Pride 2026

 

Here's evidence that I (on the right) marched with my church in Seattle's Pride Parade yesterday. The crowd seemed both celebratory and defiant, which, by the end of the procession, was more than could be said for my knees.

Boise, Master of Workarounds

Image:  Facebook

The flag feud in the Gem State continues.

In a bid to stifle expressions of queerdom last year, the Idaho state legislature passed a law banning cities from flying flags not on the sanctioned list. To sidestep that, the city of Boise then adopted the Pride flag as an official city flag.

This year the state responded by imposing fines of $2,000 per day for any naughty flags. The governor signed that bill into law on March 31, and that day Boise's Pride flag came down.

But the city said, "Hold my (craft) beer."

Rainbow colors now wrap flagpoles. Boise City Hall is illuminated in rainbow accent lighting, and features a rainbow-stripe sign that reads "Creating a city for everyone."

Well-played, Boise. So, is it a stalemate? Or will the Idaho legislature try to outlaw rainbows? Stay tuned for the next episode of "As the Flag Flaps."

Flag Flap

Image:  Gay City News

It was Gay City News that alerted the world a few days ago that the Trump administration had removed the large Pride flag from the Stonewall National Monument.

Now GCN is reporting the flag has returned—thanks to a healthy dose of Stonewall-like defiance.

The removal of the rainbow flag, which had been installed during the Biden administration, provoked angry responses from lots of New York politicians. Some of them pledged to re-raise a flag yesterday afternoon.

They brought a Pride flag on a thin plastic flagpole and placed it next to the flagpole where the original flag had flown. The elected officials "walked away, leaving the audience groaning in disappointment."

Then several activists took it upon themselves to install a rainbow flag on the actual flagpole. It even landed a few inches above the American flag.

So, what happens now? Will these activists who channeled the spirit of Stonewall be arrested? 

Will Trump use this as an excuse to invade New York City? Bulldoze Greenwich Village, call it New Greenland, and install Barron as potentate?

If Trump and his minions do choose to escalate the situation, I foresee not just another round of Stonewall Riots, but potentially another 1776. The fight against authoritarianism has to start somewhere, and wouldn't it just make sense in 2026 that queer people would lead? 

After all, we've only recently been freed. Returning to the closet has all the appeal of being forced to watch "Melania."

There Goes the Freak Flag

Image:  Wikipedia

President Obama designated the Stonewall National Monument in 2016, the first national monument dedicated to LGBTQ history. In the decade since, Pride flags have always flown at the famed Greenwich Village site.

Until yesterday.

The National Park Service took down the rainbow flag, and said today that it's only following recently issued Interior Department rules that reduce the flags that can be flown.

The park that celebrates the origin of Pride is forbidden from flying the Pride flag.

Beam me up, Scotty. I'd rather risk my molecules getting stuck in an eternal transporter malfunction than spend another minute in Donald Trump's United States of Cruelty.

This is just the administration's latest attack on the monument. A year ago, as part of the efforts to erase transgender people from federal websites, all references to trans and queer people on the monument's webpage disappeared.

The webpage memorializing the spot where trans women and drag queens fought back against police now refers only to "LGB" people. I was incensed then that the other initials were amputated, and the administration's latest move has made me even incensed-ier.

I'm even making up words.

If this pattern of rewriting history and contradicting reality continues, the "LGB" might well disappear. Stonewall will be turned on its head and become a monument to the need to let police terrorize any group the majority fears.

And they should wear masks while doing it, since police look so darn fetching in them.

This Week's Quote

Image:  Facebook

Can't wait until the next Democratic president puts 2 pride flags up on those Trump flagpoles.

MAGAs will try to overthrow the government again.

Alex Cole

Source:  X

Rally Round

Image:  Facebook

Under the guise of encouraging political neutrality, the states of Utah and Idaho banned all but a handful of flags at schools and government buildings. But everyone knew the main objective was to put the kibosh on Pride flags.

Last week, Salt Lake City and Boise announced a helluva workaround.

Both adopted new city flags. Salt Lake stuck the city's emblem, a sego lily, atop the rainbow flag and the transgender flag. Boise declared the rainbow flag an official city flag.

Making the situation even more touchy is the fact that Salt Lake and Boise are the capital cities of their states. So conservative lawmakers will regularly eyeball these flapping symbols of urban defiance.

Somewhere Betsy Ross is placing monstrously large bets.

Off-Color

Image by lillen from Pixabay

Utah has become the first state in the nation to ban Pride flags from all public schools and all government property.

Idaho has a new flag law, too, but it applies only to schools. If a red state gets outpaced in its bigotry, does it become green with envy?

Flying Colors

Image:  Facebook

Martha-Ann Alito, wife of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, was secretly recorded last week saying, "I want a Sacred Heart of Jesus flag, because I have to look across the lagoon at the Pride flag for the next month."

What is it with this woman and flags?

In a Pinch

 

Another Sports First

Image:  Facebook

The world likes to assume that male figure skaters are gay, and female figure skaters are resoundingly straight.

Meet Amber Glenn, who came out in 2019.

"The fear of not being accepted is a huge struggle for me," she said at the time, according to Outsports. "Being perceived as 'just a phase' or 'indecisive' is a common thing for bisexual/pansexual women. I don’t want to shove my sexuality in people’s faces, but I also don’t want to hide who I am."

Yesterday, after capturing the U.S. women's figure skating championship, Glenn posed with the Progress Pride flag. She's the first out queer woman to win the title.

If she winds up on the Olympic team, I'm just glad there are no more East German judges.