WINK News Lies About LGBTQ Drag Show, Organizers Planned to Use Schools as Transportation Points
May 18, 2022 Updated 7:51 A.M. ET
FORT MYERS (FLV) – WINK News published misinformation about the Naples United Church of Christ, saying that the event organizers never had plans to do anything with Collier County Public Schools, contrary to the event organizers’ own signup form.
“A youth pride conference set to take place on Saturday at a Naples church is being hit with a lot of misinformation,” the WINK report says.
WINK says that, “One rumor spreading is that Collier County Public Schools is involved.” However, Schmeckpeper-Kobzina says, “We’re not doing something in the school, we’re not doing something at the school, we’re not meeting at the school.”
WINK and Schmeckpeper-Kobzina are incorrect.
In Florida’s Voice’s original report, the sign-up form says that the organizers – GLSEN Collier – planned to use county schools as transit points:
Free Shuttle Transportation is available to/from Immokalee and Golden Gate areas. Pick up in Immokalee will be at 7:30 am and drop off will be at 4:30 pm. Pick up in Golden Gate will be at 8:30 am and drop off will be at 3:30 pm. Will you be using the free transportation provided by GLSEN Collier?
“Youth Pride Conference Registration”
In fact, Collier told Florida’s Voice that GLSEN’S plans were not permitted and that they informed organizers they may not use schools as transit points.
“The District was never informed nor contacted about this event. CCPS [Collier County Public Schools] is not a sponsor of the event, which is being held at a private facility. CCPS also neither authorized nor approved the transportation of CCPS students to and from district school sites by the event organizers. Any inference to the contrary is fully rejected by CCPS,” they said.
“To this end, CCPS has spoken with the event organizer and explained that the information on the registration form, and any associated flyer, must be immediately corrected to reflect that CCPS is not a co-sponsor nor will it allow its school sites to be used as transit points for the pickup and drop-off of students for this event.”
WINK said that other reporting claims that former Senior Minister Dawson B. Taylor resigned because of stories surfacing about the LGBTQ events. Florida’s Voice’s reporting did not make this claim. On May 15th, Florida’s Voice’s report about the minister’s resignation says the following in paragraph 3:
“According to the church’s staff webpage, the interim senior minister is Rev. Dr. David M. Greenhaw beginning Monday, May 16th. He announced he is taking the position April 1st, before initial reports of the church’s controversial events.”
“Naples ‘Progressive Pastor’ Resigns After Planning to Host LGBT Drag Show for 12 Year-Olds,” Florida’s Voice
Florida’s Voice reached out to WINK News for comment and correction on their story. They did not respond.
