In the weeks leading up to Wake Forest Pride Fest on October 11, 2025, a flyer circulated through conservative Facebook groups, local email lists, and in-person meetings around Wake Forest.
A flyer circulated among conservative activists in Wake Forest ahead of the 2025 Pride Fest, calling on participants to “witness, observe, and record” attendees — including minors — during the event.
It invited participants to attend the Pride Fest not to celebrate, but to “witness, observe, and record” the event — with a particular focus on “youth and minor-aged attendees.” The flyer also urged volunteers to log out-of-state license plates. It was distributed under the name “Christians and Patriots of the Community of Wake Forest.”
The instructions were clear: film, document, report. “No interaction with other attendees is required or encouraged,” the flyer read.
Volunteers were told to RSVP through patrioticchristianWF@protonmail.com
A Response That Says Everything
When I emailed that address to request comment, I identified myself as Tom Baker, a reporter with Wake Forest Matters — an independent local news outlet covering Wake Forest and the surrounding communities. I included detailed questions about their role in organizing or attending the event, whether they coordinated with any churches or groups, and whether participants were instructed to film minors.
The group’s reply arrived the morning of October 20, 2025:
“Our official comment, which we sure would appreciate you adding to your publication, is NOT TODAY SATAN. Thank you for reaching out and have a blessed day.” — patrioticchristianWF@protonmail.com
The Videos Appear
In the days after Pride, videos began surfacing online. A new YouTube channel called “Documentary of WFPride 2.0” appeared, operated by an account under the name @suzi-w9n.
The channel description declares it’s “dedicated to documenting events that took place during the Pride fest in Wake Forest NC on October 11, 2025,” and urges viewers to “see and hear THE TRUTH” about the event — referring to LGBTQ residents as people who “indulge in their depraved lifestyle.”
Among the uploads is a video titled “Children at Pride.”
The video appears to include photos and clips of minors attending the festival — images that were almost certainly taken without parental consent. Some show families, others include children participating in family-friendly activities or playing nearby.
The channel’s stated mission is not to celebrate diversity, but to shame and expose it. This is not journalism. This is targeted surveillance. And it is an affront to every person in this town who believes in safety, dignity, and community.
From Faith to Fear
Let’s be clear: this isn’t about protecting children. It’s about weaponizing them — using their images and presence to vilify their parents and neighbors.
It’s the kind of behavior that turns faith into fear, that distorts “protection” into persecution. It’s not morality — it’s moral panic.
When people in our community are encouraged to secretly film their neighbors and post those images online for ridicule, that’s harassment. It’s dangerous. And it’s how online hate metastasizes into real-world threats.
We’ve seen where this road leads.
An Injury to One Is an Injury to All
As residents of Wake Forest, we cannot dismiss this as a fringe act. We must see it for what it is: a deliberate campaign to intimidate families, business owners, and anyone who dares to live openly or support inclusivity.
This is exactly the kind of creeping totalitarianism that Hannah Arendt warned of — when ordinary people, convinced of their own righteousness, begin to surveil and dehumanize their neighbors.
If we let that happen here, if we look away because it doesn’t target us personally, then it’s only a matter of time before it does.
What Kind of Town Do We Want to Be?
Wake Forest is not a perfect town, but it’s a good one — built on neighborliness, compassion, and the belief that everyone deserves to feel safe walking down the street or attending a public event.
That’s what the Pride Fest represents: not politics, but belonging. Not defiance, but joy.
If we let fear, suspicion, and harassment take root here — if we allow people to weaponize faith to humiliate children — then we lose the very thing that makes this community worth fighting for.
We don’t have to let that happen. We can draw the line right here.
Tom Baker IV is the publisher of Wake Forest Matters, Wake Forest’s only independent local newsroom. A Wake Forest native, Navy veteran, and intelligence professional, Tom launched Wake Forest Matters to bring serious accountability journalism to his hometown. Tips and story ideas: publisher@wakeforestmatters.com
