NPR

Classmates Rally Around Gay High School Athlete Targeted By Westboro Baptist Church

"I feel really loved by my community," Jake Bain, a senior at John Burroughs School in St. Louis, says of support from other students and alumni.
"I feel really loved by my community," Jake Bain, a senior at John Burroughs School in St. Louis, says of support from other students and school alumni. (Courtesy Jake Bain)

An openly gay high school football player in St. Louis got support from his classmates on Monday after members of the Westboro Baptist Church showed up to protest him. Supporters used #StandWithJake to share their messages for Jake Bain, a senior at John Burroughs School.

Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson speaks with Bain about why he thinks the church targeted him, the support he’s received and the message he hopes his story sends to the LGBTQ community.

“This is so much bigger than just me,” Bain says. “There’s just so many people out there that are going through the same things that I’m going through. So I just hope that

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR5 min readCrime & Violence
Climate Activist Who Defaced Edgar Degas Sculpture Exhibit Sentenced
A federal judge sentenced Joanna Smith to 60 days in prison for smearing paint on the case surrounding Edgar Degas' Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen at the National Gallery of Art.
NPR5 min readWorld
Blinken Tells China It's In Their Interest To Stop Helping Russia
NPR's Steve Inskeep speaks with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken following his talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and top Chinese officials in Beijing.
NPR5 min readWorld
Blinken Tells China It's In Their Interest To Stop Helping Russia
NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to Secretary of State Blinken about U.S. foreign policy and his meeting with China's President Xi Jinping.

Related Books & Audiobooks