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Community outraged after church posts what some consider victim-blaming advice on their marquee
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Community outraged after church posts what some consider victim-blaming advice on their marquee

Some residents of an Indiana community are angry after a local church posted what some considered to be a message of victim-blaming in incidents of sexual harassment on the church's outdoor message board.

What did the sign say?

The sign, which tackled the topic of sexual misconduct, said, "Stop sexual harassment," with a suggestion to "wear clothes."

WLKY-TV on Sunday reported that the sign outside of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Jeffersonville offended many people who believed the sign blamed victims for sexual harassment.

Jeffersonville resident Allyson Condra told the outlet, "As a mom of two daughters, this infuriated me. As a female myself, this infuriated me. As a human being, this infuriated me."

Another resident, Melissa Scully, told WLKY that the sign "brought tears" to her eyes.

"I'm sorry, but being a resident in this town of mine that I love, I don't accept this and I do not see that anyone should accept this," Scully said.

Resident Madilyn Shipman, who also spoke to WLKY, had a question of her own: "I mean, would you say that to a 6-year-old girl who has been assaulted when they wear overalls and pigtails?"

WLKY did not reveal whether those interviewed for their story were parishioners of the church.

The station reported that a neighbor witnessed the church's pastor taking down the sign on Sunday evening, but the pastor did not respond to a request for comment about the controversy.

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