“I told [my boys] what had happened. I explained that people said that saying that Love Wins and that you can be who you are and love who you love – they said that it was poison,” said Jenna Magnuski, an organizer with Love Wins Coastal (formerly Love Wins Little Compton). “And that we needed to stand up and say as a community that was wrong.”

And over 70 people did stand up at a rally held in the Little Compton Commons on Sunday afternoon. They were there because in the previous week, a conservative group called the Little Compton Taxpayers Association mailed a two-page screed filled with homophobic, Q-Anon inspired nonsense (with some antisemitic globalism tropes as well) to every home in Little Compton.

For context, in 2021 the Little Compton Town Council approved the flying of a Pride Flag on the Town Hall but reversed that decision in 2022. The Little Compton Pride celebration in 2022 was undeterred.

“Coming together as a community in a moment like this shows that that letter does not reflect Little Compton,” said Love Wins Coastal organizer Megan Gonzalez. “It’s important that we stand against, vocally, that hate that has no place here.”

The letter from the Little Compton Taxpayers Association is a slippery slope, said Little Compton resident Jennifer McDowell, whose 31 year old son has Down syndrome. “It’s just a very slippery slope down to who is accepted and who is not… Whatever makes your child different from that straight down the middle ‘norm’ we have to embrace them with kindness and love and it really does take a whole community…”

“I just want to point out that this mailer wasn’t only homophobic but there were talking points from Q-Anon, Kevin McCarthy, really extreme Republican points that are antisemitic, that are racist,” said Little Compton Councilmember Andrew Iriarte-Moore (Democrat). “It is so hate-filled and scary to see that come to our mailbox yesterday…”

“I’m here today because of the outpouring of sadness I received as soon as this letter hit the mail on Friday,” said Representative Michelle McGaw (Democrat, District 71, Portsmouth, Tiverton, Little Compton). “It saddens me to see this right here in Little Compton. But what I want to say to the people here and to people that aren’t from Little Compton is that I really believe in my heart that the hateful, inflammatory rhetoric that is in that letter, the extremist language, is not reflective of the people that I know from Little Compton.”

Other speakers:

• Little Compton resident.
• Melinda, Little Compton resident.
• Kari Star, Board Member at the Little Compton Wellness Center.

Here’s the statement from Love Wins Coastal on the Little Compton Taxpayers Association letter from Facebook:

“Love Wins Coastal has sought to support our community’s needs related to LGBTQ+ issues since its founding. We believe that the best way to do this is through relentless positivity in our programs and outreach, including compassionate responses to those who disagree with us. That belief does not mean that we will not draw attention to actions that harm LGBTQ+ community and its allies.

“One such action is the recent newsletter sent to every postal resident in Little Compton at great expense by the Little Compton Taxpayers Association. While they do not use our name, it is clearly referring to Love Wins Coastal and our programs. They accuse us of “poisoning the town” by “sexually educating grammar school children” and “targeting” Town Councilors for their votes regarding the Pride Flag.

“The sexual education accusation is grounded in the myth that LGBTQ+ people maliciously target youth, at best ‘recruiting’ them and at worst ‘grooming’ them for sexual exploitation. Anita Bryant and Bob Greene popularized this belief in 1977 through their ‘Save the Children’ organization, and it has been a constant in homophobic rhetoric since.

“This myth is rising in popularity again, with increasing numbers of LGBTQ+ community members being accused of targeting children as violent attacks rise and their civil rights are stripped away. The facts simply do not support the allegation. There’s no evidence that children are more likely to be victimized by LGBTQ+ folks. The Southern Poverty Law Center has written extensively to debunk this myth and others about the LGBTQ+ community. They rely upon evidence from the American Psychological Association & the Child Molestation Research & Prevention Institute. (Read more here)

“Meanwhile, research on developmentally appropriate, high-quality, and comprehensive sexual education has a variety of positive impacts, including delaying onset of sexual activity, increasing overall health, amplifying academic achievement and encouraging healthier relationships. Our programs comport with the National Sex Education Standards, endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American School Health Association.

“We developed the Rainbow Nights program specifically because research shows that children often begin to notice that something’s different about them around grade five. Meanwhile, 45% of LGBTQ+ youth report considering suicide, but one accepting adult cuts the risk of suicide among LGBTQ+ youth by 40%. Based on this research, we aim to provide a group of peers and trusted adults to have big conversations with, as well as let them be normal middle schoolers who just so happen to be LGBTQ+ or allies. Developmentally, middle schoolers are also “trying on” different identities, so we want to give them the space to explore different identities and pronouns to see what feels right to them. Kids grades 5-8 drop-in to do a craft, play bingo, watch a movie/show, or hear about healthy relationships. We have never provided any information or materials related to sexual activity to this group.

“As we speak out against the harm done by this group and its newsletter, we also spoke out against the votes of Town Councilors on the Pride flag. Specifically, we focused on the 3-2 decision to reverse a prior approval to fly the flag by denying it happened. Accountability for one’s actions is to be expected, particularly as a public official, and does not constitute “targeting”. We commend one of those Councilors, Mr. Mataronas, who has attended both of our Pride events and explained to the community his rationale behind his vote with a letter to the editor.

“Words like those from the LCTA are intended to make us feel hurt, disappointed, and afraid. They are intended to stop us from being visible, and to stop us from advocating for a world that also takes LGBTQ+ needs into account. Help us to show that we won’t allow that to be taken from us by assembling with us at Pike’s Peak tomorrow afternoon, October 30, at 2pm.

“If you need help now, LGBTQ+ youth are encouraged to reach out to the Trevor Project. LGBTQ+ adults can contact the LGBT National Help Center.“