you are a sinner… believe that Jesus died for our sins and on the third day was raised from the dead… and ask Him into your heart and you will be forever a new person in Him!!
Daughter of the King–
All that can be gleaned from study of Scriptural sources is that Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because of gang rape and lack of hospitality. The whole issue of “sodomy” was invented later by people who were obsessed with sex.
I have accepted the fact that, being human, I do things that do not entirely conform to my own or more univeral standards of morality. I strive to do better. My belief in transcendent morality trumps your Jesus. You may stop blathering in my direction.
“I believe that one of the reasons our country was one of the best is because we had $DEITY on our side…”
So has any other nation that persecuted others, including USA, Germany, Japan, and Russia.
Since when did LisaMarie become the voice or the religious right?
Thank goodness there are some intelligent people in Arkansas. I grew up in Northwest Arkansas and have 2 degrees from the University of Arkansas. However, I left as soon as possible after graduation to get away from the bigotry and total ignorance of most of the people there. Actually, they are nice people and always courteous – as long as you are just like them and agree with them. Otherwise, they turn into vicious theocrats who like the Nazis would like to see any non-heterosexual sent to the gas chambers. The Mayor of Fayetteville has GUTS. He would always get my vote.
Gas chambers? Really?
Gays live relatively unmolested lives in NWA as far as I can see. Its not that different from most of the rest of the country.
I wish somebody would keep statistics on how many laws were broken and how many people were jailed from this event and then compare it to the litany of biker festivals fayetteville hosts to really assess whats bad for our community/society/children/bla bla blah – i bet these religious type gay-haters would be statistically embarassed and then take up that whole ‘Jesus would have ridden a Harley’ mantra
[...] pride parade a few days ago, many city officials, including the mayor participated and spoke. Pride parade still on despite emails to mayor’s office – Fayetteville Flyer – News, Art … Fayetteville has the Ozarks, and Austin has the hills. It's a fairly green community (relatively [...]
How ironic that a tiny minority group of people who demand “acceptance” and “tolerance,’ are so unaccepting of anyopne who dares to publicly disagree with them.
Bill Gibbons–
“Tiny minority group”? If you really believe that, you are in for a big surprise. But since All OUT June involved family members of LGBT persons as well as the persons themselves, the size of the minority doesn’t matter anyway– family is family.
Nothing in this thread illustrates the irony you mention. Certainly there is disagreement, but there is no more lack of acceptance shown here by any other author than you show.
[...] list of equality opponents to flood the inboxes of elected officials. (UPDATE: The City is reporting that most emails are coming from non-residents.) This kind of intimidation can only be countered [...]