Ashley Cadwallader of Smalls announced late last night that she would be quitting the band and flying home from tour immediately. Check out a message from someone close to the situation while we wait to hear back from Cadwallader below after the jump.

*The original version of this post has been updated following PropertyOfZack taking prior conversations with Ashley Garcia into account while shaping this post that shed light on issues stated not to be present with this decision.

Update 3: Ashley Garcia Statement On Leaving Smalls

Update 2: POZ Exclusive: Smalls Release Statement On Ashley Cadwallader Split

Update: On My Honor Frontman Releases Statement On Smalls Controversy

As it has come out, my best friend, Ashley Cadwallader has quit her band Smalls tonight after her Long Island show.

Ashley has talked to me the past two months about this tour, often worried that things wouldn’t go as well as she’d hope after her coming out as gay to her friends, family, and bandmates. One bandmate being her ex. At points she was done, she was going to get up and quit the band because she just couldn’t do it because she was so upset at how her ex was treating her after the break up because he just couldn’t believe she was gay. I told her many times that things would be okay, that she has an amazing opportunity getting to do this tour with two really great and talented bands, and that she should try and stick it out. Ashley took my advice and went on the tour and has toughed it out the past two and a half weeks across the US.

All this made me question the advice I had given my friend. I would often get frantic phone calls in the middle of the night with her on the other end saying she was done, but I continued to tell her to keep going at least until she got out East.

Lots of people, even today, have to shelter the fact that they are gay. Often times by making themselves be in unhappy relationships in order to not lose the people close to them. It’s an incredibly hard step for many and to be told you’re not really gay and just confused is a huge slap in the face of the person that has come out. The same argument that is often used by religious fundamentalists is what was used against Ashley. Being told that you’re just confused about being gay just so someone can keep you around for their own selfish reasons is completely wrong. Even one of Ashley’s bandmates called Ashley’s current girlfriend an “experiment” as well as calling two non-heterosexuals in my band “poser gay.”

If you planned on going to one of the last dates of the current tour, please still do so as our good, good friends in On My Honor (who are one of my favorite pop punk bands and all around amazing musicians) are still playing and could use the support.