Anti-Trans Bus Patrolling The East Coast To Protect Free Speech
A bright orange bus with an anti-trans message emblazoned on the side is touring the East Coast to promote the open discussion of gender and the free speech rights of the religious community.
The Free Speech Bus toured New York this week with more stops planned along the East Coast later this month; it’s emblazoned with an eyebrow-raising message painted across the side.
“It’s Biology: Boys are boys…and always will be. Girls are girls…and always will be. You can’t change sex. Respect all.”
During its New York tour, the bus was vandalized, spray painted with graffiti, and had its windows broken, and now sponsors of the free speech campaign are seeking donations to cover repairs.
The Free Speech Bus is sponsored by the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) and the International Organization for the Family, a group the Southern Poverty Law Center has labeled an anti-LGBTQ hate group.
They’re the same people behind the 2012 “Dump Starbucks” campaign, which encouraged customers to boycott the coffee chain when they endorsed same-sex marriage.
The Free Speech Bus parked in front of the United Nations and Trump Tower this week and more stops are planned for Yale University, Boston, Massachusetts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C.
At each stop, representatives from the faith-based organizations will speak to media representatives and local supporters about gender, same-sex marriage, and the free speech rights of the religious community, according to the NOM Blog.
“Gender is determined by biology rather than by emotions and feelings, and (we) call on all Americans to respect the free speech rights of citizens to debate these issues without fear of being demeaned, harassed, or threatened with retaliation.”
The East Coast tour of the Free Speech Bus is designed to encourage social conservatives living in progressive cities to break their silence and come out against the redefinition of gender and same-sex marriage.
The sponsors behind the bright orange bus cite the words of Pope Francis to support their claim that gender is fixed and the idea that family is being attacked by same-sex marriage laws, according to the Christian News Wire.
“We are experiencing a moment of the annihilation of man as the image of God.”
LGBTQ activists, however, aren’t happy with the Free Speech Bus, which they’ve accused of promoting hate and violence. Members of the LGBTQ community and their supporters have called on New York officials to ban the anti-trans vehicle from patrolling Manhattan streets.
LGBTQ activists have accused the Free Speech Bus of broadcasting a hate-filled message that ignores the existence of youth who identify as trans, as Jessica Stern of OutRight Action International told the Star Observer.
“Free speech is a constitutional right, but language has consequences. Trans youth already have an extremely high risk for violence, discrimination, and suicide….This vehicle is part of the reason trans youth are driven to suicide.”
A similar anti-trans bus was banned in Madrid, Spain, earlier this year because officials there feared it would incite hate crimes against the LGBTQ community.
After it was banned, the bus gained high-profile attention from Chelsea Clinton who tweeted out a message asking the religious group not to bring their anti-trans message to America. They responded by saying the bus would be here soon.
The Free Speech Bus launched its East Coast tour Monday with a press release and media conference, and supporters are encouraged to sign a petition supporting the group’s definition of gender and the rights of the religious community, Brian Brown wrote on the NOM Blog.
“Individuals have the right to live their private life as they wish, but they do not have the right to force their views on the nation via laws and regulations.”
[Featured Image by Rena Schild/Shutterstock]
