A reporter’s questions were met with evident mistrust and caution, but were answered politely, bemusedly. “I think the county commission made a mistake, I really do,” the barber said. When asked if he would vote for the commissioners again in 2006, he said, “Awww, c’mon. Are you going to vote for Bush? All you news guys are all liberals.”

The man in the chair frowned and kept his eyes closed, as the electric clipper buzzed up and down his neck, but he sporadically chimed in.

The barber didn't agree with what the commission did, but said it was blown out of proportion. Most of the people at the Saturday rally were out-of-towners, he said.

Massey and Denton weren't out-of-towners, though. Massey and her friends were trying to start Legends of the Fall, a group where gay, lesbian, bisexual and straight students could go to talk about sexuality, orientation and other issues.

“What we’re trying to do is organize a safe place for gay and straight students to meet if they have questions,” she said. “We have to go through the process of getting school board approval, which probably won’t happen.

“The school board isn’t very helpful. They’re not looking at it the way we see it. They don’t have to go through the harassment we go through at football games and stuff,” Massey said. “The teachers see the harassment, but they don’t do anything about it. I’m hoping [the school board] will

allow it because it’ll change the school for the better.”

The day before Gay Day, the Rev. Franklin Raddish of Capitol Hill Independent Baptist Ministries staged a protest against gay rights at the Rhea County Courthouse. About 30 people reportedly showed up for it.

“They want to represent themselves as good neighbors, dress themselves up and say, ‘Don’t worry, we’re just your neighbor next door,'” said Raddish, who wants a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. “These people aren’t the good neighbor next door, they’re out to target young children. They must recruit their heritage,” he said.

“No one is born a homosexual,” he continued. “As many of them will die from AIDS, the only way they can keep their numbers is to recruit. Pedophiles and men dressing like ladies, their objective is recruitment of children.”

He applauded the county commission’s resolution. “I think what the county commission was trying to say is ‘Yes, you can live here, but you cannot practice the lifestyle of sodomy...because it’s against God, nature and humanity.’”

But not all local Christians were so combative. A church youth group, while not taking any stance on the issue, passed out free water to everyone at Gay Day.

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