Why Do S****y People Think Their Protests Are On A Par With Pride Month?
Your "protest" flag doesn't mean nearly what you think it does
A little housekeeping before I get started: I know I don’t say this enough, but I owe a heartfelt THANK YOU to my subscribers- especially those of you who’ve been moved to become paid subscribers. That affirmation means more than you can know, and I appreciate each and every one of you.
I’ve not done many paid posts recently because I’m trying to find ways to increase readership. I’m still not on anyone’s Top 10 100 1000 List, but this isn’t a competition. I don’t do this because I want to become rich or famous- though I wouldn’t necessarily refuse either. The growth of this newsletter has been painfully slow in its first three years, but I’m not rich, famous, accomplished, or renowned. I just plug along because I love to write, and I have a lot on my mind.
I’m grateful for those of you who stop by my dark, dank corner of da Interwebz to read my work. That’s a pretty special feeling, and it’s nice to know someone’s paying attention. Party on.
Jack
Why do shitty people always brag about being good at trolling? Troll is just another word for asshole. What kind of antisocial sociopath is proud of being an asshole?
Oliver Markus Malloy, Inside The Mind of an Introvert
I believe in the 1st Amendment as much as anyone. It allows me to do what I do here. And I’ve been known to piss off a few folks now and again. It’s a cost of doing business, don’tchaknow?
I believe that every American has the right to speak their mind without fear. And I firmly believe that every American has the right to express what they think about the opinions of other Americans…because we all know what opinions are like, right? Everyone has one.
That someone has an opinion doesn’t make it sacrosanct, noteworthy, or even particularly interesting. Some views and thoughts are downright offensive, objectionable, ignorant, and deserving of significant pushback, precisely BECAUSE of their odiousness.
Such is the case of one April Wilde Despain and her husband, a Mormon couple who reacted to Pride Month in their own uniquely objectionable and arguably homophobic way. And so they’re getting their wholly undeserved 15 minutes of infamy.
Twitter user April Wilde Despain published a photo on Friday (2 June) of her and her husband standing next to a flag covered in a wall of text, detailing the Mormon Family Proclamation.
The statement, published by senior members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS Church) in 1995, purports homophobic claims that marriage is only valid in God’s plan if it is between a man and a woman.
It further argues that any deviation from what it views as “family values” would lead to “calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets”.
In her post, Despain wrote: “We heard June was the month to hang up flags celebrating our personal beliefs about gender, sexuality, and identity. So we hung up ours.”
The Mormon couple’s post was almost immediately bombarded with ridicule over Despain’s attempt to subvert Pride Month with a single flag containing text so small it appears barely visible up close.
“This is what happens when your only entertainment in life is Church,” one user wrote, while another said: “I think you misunderstood how flags are supposed to work. They are quick identifiers – you don’t print a whole story on a flag.”
Ms. DeSpain and her spouse seem to have missed the memo on the point of a flag- it’s not the place for a manifesto. The only way to understand the message on their banner is about is to get up close and personal with it…and how many of us will be willing to do that?
So, point made…sort of. Message missed…completely. Epic fail…pretty much.
The smiling homophobes could have thought their protest out better. Not only does their “flag” not convey their message in a manner flags are intended to (unless you have a magnifying glass), the guy’s t-shirt is a bit ironic.
Of course, the concept of irony is too often lost on haters and bigots.
Some noted the husband’s T-shirt featuring New Zealand musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords, both members of which are widely known to be supportive of the LGBTQ+ community.
Others took the chance to get creative with the picture, editing the flag to make it more nonsensical or just plain gay.
One of the things I love about the LGBTQ community is their ability to take bigotry and hatred and flip it on its head by using humor to expose and ridicule it. And the Twitterati did not disappoint.
(And doesn’t anyone who’d wear black calf-length socks with cargo shorts- and I LOVE cargo shorts- deserve a super-uncomfortable month? I mean, are we talking fashion faux pas or what??)
Of course, whether being holier-than-thou or utterly lacking in self-awareness, Ms. Despain believes SHE is the one being persecuted for her beliefs, which only serves to make her a poster child for the Dunning-Kruger Effect. When you live in a Mormon bubble that elevates you above those who don’t think, believe, live, and/or love as you do, you honestly think you’re better than non-believers.
(Who wants to tell her??)
I have to wonder if Ms. Despain and her spouse know anyone who’s LGBTQ or if their sanitized world allows them to view those who are different based on stereotypes. Their church tells them that LGBTQ people are a certain way, so they believe that without question. But do they know that being LGBTQ doesn’t mean a person has horns or farts rainbows?
They may not understand that being LGBTQ doesn’t define a person. It’s not an all-consuming label; sexuality is merely one part of a person. A person who happens to be LGBTQ still has many of the same dreams, aspirations, and responsibilities anyone else does. In many respects, their lives are no different, save for their sexual preference. LGBTQ people don’t recruit, don’t sprinkle fairy dust wherever they go, and don’t spread disease. They’re like you and me. In some cases, the ONLY thing that may be noticeably different is their sexuality.
And yet, Ms. Despain continues to feel that she’s the one being persecuted. The arrogance is nauseating.
As I’ve long said, a sense of irony can be difficult to find among Mormons. The “I’m still standing. Yeah, yeah, yeah….” lyric is from an Elton John (who’s as proudly gay as the day is long) song.
Do with that what you will.
“A new day, a new pair of tapered sweatpants and cargo shorts,” she continued. “We believe that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of his children.”
The LDS Church does much more than simply oppose same-sex marriage. Sections of the religious movement have completely banned homosexuality in institutions that it owns, including Brigham Young University (BYU).
Gay Mormons are routinely sent death threats and are seen as lesser than their heterosexual peers, while many are expelled from the Church completely.
BYU professor Sarah Coyne was hit with a wave of hate on Twitter in March after she told a class of students that she has a trans child.
The student-run newspaper Cougar Chronicle, which routinely misgendered the child, criticised Coyne for affirming her trans daughter.
Meanwhile, Republican senator Mike Lee joined the Twitter pile-on, retweeting the newspaper’s article with the caption: “Commonplace at most universities, but BYU?”
Ms. Despain has reacted to the pushback to her “flag” and Twitter postings by referring to pro-LGBTQ Pride flags as “weapons” against homophobes, those who believe as she does. I’d counter by saying that homophobia isn’t a tenet of Christianity. It’s more a personal belief and prejudice that Christians have bastardized their faith to support.
I’d also respond to Christians using the Old Testament to support their homophobia by asking if they eat shellfish or wear clothing of mixed fibers. My point is they shouldn’t be allowed to cherry-pick what suits their prejudice while conveniently ignoring what they find inconvenient.
That’s the textbook definition of “hypocrisy,” and a friend who is a committed and honest Christian once told me that God doesn’t look kindly upon hypocrites.
Hey, I don’t make this stuff up….
In this case, it may not involve believing six impossible things before breakfast, but there’s at least one in play. That’s the idea that Christianity and homophobia are compatible. If you believe that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior, you acknowledge first and foremost that He taught love, tolerance, acceptance, and inclusion to be the highest values. You also know that He never preached against homosexuality, so to hate the LGBTQ community is to go against everything He stood for.
I’m an atheist, and even I know that. If you call yourself a “Christian” and hate the LGBTQ community, you’re doing it wrong. That’s a “YOU” problem.
Yes, hypocrisy is a “YOU” problem. And whether you agree with me or not, you can’t seriously call yourself a Christian until and unless you lose the hypocrisy, hatred, and bigotry.
Pride Month isn’t the problem. The LGBTQ community isn’t the problem. YOU are the problem.
So what are you going to do about it?