Rainbow Youth Project, a national LGBTQ suicide prevention group, also said calls increased ahead of a protest in Owasso, Oklahoma, by the Westboro Baptist Church., a suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization, said the group’s crisis hotline for LGBTQ young people received 1,097 contacts, including calls and online messages, from Oklahoma in February — an increase of more than 200% from its monthly average of 350 contacts.
Preston said the surge in crisis contacts to the Rainbow Youth Project shows that LGBTQ youth in Oklahoma are scared. On Wednesday, members of the Westboro Baptist Church, which is known for protesting funerals with signs that say “God Hates Fags,” among other derogatory slogans, protested outside Nex’s school.
Ahead of the protest, Rainbow Youth Project partnered with Parasol Patrol, a group that shields children from protesters with umbrellas, and other local and national advocacy groups to create a counterprotest.
“The district is committed to cooperating with federal officials and believes the complaint submitted by HRC is not supported by the facts and is without merit,” Crawford said.