Hello my name is the director of the wisconsin festival thank you for being here. I believe this is the seventh event and also the 30th of 32 events just today in the third day of this book festival. Thank you so much. I have seen many of you all day. [applause]. I could not be more pleased to be introducing megan phelpsroper. With her book unfollow. Were talking about her life and doubt and how you decide to leave or stay in how you defend yourself in this context is one of those conversations with religion that you need to be having so much more as a culture. I think it opens up so many doors for people and making herself a writer and activist. She left the Westboro Baptist church in november of 2012. And she knows about communication across ideological lines. At the age of five, eggen began protesting homosexuality alongside fellow members of the Baptist Church in topeka, kansas in this church was founded by her grandfather and consisted almost entirely of her extended family. The t
Of five i went out to protest gay people originally and then from there it morphed to everyone outside our church was headed for hell and we had a duty to go and warn them of the consequences of their sins and our whole lives were organized around that ministry. How did the picketing Ministry Begin if you talk about this loving family that you u have a normal childhood, when did the god hates fags signs come. In 1991 when i was five years old and incident occurred, actually shortly before that incident happened at a local park where my grandfather was biking to the park and he thought he saw my older brother who was then about four years old or five years old, being approached by two men trying to lure them into the bushes and he discovered this local park that was wellknown as a Meeting Place for gay men. He went and started trying to get the city to clean up gage park at started my grandfather called it the great gage park decency drive. Even in the very first protests we had a sign
And twitter did something that caused her to doubt those Strict Church leaders that they are simple and fallible and to feel confident so thats the question she was left with. After a digital joust she started to wonder if they had a point and then changed messages. [applause] good evening everyone thank you for being here tonight. I grew up in a very tight knit family in kansas on the third of 11 children, three girls and a boys we lived on a treelined street with dozens of other kids and surrounding houses. Just across the backyard was a church we attended every sunday my moms family was vocally talented and they often gave me chills their passionate praises to god for his mercy and grace echoing off my ears. I grow proud of my family my grandfather was a wellknown civil rights activist and a lawyer who won awards from civil Rights Groups for go my family had suffered for that work with constant vandalism in the physical attacks on his Elementary School age children but that never pe
world. and welcome to hannity and happy new year and happypy election year 2024. now, the exodus ou t of big states like new jersey, california, illinois and new york, itew jerse c continues. in fact, tonight, we are now broadcasting from my new hom ar the great free state of florida. like so manyflor americans, i li new york for good. and now in the state with, let s see, warmen r law and order, better education, more freedomr , better quality of life. and guess what? no state income tax. noe inco tw, here is my predict. this mass migration out of dee e blue statep,s like the ones i just mentioned, that will continue unless untilless a the change they change their governing philosophiesnd, that are overtaxing people, overregulating people. they re under-performing in schools and safety and issues of public importance . and that s why it s happening. but no matter what state you call home, i will say this 2024 is going to be a critical year not only for our country, but for t
but everybody just calls it the bean. but you know what chicago is not known for? latinos. cause when you think mexican, you think what? texas or cali? and puerto ricans, you think new york city immediately. but nope, they re right here in chi town. that s right, chicago has the second-largest mexican population of any u.s. city and a very, very large, thriving puerto rican community. latinos have been here longer than wrigley field, and they ve brought their amazing culture with them. i m talking food from michoacán and salsa from san juan. waves of latinos came to america s heartland and they worked in its factories, farms, and service industries and they turned chicagoland into chicagolandia. so i m here to find out what kind of impact decades of latinx influence have had on the windy city. and i m gonna have some amazing food, because you know that happens a lot on this show. it s right here in my contract. feed john. [tracks clacking] [upbeat horn-driven music]