Michelle Duggar doesn't make a habit of concealing her views on the gay community. She's been outspoken in her belief that homosexuality is a sin.
Moreover, she's even wielded her considerable political clout to try and change policies designed to make life easier for gay and lesbian Americans.
Last year, Michelle fought against an anti-discrimination law passed to protect gays from discriminatory employment and housing laws in Arkansas.
Duggar's efforts - including a statewide robo-calling campaign to urge voters to defeat the law - were considered by many to be akin to hate speech.
It resulted in a petition to cancel 19 Kids and Counting that received over 200,000 signatures, though TLC took no action against her or her popular show.
Nevertheless, the discord between the Duggar family matriarch and the gay community - including friends and family members like Evelyn Ruark - remains.
One signer of the aforementioned petition was a former friend of Michelle's who controversially posted this photo to her Facebook page this week:
Sherryl McFerrin snapped the pic of her sister, Tandra Barnfield, and her sister's girlfriend, Samantha Munzy, kissing in front of the Duggar compound in Arkansas.
The photo has drawn criticism from fans, many of whom have demanded that it be taken down. But McFerrin - who attended high school with Michelle in the '80s - refuses.
"She was honestly one of the loveliest, sweetest people you could ever hope to meet," says McFerrin of the Michelle Ruark that she knew as a teenager.
"I don't understand what has happened to her heart," she lamented.
"The things she said in [the robo-call] were hateful and ridiculous."
"The Duggars have blood on their hands," she concludes, and "there's more of it every time another precious [gay or transgender] takes his or her own life."
The Duggar parents often accompany their kids on dates in order to maintain "accountability" and "keep things from going in the wrong direction," per Jim Bob. The girls are fine with this, as being alone with men puts them in grave "moral danger." When the parents aren't available, their older siblings will often tag along, making every date a group date and a family affair.
"People can believe whatever they want, but when your beliefs are hateful and bigoted," she says of her ex-friend, "that's a whole different story."
Those are most definitely fighting words, but that's clearly the point.
McFerrin says she has no intention of removing the controversial photo from her social media accounts and adds that she hopes her actions will spark debate.
She says she hopes to lead to a nationwide conversation on the treatment of gays and lesbians in the U.S., and what better foil than Michelle Duggar?
The outspoken TLC tandem is as unabashed in its beliefs than their critics are in theirs, so don't expect an apology anytime soon. Just more tension.
In other words, grab a hat and hold onto that thing for dear life.
You can watch 19 Kids and Counting online for more of the Duggars' belief system in action, and check out the controversial couple's guide to marriage below:
Be available. Anyone can fix him lunch, but only one person can meet that physical need of love that he has, and you always need to be available when he calls. - Michelle Duggar
Be available. Anyone can fix him lunch, but only one person can meet that physical need of love that he has, and you always need to be...
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