Recently Roseville High School, or at least, the sidewalk in front of RHS, found itself hosting an anti-LGBTQ+ rights protester. But while I’d like to object and say that the sidewalk in front of a high school should not be considered “public” property, I think I’d rather save that argument for another time. Instead, let me discuss the more relevant topic at hand: the protester himself.

The first day I saw the protester, I was in a rush to take advantage of my early dismissal on Monday and head to Chick-fil-A. In my haste, I disregarded him as a run-of-the-mill man with a sign — probably fundraising. However, with my windows cracked slightly open, I glimpsed a whole other side to the story. His sign definitely wasn’t about chocolate bars or Jamba Juice buy-one-get-one-free cards.

You can imagine my incredulity at having a random, full grown man shouting his hate about something I thought has been (relatively) normalized, at least in this new era of acceptance. He said many things — from a rather disconcerting analogy between familial and romantic love to gay marriage being a sin. But most surprisingly, he said something that made me hesitate:

“If it’s legal, it can’t be wrong, right?” He said, complete with a sufficient amount of sarcasm.

This question had me—  has me — churning at the irony. This man, who claims he protests as a sort of freelance job, albeit unpaid, perhaps had more foresight than any of RHS’s impassioned students had first assumed.

From the way I see it, this protester is deliberately choosing high schools and (middle schools, according to the man himself) as the centers for his cause because of one simple fact  — we care. This man chooses to prey on passionate young fiery souls who will fight for their communities with their blood, sweat, and tears.

If it’s legal, it can’t be wrong, right?

If free speech is legal under the first amendment it can’t be wrong, right?  

I believe that this man should be able to express his opinion as it’s his first amendment right. However, I do not believe it is “right” to target certain demographics such as the upcoming generation to provoke and further his cause.

The way I see it, the more attention this man is being given, the longer he will matter. Call me a pacifist, but without an audience, this protester would be nothing more than a man, holding a sign, with an especially bad font.