Pride Month is getting cancelled in red states

[MrDawn]

What are your thoughts?



Articles being referenced in the video:

Colorado Republican Party calls for burning of all Pride flags as Pride Month kicks off

"Burn all the #pride flags this June," the Colorado Republican Party wrote in a social media post this week.

www.usatoday.com

LGBTQ Pride Month kicks off with bias-fueled pushback

From the destruction of rainbow Pride flags to homophobic graffiti and anti-gay social media messages, not all aspects of the annual LGBTQ commemoration have been celebratory.

www.nbcnews.com

Target to reduce number of stores carrying Pride-themed merchandise after last year's backlash

Target confirmed that it won’t be carrying its LGBTQ+ merchandise for Pride month in June in some stores after the discount retailer received a backlash last year for its assortment.

apnews.com

Huge Pride Month event at North Jersey university abruptly canceled

Special guests at the event at William Paterson University in Wayne were to include a drag performer and a renowned vocalist.

www.northjersey.com

 

[Mendalla]

Meanwhile, most of the European cities, including several capitals, I just visited were festooned with Pride flags. Made me happy as an longtime ally and closeted bisexual. Even city transit buses were flying them in some cities. In Gothenburg, Sweden, the parade was getting lined up in the square where city hall is located. As long as Canada stays the course and follows those countries rather than the US red states, I guess I can enjoy that and just sigh at the goings-on down there. Sadly, we have had efforts to shut down Pride, including vandalism and theft of flags from private property, in smaller communities and rural areas around me.

 

[DrLeftover]

How do you "cancel" something that isn't a recognized official scheduled event?

 

[Mendalla]

How do you "cancel" something that isn't a recognized official scheduled event?

Attack the unofficial elements. Ban the unofficial events in various ways, attack or ban the symbolism (e.g. the rainbow), try to stop official events where they exist (not sure about the US but here many cities proclaim their community's Pride festivals officially and have civic leaders like mayors involved). There's many ways to try to shut down even unofficial events. For instance, one local community passed a by-law preventing the flying of flags other than national, provincial, and city ones on public flagpoles. While it technically affects some other groups, too, it was quite clear that the flying of Pride flags at city facilities was the target. This same community has also had multiple incidents of Pride flags on private property being vandalized or stolen.

 

[DrLeftover]

I guess ignorance and intolerance is contagious after all.

 

[Webster]

Meanwhile, most of the European cities, including several capitals, I just visited were festooned with Pride flags. Made me happy as an longtime ally and closeted bisexual. Even city transit buses were flying them in some cities. In Gothenburg, Sweden, the parade was getting lined up in the square where city hall is located. As long as Canada stays the course and follows those countries rather than the US red states, I guess I can enjoy that and just sigh at the goings-on down there. Sadly, we have had efforts to shut down Pride, including vandalism and theft of flags from private property, in smaller communities and rural areas around me.

On my property, hanging off of the upper end of my house (our neighborhood's on a hill, so the upper end is actually reachable from the ground) are three flags...
1} the American flag, to represent my love/respect for America and what she stands for
2} the Eagle, Globe and Anchor flag, to represent my late dad's service in the Marine Corps
3} a Gay Pride flag, to celebrate, come July 2024, thirty-one years as an out gay man

And since I live in Appalachia, @Mendalla, it'll be a frozen day in Satan's backyard before any of those flags are removed....