"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.
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.
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.
“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?
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.
Asa neurodivergent person, I'm insulted at being grouped with all the hateful bigots. Yes, I'm sure some of them are neurodivergent (just by sheer chance), but being a hateful bigot doesn't mean that they are neurodivergent.
IANAL but, if it’s a publicly owned and operated library, and someone acting on behalf of the government fired these people for some sort of protected speech (which isn’t always just talking/writing) then I’m pretty sure that’s a 1a violation.
Though I could use some clarity on any distinction between a persons own speech, and speech that could be seen as that of the library.
Strange how certain types incorrectly construe constitutional right violations with businesses but completely overlook state enforcement as literal infringement by government. Big gubmint isn't just federal.
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.
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?
You know they get upset at all kinds of Science shit that’s for liberals and nerds. Rainbows are no different.
Another cis straight male here btw. Rainbows are awesome in more ways than one. And how could you be a sensible person and not be an ally to those who would prefer not to be oppressed for stupid reasons?
Not the only reason by any stretch, but Christians love to claim that no one else can use rainbows because of that myth where their god used one to apologize for one of his many mass genocides.
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?
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.
Imagine being so afraid of The Big Gay that you fire two people for being part of another community that uses boldly colored stripes in their logo, a community that literally has a documented statistical preference for bold primary colors and patterns. Imagine your hate being so enormous that it can't hit just one group of vulnerable minority children.
EDIT: Imagine posting before your caffeine kicks in and having to fix three different typos.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
Damn, I don’t know whether I should be outraged at trying to censor a library or at succeeding based on making a mistake. How is censoring a library even a thing?
(Yes, I live in an area that respects knowledge , freedom and individual rights, why do you ask?)
I didn't realize existing was activism. But with that mindset we should remove all religious books for sure, stop pushing that Christian agenda. Especially if it's a publicly funded thing.
it really speaks to your ignorance if you think that's what I meant. Putting up ANY kind of signage like that regardless if it was for the alphabet crowd or nd crowds, in a library that's funded by the public, is in poor taste. Pretty sure they aren't going to allow them to put up a straight pride sign, or a "im neuro-normal" sign right? And they have to be dense to put up rainbows in JUNE and not have people assume it's a gay thing. use the grey matter between your ears, huh?
I fail to see anywhere in the article where they talk about the flag being related to activism. What exactly were they trying to accomplish with the flag? Where did you see the proof of that in the article?
The display included a book with this symbol and "the books Emma & Mommy Talk to God, The Color Purple, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Separate is Never Equal, Wonder, and To Kill a Mockingbird". Is the rest of it also activism? Or just the flag because they mistook it for being about gay people? Why were the rest of the books ok? Or are they not in your eyes?
Stop being a bigot and people won't need to defend their existence. You don't yell at the bullied kid for hitting his bully. The bully wouldn't have gotten hit if he wasn't a bully.