Alabama pastor demands anti-trans banners after Pride Month display goes up in Mobile

An Alabama pastor is pushing the city of Mobile to approve anti-trans banners after Pride banners were installed downtown, raising new questions about whether private groups should be allowed to use city property for political or cultural messages.

The trouble started Sunday, when Rev. Travis Johnson of Pathway Church announced in a sermon broadcast on social media that he had submitted a request to the city to post banners “focused on the traditional family,” as reported by Alabama news site AL.com. Johnson’s proposed banners read: “National Child Awareness Month – Protect Our Children from Gender Ideology.”

“I am calling on the City of Mobile to honor my duly submitted banner application,” Johnson said in the sermon, noting it was “made in good faith, through the proper processes as a privately-funded banner display for Pride Month. … There is no legal, procedural, or policy basis to treat it differently.”

The Pride banners that are now on display along Water Street were also privately financed by Mobile resident Bryan Fuenmayor.

It makes a lot of positive difference here,” Fuenmayor told local news outlet WKRG when he hung the banners earlier this month. “It just makes me happy, as someone who was disowned by my family when I came out. So for me, Pride is very special, very important for me.”

Bryan Fuenmayor and his husband stand proudly in front of one of their Pride month banners.YouTube/WKRG

Now, the pastor’s move to place banners with anti-trans messaging has sparked heated debate on whether the city should continue to allow private parties, like Fuenmayor and Johnson, to display banners promoting events or causes.

However, it isn’t the first time the city’s policies on public displays have sparked controversy.

Three years ago, the city stopped issuing permits for private groups to paint a historic cannon in Midtown, according to local NBC affiliate WPMI. As one of the city’s most famous landmarks, it was a longstanding tradition to paint the cannon to support various causes throughout the year, such as breast cancer awareness, Distinguished Young Women, and high school football. In 2023, Fuenmayor submitted a permit request to paint the cannon in rainbow colors, which was denied; it has not been painted since.

In response to Johnson’s request, city spokesperson Dale Liesch noted that the banner program is now under discussion, but that no decisions have been made, saying that once his permit “gets through the process, we’ll know more.”

Johnson acknowledged in his sermon that his request could possibly end the allowance of these banners altogether.

“That’s perfect,” Johnson said. “If that’s the case, let it be said that what ended gender indoctrination banners being affixed to our city’s property was a call to prayer, a banner asking God to protect the children of Mobile from gender ideology.”

Fuenmayor, who also spoke with AL.com, pointed out that the only time of year the people of Mobile seem to hear from Johnson is during Pride season, and it typically involves objections to related displays.

“Otherwise, I don’t hear from him at all regarding the community,” Fuenmayor said. “But he’s trying to gather more political power from people who think like him … that’s his agenda, and his prerogative to make Mobile his version of Christianity because he believes that God will bless him if he goes down this path. I don’t see him stopping at any time.”

The city has not yet indicated a timeframe for making a decision on its policy regarding the display of banners moving forward.