A local girl. A local video that is now getting global attention.
The video shows Zea Bowling confronting a protestor at the 2015 ComFest in Columbus.
She is standing tall, not saying a word and raising what appears to be a gay pride rainbow flag just feet away from the grown man who is preaching through a PA system.
The video was uploaded just a few days after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to allow gay marriage in all 50 states.
As of Thursday night, the 20-second video had more than 4.1 million views.
Zachary Traxler knew what he was watching.
“The fact that she just stood there, didn’t say anything, didn’t even really react…it just blows me away,” he said. “I was just like ‘Holy cow, this is a moment in history’.”
So after getting permission from the girl’s father – production at Traxler Tees began.
“We’re doing pre-orders right now,” he said.
He designed a T-shirt depicting Zea Bowling’s documented showdown with the man.
And in a matter of hours, tens of thousands of visits to Traxler Tee’s website caused it to crash.
“This broke my internet,” he said.
He says his office was then swamped with phone calls.
“People were calling, internationally, into our office, trying to figure out a way to order these shirts,” he said.
All because of an image that is now touching the hearts of millions of people around the world. Traxler says orders are in from Great Britain, Australia, Denmark, Spain, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Iceland, New Zealand, Russia and Poland.
In two days, more than 260 orders were placed. Traxler believes it’s more than a moment, it’s monumental.
“This is something that’s going to obviously go down in history and be associated with the 14th Amendment and probably end up in text books,” Traxler said.
If the history books do include the moment, Traxler believes they will tell the story of how a first grader told the world how to love without saying a single word.
“They’re going to remember what happened that day and why it happened and why it’s important,” he said. “It is very powerful.”
Traxler says all proceeds from the shirts will be given to Bowling. According to the girl’s father, a portion of the money will be given to a LGBT non-profit.
Shirt orders are now being taken and are expected to ship beginning July 13. If you would like more information on the shirts, or if you would like to purchase one, log on to http://www.traxlertees.com/ and look under its Featured Products. The shirts retail from $18-$24.