The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart enlisted a pro-wrestler to protect 10-year-old William Phillips from West Fork on yesterday’s show.
Phillips, a fifth-grader at West Fork Elementary, recently made local and then national headlines after refusing to recite the Pledge of Allegiance until there truly is “liberty and justice for all,” particularly for gay people, who are not allowed to marry.
Phillips told CNN’s John Roberts that since the incident, some of his fellow students have assumed that he is gay and have repeatedly called him “gaywad.”
After being asked what a “gaywad” is, Phillips told CNN, “I really don’t know. It’s a discriminatory name for homosexuals.”
“This is a very valuable child. This child…must be protected,” said Jon Stewart during yesterday’s The Daily Show before introducing pro-wrestler Mick Foley.
“Like a lot of my professional wrestling brethren, I was touched by young Will’s plight. If I find out that anybody has hassled this young man or teased him or called him a wad of any sort, I and perhaps a few of my friends will come to his school and bring a world of pain,” said Foley.
Full video from The Daily Show:
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Gaywatch – Peter Vadala & William Phillips | ||||
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Links of note
- A boy and his flag – Why Will won’t pledge. – Arkansas Times
- Will Phillips, 10-Year-Old, Won’t Pledge Allegiance To A Country That Discriminates Against Gays – The Huffington Post
- Gaywatch – Peter Vadala & William Phillips – The Daily Show
- Tip/Wag – U.S. Speedskating Team, NY Lottery & William Phillips – Colbert Nation
