ABOVE: Stephen Neil (L) is a violinist who lives in Wilton Manors, Fla. (Photo courtesy of Stephen Neil)
WILTON MANORS, Fla. | Stephen Neil was quietly enjoying election night at home with his partner when he heard a commotion outside his Wilton Manors apartment. He quickly realized it was a caravan of cars honking their horns and waving flags of support for President Trump. More of the same, he thought.
Neil initially decided to ignore them, but he decided he could not sit idly by when he heard through a megaphone they began to spew hatred against the LGBTQ community. He decided to reach out to them and film them live on Facebook.
They were standing along Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors’ main artery, in front of two gay bars, Gym and The Pub.
“I was worried that what they were saying was not going to be heard from my condo so I decided to go down and film them from a closer vantage point,” Neil told the Washington Blade in an exclusive interview. “They were spewing hatred; calling us derogatory names, child molesters, and were only there to antagonize the community.”
“This is why we need a change in America,” Neil said at the beginning of his Facebook broadcast as he showed the president’s supporters waving large blue flags with the slogan “Trump 2020” from afar.
