Pride originally began as a celebration of love and acceptance. It was for a demographic of society that had spent so long being made to feel shame. Some forget that, as recently as the 1990s, in the UK, for instance, you could only be gay behind closed doors with the curtains drawn. Pride was needed. Pride was important.
But what of Pride today? To some, the rainbow that once signalled unity now casts a shadow, fuelling polarising discussions and unexpected boycotts. Perhaps we should take this time not just to celebrate achievements but also to ask ourselves why that might be.
The backlash started in the US with Bud Light’s partnership with a trans influencer, Dylan Mulvaney, to celebrate her first year of ‘girlhood’. Disney suffered a similar dip in sales and stock value after the release of Strange World, which featured a gay couple. Target, a popular store in the US, also faced criticism for its child-focused Pride displays.
Other businesses adopted the same tactics, only to face the same fallout. Adopting this strategy invariably led to an outcome so recurrent, it spawned its own adage: Go Woke. Go Broke.
Contrary to what you may think, the opposition isn’t strictly partisan. A recent Gallup poll shows both Republicans and Democrats have seen a drop in acceptance of same-sex relations.
Yet, it’s crucial to cast our net wider than party politics, as the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) discovered. GLAAD’s fifth annual Accelerating Acceptance Index showed that, while over 80 per cent of Americans surveyed favour equal rights for the LGBTI population, a significant drop in comfort with LGBTI issues has emerged, particularly among the younger generation.
GLAAD’s survey found Millennials and Gen-Z are increasingly ‘uncomfortable’ with at least some of the hypothetical scenarios related to LGBTI issues, with a sharp decline from 53 to 45 per cent in comfort levels. The younger generation is not the unwavering bastion of acceptance once thought. As a press release from GLAAD noted: “We have taken that idea for granted.”
However, as GLAAD’s president, Sarah Kate Ellis describes it, the findings should lead us to pause and ponder rather than throw in the towel. We’ve seen a “significant increase” in discrimination against the LGBTI population, and the rise in identification does not negate intolerance.
Pride has unexpectedly found itself at the epicentre of a fresh cultural battle
This evolving sentiment is by no means exclusive to the US; it’s mirrored across the Atlantic in both the UK and Europe. So, it would be misleading to label it as a mere cultural aberration. Therefore, the heart of this issue must be embedded within the intricacies of the LGBTI movements themselves, seeing as it is the only consistent element throughout. What, then, could they possibly be doing that is causing even our staunchest allies to waver?
It started a few years ago. Activists shifted their focus towards the transgender issue and ‘queerness’ in ways they never had before, leaving the average person bewildered. Parents in the US and Canada were confused when their daughter suddenly ‘identified’ as a boy. Biological men started competing in women’s sports and women are now referred to as ‘people who menstruate’.
Things got worse when children were involved. “The attempt to indoctrinate children in gender ideology and to trans them on the verge of puberty has changed the debate,” explains writer, commentator and former editor of The New Republic, Andrew Sullivan.
Parents now feel powerless against this gender ideology, as trans man Buck Angel, a human rights activist, argues: “The laws are changing where we, as parents, don’t have the right over our own children.”
But it’s not just children and parents who are angry with this new set of beliefs around gender. “Gender identity ideology is essentially anti-gay,” says comedian Andrew Doyle. “Gay rights were secured through the recognition of biological sex. Gender identity ideology seeks to break down the very notion of biological sex.”
In an echoing parallel to the trajectory of feminism, where today an average of only 30 per cent of women call themselves feminist, LGBTI rights movements now resonate less and less with the majority of LGBTI individuals, as more aggressive, Marxist-inclined factions take over.
The escalating discrimination may well stem from the expanding catalogue of ‘transgressions’ committed against LGBTI individuals. In our current climate, merely articulating a binary view of gender could earn you the brand of ‘phobic.’
This phenomenon subsequently fuels an unsettling sensation of coerced ideological conformity with the doctrines of the far left, contributing to the pervasive discomfort many are experiencing. There is a palpable hesitancy to challenge the prevailing narratives of Queer Theory, even when faced with instances of clear overreach by its activists, for fear they might get cancelled.
This puts those who are LGBTI in a bit of a predicament. Do we support Pride and turn a blind eye to the things we disagree with? Or do we speak up and risk getting shunned, ironically by the love-espousing masses? It’s a tough question and one that leaves us ambivalent.
While we once saw a world embracing change and moving steadily towards more acceptance, Pride has unexpectedly found itself at the epicentre of a fresh cultural battle. The waves of loud debates and conflicting ideologies threaten to muffle its genuine cry for understanding and acceptance.
Amid this clamour, it’s vital to remember the essence of Pride. It’s the responsibility of each one of us to champion its core message and ensure it stands strong amid the turbulence.
Edward Caruana GaliziaEdward Caruana Galizia is an actor and has a master’s degree in culture, diaspora and ethnicity from Birkbeck University of London.