Pride month is in full swing, and as expected, conservatives are attempting to undermine it. For most well-adjusted adults outside the LGBTQ+ community, June is merely a month featuring rainbow displays in stores and occasional party fliers on social media. However, for Republican lawmakers, it appears sufficiently triggering to prompt the creation of new holidays aimed at coping with the continued existence of queer individuals.
New Holidays Proposed to Counter Pride
The governors of Indiana and Tennessee are striving to designate June as "Nuclear Family Month," specifically celebrating families comprising "one husband, one wife, and any biological, adopted or fostered children," as reported by NBC. GOP Representative Andy Ogles made his stance explicit in a now-deleted post on X, stating, "homosexuality has no place in America… Happy Nuclear Family Month."
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey wants June to be "Strong Families Month," with the implication that a strong family excludes one's openly gay aunt or transgender child. In Utah and Arkansas, the month is being promoted as "Fidelity Month," a notably unsexy description of committed relationships.
Historical Context of Pride
These legislative efforts represent a concerted attempt to erase Pride month and focus on celebrating concepts that are already upheld daily, such as lifelong heterosexual marriages and gender-conforming biological children. Ironically, Governor Ivey has been married twice, but that is beside the point.
Pride is not a holiday arbitrarily declared by liberals or manufactured by the body glitter industry. It originates from the Stonewall Riots of 1969, which catalyzed the modern gay and trans rights movement, and commemorates an ongoing struggle. Homosexuality was only officially decriminalized in the United States in 2003. Pride is arguably more essential now than ever, given that erasing trans individuals has become a primary objective of the Republican Party. Pride celebrations are severely underfunded and are being canceled across the country; for instance, Phoenix Pride recently announced plans to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Impact on the LGBTQ+ Community
These purportedly wholesome holidays are ahistorical and ill-intentioned. In a nation where affirming spaces for queer and trans people are increasingly scarce and support for gay marriage is declining, such declarations are more than mere annoyances. They represent a violent move to delegitimize the existence and identities of LGBTQ+ individuals without explicit statements.
Despite these challenges, the community will continue to speak out and celebrate Pride. They can have their Nuclear Family Month, but it is nothing more than Pride month for those who cannot tolerate the existence of Pride.
