Orono resident uses negative Facebook comments to do good

An Orono resident isn't letting anyone take away their Pride.

An article was written about the town's Pride celebration for the LGBTQ community.

It was posted to social media, and from there, a certain individual decided to post bullying comments.

The person referred to as Susan posted "leave the giraffe alone….the giraffe has nothing to do with your LGBTQ+ community, leave all animals out of your agenda….they don't deserve your treatment."

Rob Jackson says it serves as a stark reminder that while there have been major strides made in the push for equality, there are still many people who want to hold them back.

He says he normally doesn't respond to trolls on Facebook, but this time, he couldn't stop himself.

"You can have the giraffe back when we stop seeing trans kids who are bullied or murdered, and we stop seeing black folks murdered for being who they are, and until then, we are keeping the giraffe, and her name happened to be Susan," says Jackson.

Jackson's comment caught such traction, he and friends decided to make apparel and other goods with the campaign slogan, "until then, we're keeping the giraffe, Susan."

All proceeds from sales are being split between MaineTransNet and a fund which will be dedicated to supporting future events and programs centering around social justice and diversity education in Orono.

Roughly $800 has been raised since Friday.

To find out more, you can visit carrietheone.com/keeping the giraffe.