Organizers of a conference for LGBTQ teens in southwest Florida on Saturday are asking police for extra protection amid a barrage of online messages calling for protests against the event.
“We know we’re going to be able to keep these kids safe,” Daniel Shaw, one of the organizers, told the Naples Daily News. “We’ve worked with the Naples Police Department to make sure.”
The inaugural Youth Pride Conference is being organized by students with GLSEN Collier County, and it will welcome local youth, ages 12 to 18, for an “exploration of LGBTQ-related issues facing today’s youth,” according to an online invite.
GLSEN is an education organization that works to create LGBTQ-inclusive schools in the U.S.
The free event is set to run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Naples United Church of Christ, and it will feature panel discussions and breakout sessions on topics such as mental health; political action and advocacy; forbidden queer literature; gender dysphoria; coming out; navigating a religious identity; and more.
“This one-day conference, created by and for LGBTQ youth, will provide students with the opportunity to engage in LGBTQ-related issues facing them today while empowering them to be confident in all their identities,” the invite reads.
Participants will also be able to socialize with others during breakfast and lunch, and have some fun watching “drag shows from some of our local drag queens.”
As festive and informative as the event might sound, it did not go over well with some conservative locals, who are sharing their outrage on social media while calling for protests against the church.
“@UnitedChurch You are evil and not from God,” a Twitter user named @RestoreByGod wrote in all caps. “Satan is at work in our schools y’all,” added @calabriaboi.
“Attention Naples & Central Florida! Time to peacefully protest this event,” wrote @BasedGodsGirl. “Say no! They plan on indoctrinated (sic) children into #LGBT at a Naples church. Drag queen story time is one of the highlights. NO! This church works for satan.”
Organizers say that much of the vitriol comes from online misinformation about the event.
Reverend David Greenshaw told local television station WBBH-TV that the decision to host the event at the church was made by a former pastor who recently left because of a planned career move — but added that he and his congregation support the event.
“It is appropriate for Christian believers in God to understand that God includes and loves all people,” he said.
