The American Family Association denounced Fayetteville's Pride Parade in a press release yesterday. Mayor Lioneld Jordan and the city council has received hundreds of e-mails from the group's supporters asking the mayor to drop his proclamation.

 Strong words from an evangelical Christian advocacy group are not enough to temper Mayor Lioneld Jordan’s support for a gay pride parade set to roll Saturday in Fayetteville.

The American Family Association, based in Tupelo, Miss., denounced Jordan’s endorsement of the parade and the gay rights message it represents. The group also wanted the parade’s permit revoked, said Don Marr, Jordan’s chief of staff.

“We call on Mayor Lioneld Jordan of Fayetteville to cancel his plans to issue a proclamation celebrating homosexual behavior and Gay Pride,” wrote Tim Wildmon, association president, in a statement. “There is nothing about homosexual conduct to be proud of, and much to be ashamed of.”

Jordan said he has no plans to alter his endorsement of the gay pride event.

Association supporters bombarded the mayor’s office with several hundred e-mails Wednesday afternoon, city officials confirmed. Many did not seem to be from Fayetteville residents, they said.

“Even if I get 1,000 letters,” Jordan said, “my decision is made.”

Jordan earlier said as long as he held the office of mayor, he planned to represent all of Fayetteville.

Kyle Cook, an alderman from Ward 2, in central Fayetteville where the parade will take place, said he stands behind the free speech the parade and its opposition represents.

“The American Family Association has a right to their comments, and the gay pride folks have a right to their parade,” said Cook.

Bobby Ferrell of Ward 3 in northeast Fayetteville, limited his comments to, “The mayor has taken his position, and that’s his prerogative.” Ferrell would not say whether he endorsed the gay pride parade.

“The mayor, I’m sure, is making the right decision,” said Shirley Lucas, an alderwoman from Ward 4 covering west Fayetteville. She said she’d received only one call about the parade, and the caller favored it. “It’s fine with me. I agree with the mayor.”

The association also took issue with the parade organizers’ decision to have Will Phillips, a 10-year-old West Fork boy, serve as grand marshal in the parade. In October, Phillips gained national attention when he declined to stand in his classroom for the Pledge of Allegiance. He said he would continue to do so until everyone in the United States is treated equally.

The association likened the boy’s role to child abuse, according to the statement.

“He’s obviously just parroting the nonsense he’s been told by manipulative adults,” Wildmon added.

Bryan Fischer, issues analyst for the association, said gay rights are complex issues that involve marriage, adoption and, not the least of which, sexuality. Children are generally not equipped to make decisions on these topics, he said.

“We just feel that the 10-year-old boy is being exploited for political purposes,” Fischer said Thursday. “This boy’s too young to understand all of that. He’s been brainwashed and indoctrinated for this dark political purpose.”

Jay Phillips, the boy’s father, said the parade is an event his family has always participated in, and the parade’s overarching message of equality and respect is universal, regardless of age.

“Even if Will wasn’t being honored in this manner, by people we’ve known for years I might add, we would be in this parade as we will be in next year’s,” Phillips said.

Phillips also took issue with the associationa’s tactics.

“The AFA is a national group who has slandered our community, my family, and has tried to bully our locally elected leaders, and I am disappointed to see them attempt to use my son to further their interests,” he said. “They don’t know the town, they don’t know the people, they don’t even know my son’s name.”

Will Phillips was misidentified in the association’s news release as Will Marshall.

“There were just three calls that came from people in Fayetteville against it (the pride parade), said Lindsley Smith, city communication director. “Most Fayetteville calls have been in favor of it, and all of the other calls are from people outside of Fayetteville, including out of state.”

Smith said the city did not plan to dedicate staff time to an analysis of where each e-mail came from.

The NWA Pride Parade is organized by a private group that does not receive public money. The Fayetteville Advertising and Promotion Commission gave the NWA Center for Equality — a registered nonprofit group — $4,000 to promote and advertise gay pride events this month. The parade does not fall under that organization’s purview; the promoted events included the parade.

A member of the NWA Center for Equality said the controversy is disappointing but not entirely unexpected.

“Things are expected. I was a little shocked when I found out about it,” said James Rector. However, he was comforted the opposition is not necessarily coming from Fayetteville.

“I think that the values of Fayetteville, for the most part, are open to diversity,” Rector said.

“Equality shouldn’t be controversial,” said Smith, who is also a Democratic state representative for Arkansas House District 92, which includes Fayetteville. Smith has been a constant advocate for gay and women’s rights issues.