Epic Battle For Decency in Inverness, Florida

by: Norman Fulkerson

On January 4, 2022 a very large number of Citrus County residents voiced their opinions at a County Commission meeting at the Inverness, Florida Court House. They  demanded that local libraries not be allowed to have LGBTQ displays during the month of June as they had last year. While the outcome was not what they hoped for, the fact that such a large number of concerned citizens would show up on a Tuesday afternoon was noteworthy.

County Commission Chairman Ron Kitchen began the proceedings by recognizing the size of the standing-room-only-crowd. He then drew laughter from some when he said he knew why they were present and announced that they would put “the library issue” among the first things to be discussed.

The Commissioners then heard the public speak about a few other items on their agenda such as boat dock fees and tax increases. Most people had no interest in these issues.

One exception was the more humorous case of a man who had recently moved into what he dubbed a “modular home” and his neighbors called a “mobile home,” the latter not permitted by zoning. A low point was reached when an angry local said, they did not want “trailer trash” in the neighborhood.

A Trial Consultant Involved in the Ghislaine Maxwell Trial

When these trivial issues, even if important ones for some, were finished, you could have heard a pin drop in suspense, as Commissioner Kitchens announced it was time to hear what people had to say about “the library issue.” A line formed along the wall that stretched to the door in the back of the room.

Among the first to speak were some ladies wearing yellow “Friends of the Library” t-shirts. One made the point that her son was “gay” as if to disallow an LGBTQ display would somehow be offensive to him. She also pointed out that he was “born that way.” One might think such an affirmation from a mother would make those in opposition a bit skittish about addressing the issue. It did not.

One after another approached the podium to condemn such an abomination and some even categorically refuted the nonsense of the “born-that-way” argument. They backed their words up with very powerful arguments.

The most stinging testimony came from Mrs. Susan Constantine. She is, among other things, a trial consultant who prepared a victim for testimony in the high-profile trial of Ghislaine Maxwell. Her renown caught everyone’s attention but not as much as her moving comments about her daughter, McKenzie. She described how McKenzie “developed rapid onset gender dysphoria after being lured by advertisements of PFLAG and LGBTQ propaganda” at, of all places, a library. “In just a few weeks,” Mrs. Constantine said, “she morphed from a sweet, easygoing kid into an angry, defiant, and belligerent person who chose a LGBTQ community over her family. This has destroyed us.” McKenzie now goes by Danny. Before finishing, she provided a picture of her daughter before and after the transition in very emotional terms.

Others described equally gripping testimonies of their loved ones, friends and colleagues who embraced the LGBTQ lifestyle and the trauma it caused them. The testimonies seemed endless. Most were very intelligent and were backed up by scientific data. A member of Mass Resistance testified to the ill effects of homosexual “marriage” in her home state of Massachusetts.

Refuting the “It Does Not Hurt You” Argument

I waited my turn to speak for what seemed like hours and was very encouraged by what I saw and heard. I took the opportunity to tell the Commissioners about Tradition, Family and Property with a focus on our Call to Chivalry camps and how we emphasize the importance of the forgotten virtue of purity.

“Why can’t we have a display in our library celebrating that virtue rather than that vice,” I asked. I then explained how the most common argument people throw at us during our many campaigns against homosexual “marriage,” was “it doesn’t hurt you.”

“Well this library issue is just the most recent example of how ‘it hurts us.’” I finished by pointing out how our stance is not personal but ideological. “We love the sinner but hate the sin.” I quickly added, “What we see our society now is that people love the sinner AND accept, celebrate and even indoctrinate others into the sin.”

As I made my way back to my seat I got a number of thumbs up and people asking for by contact information as they did with others who spoke out against the issue. It was clear that they were networking and wanted to be linked with others who might be helpful in future battles.

Reasons for Hope When We Suffer Apparent Defeats                             

As the hearing was drawing to an end I noticed the man sitting next to me had been taking a tally of those who spoke. There had been 45 total. He said those in opposition outnumbered the rest two to one.

I had to leave the meeting early to attend another event and had an upbeat attitude because I thought the final decision would be a slam dunk rejection of the displays. To my surprise local activist John Labriola told me that the Commissioners voted 3 to 2 in favor of the display at the libraries for the month of June (the month dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus). John later told me that Citrus county voted 70-30 for Trump which made the infamous decision nothing short of “shoving this down the throats” of the decent citizens.

At this point the reader might feel disappointed. However, there are three reasons to take heart.  

First, we are currently in this mess because people have turned their back on the law of God. What I saw on January 4 were intelligent and more importantly passionate Americans taking the time to voice their opinion. Their main concern was not about boat fees, taxes or mobile homes. They were irate about the harm being done to innocent children and the violation of God’s law.

Secondly these Floridians show us that there are still many patriotic Americans who have the fighting spirit and will stand up and fight. This is what John Labriola conveyed to me after the event.

He pointed out that the Commissioners had not been properly vetted but, “now we know who they are. It was not a complete loss,” he continued. “We learned some important things and we exposed the closet liberals on the commission. The commissioners will be hearing from us again. They have kept the fight alive and if anything they fired people up even more.” How true!

Lastly, we must always remember that we are dealing with a stacked deck. We know how this is all going to turn out. In the end, our Lady promised at Fatima, “My Immaculate Heart will triumph.” So we need to say the course.

Truly great men, Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira once said, “are not measured by the number of their victories but by the number of their defeats.” It is easy to fight when everything goes your way, but it takes fortitude to charge a mountain under withering fire from the enemy and plant the American flag as the heroes of Iwo Jima have taught us. Regarding victory and defeat we must also keep in mind that there is never a defeat for those who fight for God. Defeat is only that which occurs when we stop fighting.

What a way to begin 2022. It’s going to be a great year in America.