Little 7-year-old Zea Bowling volunteers at the Comfest music festival in Columbus, Ohio, every year. Although it’s not a political event, this year an anti-gay street preacher decided to use the opportunity to spread his message. But Zea was not standing for it.
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Her dad, Ryan Bowling, filmed from nearby as Zea calmly approached the raving man with her rainbow pride flag held in front of her.
The showdown took place just one day after the Supreme Court announced its decision that same-sex marriage would be legal in the US.
She stood, unwavering, as the man began to shout directly at her.
Ryan said that his daughter’s initial reaction to the preacher was “confusion, followed by shock as to why he would bother to come to Comfest just to be so mean.”
Luckily, Zea was not alone. Other festival attendees saw her standing bravely and came to high-five her in support.
Zea’s brave stand was captured from another angle by photographer Maria Gruber.
The picture has even been turned into a t-shirt by a local printing press.
See the entire encounter below:
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Proceeds from the sale of the shirt featuring Zea will go directly to the first-grader. She plans to donate a portion of the money to a local LGBT organization.