Protests, Threats, and Vandalism Target Pride Month Events
During the third week of Pride Month, bomb threats targeted LGBTIQ events in Arizona and Minnesota, and Pride Flags were vandalized in several places including the Stonewall National Monument.
During the third week of Pride Month, bomb threats targeted LGBTIQ events in Arizona and Minnesota, and Pride Flags were vandalized in several places including the Stonewall National Monument.
There have been numerous incidents of vandalism targeting Pride Month flags and other types of LGBTIQ themed event decorations, and there has reportedly been a “string of incidents across central Ohio in which Pride flags were stolen or defaced.”
Reporting on the threats to Pride Month events:
Call Attacks on Pride What They Are: Political Violence by Melissa Gira Grant [The New Republic]
Pride Flags Are Being Burned, Stolen, Slashed, and Torn Down in Incidents Across the U.S. by Samantha Riedel [Them]
Religious groups are protecting Pride events — upending the LGBTQ+ vs. faith narrative by Kate Sosin [The 19th]
Pride month fears: Is the FBI missing the real threat to LGBTQ+ safety? by Denny Agassi [Reckon]
Members of Gays Against Groomers, a group which amplifies dehumanizing anti-transgender rhetoric, and perpetuates anti-LGBTIQ stereotypes, has been engaged in a guerilla propaganda campaign posting stickers with a QR code that directs to their website — the stickers asks, “Do you support gay people? We need your help!”
Protests and Propaganda Targeting Pride
Fairhope, Alabama: Anti-LGBTIQ activists protested outside Pride Event drag brunch at the Fairhope Civil Center.
Cleveland, Ohio: Members of the Great Lakes chapter of the New Columbia Movement, a far right Christian Nationalist group associated with radical traditionalist Catholics, staged a protested outside the Geauga Pride.
Fort Worth, Texas, Members of the Southwest chapter New Columbia Movement staged a rally, which was reportedly attended by far right figures including Carlos Turcios, a reporter for the right-wing Dallas Express, and Ali Jamal, a supporter of antisemetic White Nationalist media personality Nick Fuentes.
Newcastle, Washington: Anti-LGBTIQ activists protested outside the Newcastle City Hall prior to the Newcastle City Council voting to “flipped its decision” to note raise the Pride flag, and “voting to raise the flag after all.”
Vandalism and Violence Targeting Pride
Bisbee, Arizona: The Bisbee Pride festival was the apparent target of “bomb threat emailed to city officials,” and “an anonymous, emailed bomb threat to the Copper Queen Library, as well as the home of library manager.”
Los Angeles, California: A lifeguard station painted in Pride colors was vandalized, as “homophobic, racist and antisemitic slurs and symbols were painted on a lifeguard tower on Will Rogers State Beach in Pacific Palisades.”
Boise, Idaho: Pride flags displayed on Harrison Boulevard were reportedly “taken down or damaged for the second time this year,” and the incident marks the “fourth year in a row that the flags were targeted.”
Lake Station, Indiana: Local law enforcement is reportedly “investigating a vandalism incident at Riverview Park where someone defaced the parking lot with swastikas and gay slurs within a week after the first gay pride celebration in the city.”
Grand Marais, Minnesota: The Grand Marais Pride Festival was reportedly targeted with a bomb threat, and law enforcement “determined that the threat was emailed from an address in Moscow, Russia.”
New York, New York: The rainbow flags lining New York City’s Stonewall National Monument for Pride Month were reportedly vandalized for the second consecutive year, as an unidentified individual “broke 160 flags both inside and outside the monument.”
Dripping Springs, Texas: The Dripping Springs Pride Festival is scheduled to take place this weekend, however, several signs promoting the event were taken down or vandalized.
Norfolk, Virginia: Local law enforcement is reportedly investigating the vandalism of a Pride banner at Ghent United Methodist Church, as the banner was vandalized with the words: "Pride Is Sin"
Far Right Groups Targeting Pride
Sean Feucht, the far right anti-LGBTIQ Christian Nationalist traveling musician and pastor, is hosting two events this weekend that appear to strategically coincide with local Pride Month events in Salt Lake City, Utah (June 28th) and Santa Fe, New Mexico (June 30th).
Possible Future Targets: Tour Lady of Grace Church in Hoboken, New Jersey (June 23th); Princeton Pride at Lovelady High School in Princeton, Texas (June 29)
Damaging as many as 160 Pride flags at the Stonewall National Monument in the middle of Manhattan is absolutely outrageous. It happened last year. It's ground zero for Pride symbolism. And yet the NYPD or National Park Police couldn't post somebody there? They certainly manage to spend time illegally infiltrating anti-genocide protests. That's law enforcement facilitating the vandalism and harassment.
Always with their faces covered… hey, fellas!! If you want us to believe you take your little Jesus Was White club’s manifesto, come out from behind your mask and AR-15! All I see are assholes lacking the strength of their convictions.
#youllhavetogothroughme