Wilmington Community Protests Local Church Telling Gays to "Turn or Burn"

Ryan Lee Burris, vice president of Wilmington PRIDE, told Equality NC that the demonstration was prompted by an outcry from the broader coastal community. "A lot of people around here just weren't happy with the message that was posted on their sign, and finally everyone around here came together to let people know that we aren't just going to sit around and stand for such bigotry and hatred," said Burris.

Following the Sunday service inside Seagate, several congregants emerged with refreshments for the protesters, including pastor David Heuring, who spoke openly with several protestors about the message behind the marque. He told ABC affiliate WWAY that the 'turn or burn' sign is the first in a series of signs they will be putting up "about different types of sinners."

These exchanges come four weeks before a special legislative session in the N.C. General Assembly (beginning September 12) during which state lawmakers will likely vote on a proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, as well as other forms of relationship recognition. If passed, the amendment would result in a public referendum. 

"Many times I'm asked what difference a constitutional amendment makes when same-sex marriage is already prohibited by state statute. But this type of divisive legislation only legitimizes the hateful speech we saw last week in Wilmington," said Alex Miller, interim executive director at Equality NC. "Following this peaceful protest by our pro-Equality community, we encourage North Carolinians from all across the state to show their own signs of LGBT support by encouraging their legislators to vote "NO" on writing discrimination into our state's founding document."

CLICK HERE to learn more about how you can stop House Bill 777/Senate Bill 106, the anti-LGBT constitutional amendment.