• Lemvi@lemmy.sdf.org
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    167
    arrow-down
    2
    ·
    1 year ago

    “I do not want any kind of rainbow display especially in this month.” Imagine hating the idea of diversity so much that any kind of rainbow offends you. These people won’t stop until the entire world is gray.

    • Hotdogman@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      68
      ·
      1 year ago

      Man, these people are gonna be unhinged once they find out a rainbow is our visible light spectrum and that we technically see it everywhere. The kicker is that “God” put it there.

    • meeeeetch@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      36
      ·
      1 year ago

      When your political project is ‘make everyone as miserable as I am’, whining about every goddamn thing is actually a kind of praxis.

    • NotAPenguin@kbin.social
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      31
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      1 year ago

      You should see the comments on instagram reels whenever a teacher posts something and there’s a rainbow in the background, like just a rainbow on the wall in a kindergarten class or something, so many people absolutely fucking lose their minds and spew the most vile shit at these teachers, it’s bizarre.

      • llama@midwest.social
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        1 year ago

        Why do I feel like such an event would just make population epigenetics LGBTQ even harder.

  • Treczoks@kbin.social
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    142
    ·
    1 year ago

    “I do not want any kind of rainbow display especially in this month. We have a conservative town and as a library do not need to make political statements (see Target and Budlight as negative examples). I certainly do not want the library to promote LGBTQ agendas.”

    Ah, and removing them is not a political statement?

    • agent_flounder@lemmy.one
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      25
      ·
      1 year ago

      To the quoted hate-filled fuck: Existing without being persecuted isn’t a goddamn agenda you piece of shit. The only agenda I see here is your fascist one. Try keeping your shit to yourself and learn to let people be instead of trying to stamp them out, ignorant fuckstick.

        • dragonflyteaparty@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          3
          arrow-down
          3
          ·
          edit-2
          1 year ago

          Edit: Also for the record, it’s not “whataboutism” because a religious book was part of the display with the symbol for neuro divergence. Just fyi.

          “The display also included the books Emma & Mommy Talk to God, The Color Purple, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Separate is Never Equal, Wonder, and To Kill a Mockingbird.”

          No, it’s not. It’s an example for you to understand. Religion, particular Christianity, is everywhere in some parts of the US. Most people probably don’t even notice. To others, a rainbow is the same way. It’s a pretty decoration just like a cross or the signs up in my kid’s school, In God We Trust. No one would say a cross is political, but it is absolutely in support of, and in certain locations, normalizing that religion should exist here. And there are absolutely people who advocate unless you are one particular religion or subset of that religion you are not a “real” American.

          It makes sense to equate showing Christian paraphernalia with showing support for LGBTQ, or in this case neuro divergent people, because of how two sides see them. I’m not Christian. I don’t want my children raised Christian or in any particular religion for that matter. But they are being exposed to multiple aspects of religion every day in school. Is that not indoctrination, however subtle? Those who argue against the pride flag being shown in public insist that the publicity of the flag indoctrinates children.

          Now which is actually correct? Does a flag celebrating differences make it more likely that children will be non-heteronormative or neuro divergent? Or does it make it more likely that the children will feel accepted and not hide who they are? Does exposing children to multiple parts of religious practices make it more likely that those children will believe that said religion is true and more likely to hide if they don’t believe it because everyone around them seems to?

          In your view are pride flags political? If so, why? Who made them about politics?

          • dragonflyteaparty@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            1
            arrow-down
            4
            ·
            1 year ago

            Or because if you argue one thing is indoctrination and shouldn’t be allowed, then the other thing that is indoctrination shouldn’t be allowed either.

            • mrnotoriousman@kbin.social
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              3
              ·
              1 year ago

              Are you saying being LGBTQ+ is a result of indoctrination? Because you certainly have been indoctrinated on hate and lies if that’s the case.

              • Daefsdeda@sh.itjust.works
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                1
                ·
                1 year ago

                Lets say they had idk, a trump flag, it would be way more fine. Even though a trump flag is still a thing that stands for division and a pride flag stands for something nice and non political. Yeah I think letting people love who they want as a non political issue, sue me.

      • the post of tom joad@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        4
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        1 year ago

        Someone didn’t read the article. I’m just gonna go full bore at the hey go. Be very careful how you use your frozen peaches son, cuz you’re actually posting in a .de instance with rules against promoting nazism.

        Which you aren’t doing yet, of course. And you won’t. Will you.

  • Hairyblue@kbin.social
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    87
    ·
    1 year ago

    I am old enough to remember the rainbow colors being a secret way for the community to find each other. We’d put a small rainbow on our cars, or other places and people of our community knew what that meant.

    Now that we are more out of the closet, hateful bigots know what the rainbow flag means too. This is an expected downside to our communities progress. But we will never go back in the closet.

    • Polar@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      44
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      I’m a straight biological male and love rainbows. Colours are pretty! Not sure why anyone would get upset about rainbows. You know, the NATURALLY occurring thing?

    • Lemmington Bunnie@aussie.zone
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      8
      ·
      1 year ago

      I want a way to signal to people, sorry I’m freaking weird and apologies in advance for my awkwardness.

      I’ve always loved the infinity symbol, got it engraved on a ring for my partner over a decade ago.

      I also love badges.

      Considering finding an enamel rainbow infinity badge online - and if someone mistakes me as queer, I don’t mind, I’m an ally and a bit bi anyway.

      Bigots get way too hung up on symbols.

      I like to think of symbols as positive things - either covert ways to communicate with like minded people in an unfortunately negative environment, or ways to show pride in something if the symbol is widely recognised.

      When that pride is something includes infringement on the rights of others, then we have a problem.

      Otherwise, yay, go wild.

      Yes, officer, I’ve had a few drinks - why do you ask?

      • Zink@programming.dev
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        1 year ago

        I think a lot of the bigots out there with a religious background have been conditioned to put a LOT into simple symbols.

    • Drivebyhaiku@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      3
      ·
      1 year ago

      Different challenges these days for sure. As glad as I am in a place when I do not have to resort to spy codes just to feel like myself I still find the modern ones to be kind of great. Like every stripe of the LGBTQIA has their own hidden messages. Like if I saw a Blahaj Ikea shark wearing a bandana around it’s “waist” chomping on a piece of garlic bread surrounded by toadstools I would be like… Well that’s basically a pride flag.

  • LegionEris [she/her]@feddit.nl
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    85
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    1 year ago

    Imagine being so afraid of The Big Gay that you fire two people for being part of another community that uses boldly colored striped in their logo, a community that literally has a documented statistical preference for bold primary colors and patterns. Imagine yoir hate being so enormous that it can’t hit just one group of vulnerable minority children.

    • some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      16
      ·
      1 year ago

      EDIT: Imagine posting before your caffeine kicks in and having to fix three different typos.

      I don’t have to imagine anything at all to know what this is. Imagine having this experience most days!

    • frazw@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      15
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      It’s not hate. It’s fear. Fear of the confusing thoughts in their heads.

  • BeautifulMind ♾️@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    56
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    1 year ago

    They’re suing.

    I hope they win. If the basis for their firing was the presumption that they were gay (hint: being gay is a protected class, you can’t fire someone for being gay), this would be an open-and-shut case of employment discrimination.

    But if it’s all a big dumb misunderstanding and they’re not gay (and not part of that particular protected class) but they’re still fired over it, let me remind you that being autistic is a never-ending ordeal of being misunderstood, often mixed with a sense of justice that could be characterized as white-hot.

    …or at least, my sense of justice about this might be in the range of over-wrought, or just blazing.

    • Winter8593@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      9
      ·
      1 year ago

      Shit, is firing someone because they’re autistic not also an open-an-shut case of employment discrimination?

      If not, I think we need some reform.

      • BeautifulMind ♾️@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        17
        ·
        1 year ago

        They could argue it was over the displaying of “political” symbology, and not for the perceived sexuality of the employees.

        They could, but the article quotes text messages from the lawsuit that very strongly indicate it was explicitly about perceived ‘gay pride’ being the kind of “political” they don’t want:

        On June 22, Splitter, a temporary summer library employee, complained about the display to Lancaster, saying she found the “gay Pride” symbol offensive and going into “an anti-LGBT diatribe” even though Lancaster explained that the infinity symbol represented neurodiversity and autism.

        Splitter then complained about the display to Michelle Miller, vice chair of the library board. Miller reportedly told Lancaster that she could get her fellow board members to have Lancaster take down the display.

        “I am totally fine with diversity of skin color display, just not represented with rainbow colors,” Miller texted Wheeler, the director, according to the lawsuit. “I do not want any kind of rainbow display especially in this month. We have a conservative town and as a library do not need to make political statements (see Target and Budlight as negative examples). I certainly do not want the library to promote LGBTQ agendas.”

        From context, not only did the plaintiffs explain that the rainbow-infinity is an autism symbol, they also went so far as to take down the display to seek guidance on how to change it- and even after those accommodations they were fired. But at least they put their intent to discriminate in text messages that would be discoverable at trial

        • AA5B@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          3
          ·
          1 year ago

          It seems like the person afraid of a little knowledge is the one unfit for a library

  • InternetUser2012@midwest.social
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    47
    ·
    1 year ago

    These fucking morons don’t even know what they’re banning… Really teaching everyone how important education really is, and why they don’t want people educated.

  • Ibex0@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    41
    ·
    1 year ago

    It’s so weird to be outraged about this stuff enough to fire 2 of your neighbors in a small town.

  • Hairyblue@kbin.social
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    36
    ·
    1 year ago

    LGBTQ people existing is not political, it is a fact. And I am sure even in that conservative town there are LGBTQ people who would want to read books about them or books to help them. Yea, helping other LGBTQ people is the gay agenda.

    • Zink@programming.dev
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      3
      ·
      1 year ago

      LGBTQ people existing is not political Minorities existing is not political Climate change existing is not political Evolution existing is not political

      …unless your opinions are so awful that you have to deny reality in order to make them an easier sell to your followers.

  • some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    28
    ·
    1 year ago

    On June 22, Splitter, a temporary summer library employee, complained about the display to Lancaster, saying she found the “gay Pride” symbol offensive and going into “an anti-LGBT diatribe” even though Lancaster explained that the infinity symbol represented neurodiversity and autism.

    I have to wonder if this person saw the rainbow and applied for a temp position just to complain.

    • llama@midwest.social
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      19
      ·
      1 year ago

      Where are all the people who say “if you don’t like it just get another job” when this happens. Especially if you’re a temp and you could literally walk across the street and get another job.

  • Denvil@lemmy.one
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    23
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    1 year ago

    So much for not wanting to have negative press, now some random guy in Ohio even hates the place

  • agent_flounder@lemmy.one
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    19
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    1 year ago

    So this is the Sterling Free Public Library that did this? The library at this website here?

    https://sterling.scklslibrary.info/

    I wonder what would happen if these ignorant bigots faced a proverbial shit storm of backlash from across the country every time they tried to pull hateful shit like this?