Despite their efforts, the Colorado Republican Party cannot burn out the spirit of Pride this June.
Freedom and safety should be promoted during Pride, not compromised. Nonetheless, the homophobic and violent rhetoric the Party incites does damage to the LGBTQ+ community that must be combatted.
In early June, explicit anti-Pride posts a by Colorado’s official Republican Party circulated in the media. Notably, among these posts was an email with the subject line “God Hates Pride” and a Tweet directing people to “Burn all the #pride flags this June.”
Our current radicalized media age has given rise to the dissemination of harmful discourse, especially on a large scale. What once were civil debates have escalated into statements of outright hatred and violence, which, more often than not, are backed with misinformation or religious beliefs.
Often used as a fear-mongering tactic the grooming narrative frames queerness as a social contagion that children must be protected from. This is done by weaponizing religious beliefs. These teachings wrongfully associate LGBTQ+ folk with the notion of being morally perverted or unholy—which is not at all the case.
Not only does this harmful portrayal undermine serious issues like grooming and sexual abuse, but it also shields children from crucial lessons about respect, inclusivity, and diversity.
In reality, one cannot be conditioned to a certain sexual orientation or gender identity. That’s for one to experience and discover on their own. And, despite having the power to represent a whole community, one’s exposure to a Pride flag raised high certainly cannot do more harm than witnessing its destruction.
While it’s unsurprising the Republican Party enacts such views, it’s hard to comprehend the fact trusted government officials can and will use their influential leadership to incite violence towards innocent individuals. The Party’s unapologetic response to opposing Pride is more reason for us to question where their interests in community-making lie.
Posts like this cannot go without legal repercussions, let alone be made in the first place. While the celebration’s on-going persistence is proof existing solidarity is strong enough to combat anti-Pride ideologies, it’s time that energy is channeled into some policy changes.
—Journal Editorial Board
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