To prove “love conquers hate,” Fried and Fabulous owner Steve Lawrence responded to anti-gay protesters seen demonstrating on Library Mall recently by hoisting a bright gay pride flag over his popular food cart Wednesday.
Lawrence first came out while studying as a University of Wisconsin-Madison undergraduate, during which time he was heavily involved in Zeta Beta Tau, and said his public status as a member of the gay community has not impacted his business.
“People aren’t going to refuse to eat your fried food because you’re gay,” he said. “They’re going to eat it because it’s delicious.”
This is not the first time Lawrence’s cart has donned the rainbow-striped banner. However, he said he felt especially inclined Wednesday because “while certainly everybody has the right to express their point of view,” according to Lawrence, “if somebody is going to stand up there and say things that are offensive, I think it’s important that those who disagree don’t remain silent.”
He added “I do think that being an out and proud business owner makes that statement every single day, it just needed to be a little bit stronger this week.”
