In the annals of conservatives spewing bigotry and calling it debate, “former social justice warrior” (um, okay) Keri Smith is upset that Pride Month exists, and thinks she’s delivered the queer community a devastating blow by complaining about the lack of a “Christian pride month.”
Wow … wild. Luckily, several Twitter users graciously volunteered their time to point out the obvious:
Good god, there is just so much going on here. It’s tempting to roll your eyes and laugh off the sheer absurdity of the comment, but there are some dangerous tactics under the surface of this tweet. If we want to push back against Christian nationalism, we need to understand them.
First off, this tweet is relying on a well-documented phenomenon in which any visible trace of a marginalized group will be seen, by the dominant group, as a complete takeover of a space. For example, let’s say your homophobic uncle is driving home from work and, out of the 100 store windows he passes, 10 of them have pride flags. Because he’s a bigot, his brain tricks him into thinking that the street was plastered in hundreds of pride flags. Then you have to listen to him blathering on about how “the gays have taken over” his city. I very much doubt that Keri lives in a region that’s playing Pride programming “above all other content.”
Secondly, notice how the tweet sets up Christianity and Pride as being diametrically opposed, even though Pride isn’t a religion? That model only works if you already consider LGBTQIA folk to be godless sinners. Otherwise, it makes no sense at all, especially since plenty of queer people are—gasp!—Christians themselves.
Thirdly, this tweet is banking on the fact that people with privilege often don’t understand why we have Pride and heritage months in the first place. Pride came about specifically because queer folk have been taught to feel shame about our identities instead of pride. Have you ever seen an American shamed for being straight? Nope! (Despite, again, how your hypothetical uncle’s bigoted reaction might skew his perspective enough to think he has.) Have you ever seen someone shamed for being queer (or been yourself)? You probably have! We need some way to push back against that shame and learn to love ourselves the way we are. THAT’S WHY WE HAVE PRIDE!
Finally, it’s not just annoying when conservatives paint themselves as victims. It’s actually a very deliberate, very dangerous tactic. When they make Pride out to be a huge invasion of their space, they’re actually laying the groundwork to wipe out any expression of queerness at all, and eliminate any identity that isn’t what they deem to be acceptable Christian nationalist. Don’t believe me? Check out the tweet Smith is responding to (warning: it’s even more vile):
This rhetoric is an overtly fascist move. It’s claiming that any expression of queerness is a “hostile colonizing force,” which paints queer folks as an enemy against whom violence isn’t just permissible, but necessary. It also portrays queer people as not really American. White, cisgender, heterosexual Christians are American, but everyone else? Invaders who need to be wiped out.
Smith’s tweet may seem clueless, but it’s actually calculated and violent. Don’t be fooled. And meanwhile, hold those Pride flags high.
(featured image: Vladimir Vladimirov for Getty Images)
