Franklin Pride Festival Gets 'Lifeline' and Warning from Mayor
NBC News, a handful of community members had pleaded with the Board of Mayor and Aldermen (BOMA) to block the event's permit, claiming that Pride festivals are intended to "groom" children.
City leaders voted to postpone a vote on the permit until a decision was reached on a decency resolution.Prior to Tuesday's vote, Franklin City Hall was again filled with dozens of community members, many of whom used passages from the Bible to urge the BOMA to vote against the Franklin Pride permit.
Other residents said they believed the event should take place in a private venue since it was "sexual" in nature, and that last year's Pride festival had violated community standards for minors who were in attendance.A handful of people in support of Franklin Pride were also in the crowd, including the event's president, Clayton Klutts, who said that many of the festival's detractors "were not in attendance" during last year's event.
Klutts added that "they have somehow reimagined it to be a very different event than what was actually held.""As you consider our application, I encourage you to listen to the voices of the people who were there and vote to approve our application," Klutts told the city board.Newsweek has reached out to Franklin Pride via email for additional comment.Moore said during his final remarks that he was voting in favor of the Pride event to give a "lifeline" to the festival, but warned it would be under tight scrutiny to ensure it complies with public decency standards."If you violate our trust of this board, I will work as hard, and I'm sure this board will join me in working very hard, to make sure that event never occurs," Moore said.City leaders also debated a new set of guidelines for "community decency" on.
