hometown hero

This mom’s powerful takedown of anti-LGBTQ hypocrisy goes viral for all the right reasons

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We should all be so lucky to have someone like Jessee Graham in our corner.

The Columbia, Tennessee resident had watched as her community became another culture war battleground, taking as its latest victim Zachary Fox, a dedicated library director who dared to support his local LGBTQ community.

Fox, who one local described as “an inspiration to many in this community,” was allegedly pressured to resign following months of pushback over the county library’s Pride Month display in June. The vitriol grew even more heated after the bar Fox co-operates, Bad Idea Brewery, hosted a family-friendly drag brunch in September.

Related: Pastor stops by city council meeting to deliver vicious antigay rant

“It’s not about freedom; it’s about filth,” town resident Charlsie Estes said in September, according to The Daily Beast. “Just as our ancestors fought to abolish slavery… Nazi-world domination, and struggled for civil rights, our resolve to protect our children is no less vital, urgent, or passionate.”

Jessee Graham was outraged, and delivered a deeply personal three-minute speech to the Maury County Board of Trustees that should be required viewing:

“I’ve never been sexually assaulted at a drag show, but I have been in church, twice,” Graham said. “The men at the church told me it was my fault.”

“They haven’t done anything to anyone,” she went on, referencing the LGBTQ folks in attendance. “I am so sick of listening to this weird, fake pious crap about Christianity being the reason behind, ‘We have to protect the kids.'”

“Jesus didn’t go anywhere and condemn people! He did not ever walk into any place and spew hatred and lies and completely annihilate a group of human beings who just want to exist.”

Related: There’s a new legal twist in Florida to block “Don’t Say Gay” and this time there are receipts

Conservatives have been nothing if not steadfast in their latest campaign against the queer community. All over the country, LGBTQ books are being banned, queer people are being branded “groomers,” attacks on trans youth accessing gender-affirming healthcare have become commonplace, and laws are being passed to prohibit instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation in schools.

Graham is hardly alone in finding the whole thing abhorrent and hypocritical, and her impassioned words clearly struck a chord:

In response to one of the above tweets: We’d be happy to buy her a beer any day of the week.

Here’s the full speech:

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