When Nightline is good it is very good. Last night it was very good. (Full transcript in extended entry.) In a portrait of a gay 17 year old Oklahoma boy, Michael Shackelford, his family, church and community come to terms with his sexuality. There was no correspondent; the people told their story. And what a story it was.
Shackelford was the subject of Anne Hull's 4 part Washington Post series, Young and Gay in Real America. That made him the target of Fred Phelp's Westboro Baptist Church (found at www.godhatesfags.com). 
Phelps most recently thanked God for 3,000 dead Americans in the Tsunami, but was probably seen by most Americans in news coverage of Matthew Shepard's murder, where he picketed the funeral. He's been around forever, a staple at Gay rallies and news events nationwide. When Phelps and his crew targeted the Baptist church Shackelford's family attends, Nightline was there.
Shackelford's mother, sister, preacher and classmates were interviewed, as were the Westboro protestors - whose bigotry was so extreme and explicit that it helped most of those who knew Shackelford come to support him. They didn't change their mind about the sin of homosexuality, but hated the sin not the sinner. Progress. The preacher said from his pulpit that God loves everyone. The congregants applauded. Real progress. And in a real life ending that avoided sentimentality it was revealed that Shackelford had dropped out of high school and is now working towards a GED.
These stories are true to the experience of people I know living here now in Middle Georgia. Milledgeville is 30 miles from the nearest Interstate, a town dominated by a state hospital, 6 prisons and a liberal arts college. The college tempers us somewhat, but here and in towns all around here, growing up gay, coming out and finding acceptance is tough. I have a young acquaintance right now struggling with exactly the issues raised in the Nightline piece and Washington Post series. Isolated and facing rejection from his family, he still chose to come out. I've saved the show for him and will direct him to the Post series.
NIGHTLINE TRANSCRIPT: THE MIRROR
January 12, 2005 Wednesday
REVEREND BILL EUBANKS,
CORNERSTONE BAPTIST CHURCH
Michael, we love you. We want to convey that to you.
PROTESTER, FEMALE
If you live like the devil, you're going to die and go straight to Hell.
MICHAEL SHACKELFORD, LOCAL RESIDENT
My sister called and said, "I don't know if you pray to God, but you better start."
DON DIEHL, "SAND SPRINGS LEADER"
When I saw the flyer, I really thought it was a hoax.
ANNE HULL, "THE WASHINGTON POST"
Westboro Baptist Church has a web-site called GodHatesFags.com.
TED KOPPEL, ABC NEWS
The people of Sand Springs, Oklahoma, had never seen anything quite like it.
JANICE SHACKELFORD, MOTHER
To see my son's name on a flyer, I couldn't bear it.
AMBER LESLIE, HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT
It is wrong. It is a sin. I mean, 'cause God did create Adam and Eve.
MICHAEL SHACKELFORD
I was known as the fag, that gay kid. I dreaded everyday.
SHANNON WADE, CORNERSTONE CHURCH MEMBER
It opened my eyes to how much discrimination we do have.
graphics: the Mirror
TED KOPPEL
(Off Camera) Tonight, "The Mirror," one town's struggle with God, gays, bigotry and compassion.
graphics: ABC NEWS: Nightline
ANNOUNCER
From ABC News, this is "Nightline." Reporting from Washington, Ted Koppel.
TED KOPPEL
(Off Camera) If you want to be offended by tonight's broadcast, you will no doubt, find a way. Perhaps, in fact, there is no way of dealing with the struggle of a young homosexual in the heart of Oklahoma's Bible Belt without offending somebody. And what is "Nightline," after all, if not a Northeastern mainstream media outlet? Indeed, it's worse than you think. All the original reporting for this story was done by Ann Hall, a staff writer for "The Washington Post," if you please. You can just bet you know where this story is coming from, can't you? Well, take a deep breath and suspend judgment for a few minutes. "Nightline" producer Dan Morris did rely heavily on Ann Hall's reporting, which covered hundreds of hours, spread over much of 2004. But most of this story is told through the voices of a deeply religious Baptist family, the pastor of their local church and other members of the community, all of them trying desperately to reconcile their profound belief that homosexuality is a sin against God with the love and compassion that they feel for one of their own, 17-year- old Michael Shackelford.
MICHAEL SHACKELFORD
My mom and sister, they had no clue. 'Cause Merle Haggard was my favorite. My first car was a truck, an old brown truck. I love my truck. It's my babe. I'd be blaring Merle Haggard and they had no clue. That's why they couldn't understand, you know, what went wrong? They said I'm the manliest of all men.
JANICE SHACKELFORD
It was shattering. It scared me. It hurt. Of course, with my religious beliefs, it was something that just was not, you know, you just didn't do, you know. And I had read the verses that, you know, that said homosexuals will not inherit the kingdom of Heaven.
SHELLY SHACKELFORD, SISTER
I thought it was disgusting at first. It made me feel -it's like I knew my brother growing up my entire life and now I didn't know how to talk to him. It was gross to think, you know, "oh, my gosh, that's my brother."
JANICE SHACKELFORD
I told him many times through lots of tears that I think the one thing, especially a mother -I said, you know, I don't want to get to Heaven, at the end of this lifetime and you not be there with me. And that, in itself, hurts more than anything. That's the biggest fear.
ANNE HULL
Sand Springs is seven miles from Tulsa, but in many ways, it's a lot farther. It really is a small town. I came to Sand Springs to write about the experience of a young gay person coming of age in the Bible Belt in the year 2004, which the topic of homosexuality and same sex marriage was very much in the national conversation. Within two weeks of Oklahoma's 2004 legislative session, 10 anti-gay bills were introduced into the legislature. There was a huge vitriolic debate going on about same-sex marriage in the state. One of the fiercest in the whole country.
REVEREND BILL EUBANKS
I would say, overall, that in Sand Springs, we are much like the state, that we are very conservative and the view of homosexuality is one that it's a sin.
AMBER LESLIE
It is wrong in that it is a sin. And I don't -I don't think that they should be able to get married or anything like that. I mean, 'cause God did create Adam and Eve. And that's just what I believe.
JANICE SHACKELFORD
I sent him to a psychiatric center. And, at that time, believing that homosexuality was a disease, an abnormality, I thought I could get help for him there.
MICHAEL SHACKELFORD
At first, I was nervous, because I thought my mom is going to try to have them change me. But then it was a safe place. I got to be myself. It wasn't an issue there.
JANICE SHACKELFORD
But the problem was, is that they were accepting of this -what I call chosen behavior. I got very frustrated with the psychiatric field.
ANNE HULL
Michael attended Charles Paige High School. It's the one high school in Sand Springs. For Michael, the school atmosphere got pretty tense last year.
MICHAEL SHACKELFORD
I was known as the fag, that gay kid. I'd make sure to walk in the halls when a lot of people were around. I never went to the bathroom. Not even -I was just afraid to go to the bathroom. I dreaded everyday. I'd pull up to the parking lot and just sit there for a minute, just trying to pray that it's not as bad, maybe they'll just leave me alone.
ANNE HULL
After Michael had been gay for some months, Janice went to her pastor, Bill Eubanks at Cornerstone Church and talked to Bill about Michael, and what they could do to bring back Michael to the heterosexual way of living. As Michael continued to go to church, the atmosphere in Oklahoma became more charged. It was a political season. President Bush came out and called for a Constitutional amendment on banning gay marriage. So, Pastor Eubanks needed to address this from the pulpit some way. But he went up to Janice before the church sermon this one Sunday, when he was going to preach about it.
REVEREND BILL EUBANKS
I said, Janice, I just want to make you aware of this, that I'll be speaking about this issue. And I'm not pointing fingers. I'm not trying to jump down anyone's throat or anything, or condemn, but I feel like I need to speak this truth.
ANNE HULL
Eubanks proceeded to say from the pulpit what he thought about gay marriage and homosexuality as the Bible taught it. And Janice was mortified. She thought the whole church -there was probably 500 people in church that day, were thinking that Eubanks was directing a sermon at Janice and Michael. One weekend, it was a cold February weekend, Michael painted flames on the front of his Chevy Cheyenne truck. He thought it looked like something he'd seen at the stock car races.
MICHAEL SHACKELFORD
I took so much pride into that. 'Cause I did it all by myself with masking tape. I was so proud going to school that day with my little -my flames. But quickly shot down. They were pointing, laughing, flipping me off. Saying that now I'm a flaming homo, flaming fag, and they're yelling, "queer." So I just kept driving. Drove home.
TED KOPPEL
(Off Camera) When we come back, "The Washington Post" series on Michael improves his life dramatically and changes life in a small town in ways it could never have imagined.
DON DIEHL
I saw the flyer. I really thought it was a hoax. I thought, this cannot be real.
graphics: Nightline
ANNOUNCER
This is ABC News "Nightline." Brought to you by ...
commercial break
JANICE SHACKELFORD
It was first a shock to see Michael's picture on the front page. I mean, that was something. What I felt, as I was reading "The Washington Post" article, I was reading it and it was like my life just laid out there. You know, I'm reading about myself, and about my family.
ANNE HULL
It's hard for some people to understand. Here you have a mom who hadn't told anybody that she had a gay son, and yet, she's willing to talk to "The Washington Post." And Janice really believed that there was a public service element to this. She felt like there were other mothers and other parents probably going through this very isolating, lonely, terrifying experience. And she felt if there was one other person who might read this story, it would be worth -any risk.
JANICE SHACKELFORD
The first thing I thought was oh, my goodness, could we not have used last names? That was -I was a little fearful with that. I learned things about Michael that I didn't know. And that was hard. I don't want to read stuff like that. I don't want to know some things. It brought tears, you know, I cried. But it was very accurate. Everything that was said that I did, you know, with praying over Michael, quoting Scriptures, praying over his room, everything was accurate. I did that.
ANNE HULL
He received hundreds of letters from readers around the country, many of them men who had grown up in rural America, in the heartland, in farming regions and had had Michael's exact same experience.
MICHAEL SHACKELFORD
I got this big package in the-mail. It said "from Ted Allen." And I had no -idea who Ted Allen was. I opened it and there was a book, their new book "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy." And then I recognized him. It was like, wow. I read the letter that he wrote me, and just amazing, just the support from him.
JANICE SHACKELFORD
It was probably -I can't remember, maybe two weeks after "The Washington Post" article, our pastor called me at work and said that he'd received a fax from a Westboro Baptist Church.
REVEREND BILL EUBANKS
When I saw that flyer, I was shocked, a little bit angry. How dare they.
MICHAEL SHACKELFORD
My sister called and said, "I don't know if you pray to God, but you better start." I was like, why? She's like, "well, people are going to come protest our church because of you."
SHELLY SHACKELFORD
I had walked into my job and a lady, two of the ladies there were just kind of looking at me. And I said, "what?" They said, "you haven't seen the flyers?"
DON DIEHL
Well, when I saw the flyer, I really thought it was a hoax. I thought, this cannot be real. And I pull up the website and I began to read and it became unbelievable. And I started having this -this almost sickening feeling about can this -can this be real?
ANNE HULL
Westboro Baptist Church is run by a minister named Fred Phelps. And Fred Phelps has a web site called GodHatesFags.com. And their main mission in life is to target, humiliate gay people. When the gay marriage blitz happened in San Francisco, in February last year, the Phelps crew flew out there to protest on the steps of city hall. So they are into public theater and humiliation, and gays are their targets.
REVEREND BILL EUBANKS
After I did some research on them on the Internet, then I found out who they were. And then I thought, okay, here we go.
SHELLY SHACKELFORD
I was so upset, I was so angry, I couldn't even -I could not even speak, I was so upset. Just to see what was written on it, that somebody could write that about my baby brother.
ANNE HULL
On these flyers, there's a picture of Michael Shackelford, there's a picture of "The Washington Post" article. "God hates fags and fag- enablers," the flyer says. "Ergo, God hates Michael Shackelford." The flyers asks, "was there no Gospel preacher in Sand Springs or Broken Arrow to tell Michael and his Washington Post tutor, Anne Hull, that sodomy is a monstrous sin against God that will destroy the life and damn the soul?"
MICHAEL SHACKELFORD
I was worried. Not worried about the protest, but about my mom.
JANICE SHACKELFORD
To see my son's name on a flyer, his picture and to say "God hates Michael Shackelford," I couldn't bear it. And so I was going to go pick up this flyer and look at it. As I was leaving my first job, my brother is waiting for me. My brother and my side of the family did not know about Michael. My brother goes to the coffee shop and is presented this flyer and so he meets me and asked me if I had seen the flyer. And I just -we sat there in the truck and cried together. He said, "I think it's time to tell, you know, your family."
TED KOPPEL
(Off Camera) When we come back, a tense confrontation over Michael and a surprising reaction in his hometown.
commercial break
PROTESTER
If you live like the devil, you're going to die and go straight to Hell.
JANICE SHACKELFORD
The morning of church that Sunday morning, I guess we were prepared. We knew that they were going to be lined up at the entrance to the church.
STEVE DAIN, WESTBORO BAPTIST CHURCH
We're here specifically at this church and in this evil town today because his lifestyle is touted as merely an innocent alternate lifestyle that some people in the Bible Belt might struggle with from time to time.
MICHAEL SHACKELFORD
I went because I wanted to see. I wanted to see what was going on, see their signs and see who they were. And see the church's reaction. You know, I wanted to be there since I felt like I was the cause of it. I felt kind of bad.
JANICE SHACKELFORD
It was very shocking because not only were the signs derogatory towards homosexuals, you know, there were things like "your preacher is lying to you," "Thank God for 9/11." They were dragging the American flag and walking on it.
REVEREND BILL EUBANKS
I did get the church ready. I spoke with them and shared with them that they were coming. And I asked the church to fast and pray. Which they did. I also knew that the Scripture says you do not return evil for evil. So, to me, if we were to step aside and try to take them on, that would distract from who we are. We're coming to worship God.
ANNE HULL
That Sunday morning at Cornerstone, 300 or 400 folks arrived for church, passing through that gauntlet of signs and protesters. Once inside the doors of the church, it was vibrant, guitars were going, people were praising in a high fashion. And Eubanks said from the pulpit "God loves us all." And there was applause and then he said, "God loves us all." And the place was on its feet.
REVEREND BILL EUBANKS
There was excitement and intensity with the people. Because their plans, their prayers was to walk in victory.
JANICE SHACKELFORD
As I walked into church, of course, I had a lot of people come up and give me a hug. There were people that were supporting Michael, that were supporting Shelly, there was family members supporting me. And I think people that just were curious.
ANNE HULL
A guy came up to Michael, crew cut, blue jeans holding his own Bible and he said, "man, you be who you are. We got your back."
SHANNON WADE
I felt pretty bad for him. And I just -told him that it opened my eyes to how much discrimination we do have.
MICHAEL SHACKELFORD
Everybody who came up to me were supportive. And while we were standing up there, a guy drove by and gave me a thumb's up.
ANNE HULL
Michael was overcome by the support. He couldn't believe they were standing behind him.
REVEREND BILL EUBANKS
In the congregation, as I said, "Michael, we love you," they burst out in applause, because they do. And if you were to ask them what their feelings are about homosexuality, they believe it's a sin. But they love Michael.
PROTESTER
You're desperate. You're sick.
ANNE HULL
The town really was outraged when Phelps arrived. The day of the protest at the school, lots of parents and kids had painted their cars with their own slogans to counter the vile slogans on the Phelps' signs. So it really was a clash of sensibilities and it was all played out on the ground of the school.
PROTESTER
You're evil.
ANNE HULL
As one girl was walking off school grounds, she had a backpack on, she was a student at Charles Paige. She turned around to the protesters and said, "leave our homos alone." And it's a little funny, but I think it's how a lot of people in the town felt. "Michael Shackelford might be a sinner, but he's our sinner and how dare you come here and question our Godliness." Michael loves Oklahoma. It's the only place he's ever wanted to live. He loves riding in his truck on a summer night with the windows rolled down, riding across the Arkansas River, but he's not sure this place will accept him and he can live a life here as he really is.
MICHAEL SHACKELFORD
I'm kind of tossed up on that. About feeling welcome. I mean, the reception that I get is wonderful, but still, that's just one of those sins that people keep looking down upon. So I still just feel out of place.
AUDREY MESHAK, HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT
I don't think harassment will ever go away for anyone, especially in such a touchy subject as homosexuality. There is so many people that are so against it. Especially in the area where we live, in what you would call the Bible Belt. Homosexuality is just almost forbidden. And if you go to more liberal state, I don't think that he would get as harassed.
BETH EUBANKS, HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT
I don't think I would stick around here. I think that if I were gay, you know, I'd probably move to a more liberal state where I would be more likely to be accepted.
STUDENT, MALE
I'd probably head for California. Definitely.
TED KOPPEL
(Off Camera) I'll be back with a footnote to our story in a moment.
commercial break
TED KOPPEL
(Off Camera) In the final analysis, nothing has really been resolved. After that incident with the flames he painted on his truck, Michael Shackelford dropped out of high school. Next week, he plans to take his equivalency exam. He doesn't know what he'll do after that.
TED KOPPEL
(Off Camera) That's our report for tonight. I'm Ted Koppel in Washington. For all of us here at ABC News, good night.
