Tennessee is holding Pride Festivals to celebrate the “queer” community. Why are there still Pride celebrations going on in October? Nowadays, Pride seems to be a year-long event where queer people and their allies of all ages come together to scream and whine about their oppression, while living out their sexual fantasies in front of children. Granted, pride festivals in Tennessee do not seem to have the wild flare of nudists and dramatics of Satanists that other Pride festivals boast about; however, there are still reasons to be alarmed about any Pride event, no matter the location – even in the heart of the Bible belt.
Don’t get me wrong. I am proud. I am proud to be a Christian. I am proud to be raised in Tennessee. I am proud to be American. I am proud to be part of Gays Against Groomers. I am proud to stand up and fight for children and their safety! However, I am not proud to be associated with “Pride.” I am not proud of what pedophiles and genderqueer ideologues are doing to our children. I am not proud of the pride festivals we are seeing in Tennessee.
The event boasts of being family friendly: “Bring the whole family and enjoy fun-filled activities, games, and entertainment in our Kids Zone. From face painting to interactive games, there’s plenty to keep the little ones entertained while you soak up the festival atmosphere.” When I attended the Franklin Pride Festival, it was much tamer than other places and nothing seemed overtly sinister. Parking was in a giant field and, in order to enter the free festival, you had to go through one of two lines where a security guard would run a metal detector over you. The lines were divided into male and female.
Did they enforce this? Well, when it came to drag queens, they did not. Security let them through the female line each time. Each drag queen wore raunchy costumes that women generally only reserve for adult Halloween parties. Drag queens are male performers who dress and act like caricatures of women. On the opposite side, drag kings are female performers who dress and act like caricatures of men. Both can be enjoyable to watch, in the right setting, without children present.
It was a cold, rainy day during the festival in Franklin, but that didn’t stop the drag queens from strutting their stuff barely wearing any clothing…in front of children. Some of the children were even dressed in furry gear. It was highly disturbing.
The definition of a furry or anthropomorphic animal enthusiast is surprisingly absent on “queer” websites that boast of using “all-inclusive” queer language. However, even elementary school children know about furries and dress as furries now. It is sinister. Dressing up and playing pretend is a normal part of childhood. But children are being pressured to dress up in kink gear and are completely unaware that they are wearing fetish outfits.
Furries or anthropomorphic animal enthusiasm is trying to creep its way under the LGBTQ+ umbrella, and furries are now embraced at pride festivals. In the correct setting, costume wearing is acceptable, normal, and even encouraged. Allowing children to obtain a furry persona, however, is dangerous. Since furry personas can be any age, it gives pedophiles access to children.
Children dressed as furries were not the only concern. Upon entering, a man could be heard giving a “speech” to a nonexistent crowd. He was passionate about stopping the trials and tribulations that face the “LBTQAIA2STTQF+ youth” today and how we can stop the hate together. There is nothing hateful about wanting to keep kids safe.
In the middle of the festival, there was a family play tent with games and a bubble machine to tempt families to bring their children. Regardless of the temptation, parents, leave the children at home! On the outskirts of the festivals stood a teen lounge: The Wilco Iris Teen Lounge. This was especially odd, as it was away from all the other booths. The lounge was designed for comfort. There were rugs, chairs, and couches. No teens, at least not at the time. There were, however, two adult women “guarding” the “lounge.” They allowed me to glance around, at first. It was clear that adults were not allowed there. It was supposedly a “safe space” for teens. The group is facilitated by adults, but allegedly run by children. They are an organization of teenagers who meet regularly, even having their own, separate prom. The space was described as a place where teens can just “be themselves.” On the surface, this seems harmless. However, below the surface lies something far more worrisome.
I eventually met two young ladies who “went through the program.” Those were their words. When asked what they liked about it, one responded with a vague, “It was fun.” Other responses were just as vague: “Oh, it gave me a safe space to be me.”; “I learned what it meant to be queer and I met other queer people.”; “I liked the prom.” That should give everyone pause.
When digging into their website, you will discover their true motive: indoctrinating teenagers into a cult. They even admit to teaching teens how to promote queer ideology so adults can then pass it on to children and make children easier to brainwash. Not only are they promoting Marxist activism, they are also running a type of “underground library.” They are circumventing the Tennessee Public Library Service Agreement by providing teenagers with obscene books.
The Tennessee Public Library Service Agreement has rules listed on page five under “Collection Development Policy.” The Pride festival was breaking the following rules listed in the agreement:
● ‘No funds received are used to purchase, nor will the library otherwise acquire, material that constitutes “child pornography,” is “pornographic for minors,” or is “obscene;”’
● Books and materials that contain sexual themes or content are reviewed by the public library independently for age-appropriateness and cataloged accordingly – even if this overrides the age-appropriateness recommended by the publisher
● ‘The library has a written, publicly accessible library materials challenge policy that (a) defines which parties may dispute or challenge the library’s age-appropriate designation on materials, with such definition, at a minimum, including a parent or guardian of a minor within the library district, (b) defines the process by which a materials challenge can be initiated, and (c) provides for the results of any such dispute or challenge to be disclosed in the public library’s official Board of Trustee minutes.’
This is particularly alarming, because teenagers as young as twelve are gaining access to adult books with mature and sexual material in them.
The books are distributed one of three ways: “1) Books can be picked up in a discrete, no-contact, central location in Williamson County, 2) A Wilco Iris student leader can deliver your book to you at school, or 3) We are happy to ship the book to you free of charge.” (WILCO Library, 2024)
Each book has a trigger warning set up by the CHILDREN. The adults did not even see fit to warn these children that they could encounter triggering or inappropriate themes in the books.
Trigger Warnings:
5 books have a trigger warning of pedophilia
8 books have a trigger warning of rape
26 books have a trigger warning of sexual content
5 books have a trigger warning of torture
10 books have a trigger warning of animal death
8 books have a trigger warning of sexual assault
7 books have a trigger warning of child abuse
Other trigger warnings include: suicide, suicidal attempt, bigotry, violence, self-harm, homophobia, etc.
“Two Boys Kissing” by David Levithan has a trigger warning of pedophilia and sexual content; “Under the Whispering Door” by TJ Klune has a trigger warning of sexual content)
Since adults allegedly facilitate Wilco, then why are they allowing these books to be sent in such secretive manners, unless they have an ulterior motive?
On the surface, the Franklin, TN Pride Festival seemed to be tame, but delving beneath the surface, it has proven to be anything but. And they are gearing up to do it all over again this October.
References:
PFLAG National Glossary. ©PFLAG 2024. All Rights Reserved.
Safer Schools. (2023). Let’s Talk about Furries. 24 April 2023.
Tennessee Public Library Agreement
TriPride. (2024). Festival Features: Family Friendly Fun. © 2024 - TriPrideTN, Inc. TriPrideTN, Inc. is a registered 501(c)3.
WILCO Library. (2024). Library.
WILCO Mission. (2024). History and Mission.