PEORIA – The Popcorn Shoppe announced it “will be closed until further notice” due to threats owner Matt George said he received following posts discussing his views on people being transgender.
Initially, George posted to his personal page. He then shared a statement on the store’s business page after he said his words were taken out of context and The Popcorn Shoppe was brought into the discussion.
That post, he said, “was met with extreme (hostility)” – including threats which prompted him to temporarily shutter the Downtown Peoria store and contact police.
“For a group of people that want everyone to love them, making threats to take a man’s life because you (disagree) with me is about as hateful and extreme as it gets,” the post noted.
The Journal Star spoke with George for this story, but he later asked not to be quoted. The quotes used in this story come from posts made to The Popcorn Shoppe’s business page.
What led to this point?
On March 21, George posted his views on transgender identity to his personal Facebook page – though the post was public. The post touched on pregnancy, along with sports, and referenced the creation of man and woman and Deuteronomy 22:5, a verse found in the Bible’s Old Testament.
He said an individual took the post – altered his meaning – and accused him of believing all transgender individuals are an “abomination.”
“What was done was done out of slander, completely falsifying my words out of context to make an entire group of people angry for me for wrestling with the context of a Bible verse on my personal page,” a statement on The Popcorn Shoppe’s page said.
In response, George posted a statement to The Popcorn Shoppe’s page. The message – which has since been removed – again highlighted his religious affiliation and beliefs, noting in part: “I want to love like Jesus loves.
“And that means sometimes standing up to what I believe is society’s lie – that you were not created perfectly, that God made a mistake somewhere, and that changing your gender will fix your life.”
George wrote he does not hate anyone, including individuals who are trans. He reiterated this in his later post, as writing: “in no way shape or form do I hate transgender people.”
“I have never turned them away from my store, and anyone who is transgender, along with every other person, that walks into my store is treated with respect, kindness and love,” the statement noted.
‘It costs $0 to respect people’
George’s posts drew the ire of several individuals on Facebook – some of whom shared screenshots and responses to his statements. Many reviews left on The Popcorn Shoppe’s page recently describe the owner as anti-trans or a bigot.
“We used to love this place… but bigotry isn’t a flavor we’re willing to support,” FemmeCare Health & Wellness said in its recommendation against the shop. “It costs $0 to respect people–and apparently that was too expensive here.
Plenty of other local businesses deserve our dollars. This one? Hard pass forever.”
The posts also sparked conversation on the r/PeoriaIL subreddit, with one redditor noting in part: “I’m a Christian but I can’t stand people like this.”
Ultimately, George wrote people do not have to agree with his opinions and are free to boycott the business. He added, however:
“It was absolutely not funny at all to make threats to kill me because you did not like what I said. You know who you are.”
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Downtown Peoria shop ‘closed until further notice’ after threats, owner says
Reporting by Cassidy Waigand, Peoria Journal Star / Journal Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
