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The Herald Scotland
6 hours ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
A hate crime on Arran? No, just a sign of where we are now
My second thought about the flags was more complicated however. For a start, flags have never been my favourite form of expression, an aversion made worse by the referendums of 2014 and 2016. And by 2023, I was also struggling – still am – with how I feel about LGBTQ+, trans, gender, and self-ID, and Pride flags in particular. There was a time, in the 90s, when I would've felt overwhelmingly positive about the flag, but in 2023, it was starting to change. The fact that my views have changed was underlined at the weekend when I heard that the police on Arran are investigating an incident with this year's Pride flags. The flags were on the main street in Brodick, as they were in 2023, but they were taken down some time overnight before the main Pride event on Saturday. There were reports on social media that some of the flags were later found dumped on the beach. The Pride event itself was not affected and went ahead as planned, but Police Scotland announced they were investigating what happened. 'Between 2am and 7am on Saturday, 31 May, flags and banners for the island's LGBTQ parade were pulled down,' they said. 'This is being investigated as a hate crime.' There are a few things that should worry us about that statement. First of all, the police should have said they were investigating a possible hate crime as they can't be sure who took the flags down and why. Secondly, it looks like the police still haven't realised that the idea of a hate crime defined and enforced by government is highly contested, thanks in part to the debacle of the SNP's law on the subject. And thirdly, even though we cannot know for sure what the motivation was, there's an implication in the statement that anyone who'd remove an LGBTQ Pride flag must be motivated by hate rather than just opposition to what the flag represents. All of this need to be challenged. Read more The best building in Glasgow, and what we can learn from its tragedy I walked Glasgow streets with a 'heritage detective' and found clues to city's future The Argyle Street Gap – what does it say about Glasgow? One man who has challenged the concepts behind Pride and hate crime is the writer and broadcaster Andrew Doyle, who has a rather good new book out, The End of Woke. Andrew admits there will be some who object to the word 'woke' and/or deny it exists, but his working definition – a cultural revolution that seeks equity according to group identity by authoritarian means – is supported by 550 pages of evidence on the beliefs that form the core of 'woke' and the individuals whose careers have been damaged or ended because they do not subscribe to them. He also outlines his evidence that the end is coming, including the Supreme Court ruling on the word woman, the ban on puberty blockers, and leftist politicians, including the beloved AOC, quietly removing pronouns from their social media profiles. I hope he's right. The critique Andrew offers of modern LGBTQ Pride and the concept of hate crime in the book is particularly applicable to the Arran situation. As Andrew points out, many conservatives have always opposed same-sex relations on moral or religious grounds, and it may be that the person or persons who took the flags down in Brodick were just old-school conservatives who don't much like the gays. Such people haven't gone away just because the Pride flag is ubiquitous. However, it's equally possible that the flags on Arran were removed by someone who supports gay equality but objects to the particular beliefs with which the modern flag has become associated: gender-affirming care for example, or trans self-ID; as Andrew says in his book, this group of people includes many gay people. Andrew also points out that by flying the Progress Pride flag as it's known, corporations and government bodies are taking a side in a highly contentious cultural debate that alienates as many gay people as it attracts. A Pride flag in Brodick (Image: Newsquest) The point about Arran is that the response of the police – the portentous announcement that the removal of the flags is being investigated as a hate crime – indicates they do not understand, or are even aware of, the case Andrew is making. The Pride flag is contentious and someone disliking it, or even removing it as they did on Arran, may be driven not by hate but by opposition to what the flag represents. The police are perfectly free to pursue the person for theft or damage, but by using the term hate crime, they are suggesting that objecting to, or removing, or damaging the flag is more than that: it's hateful. They have taken a side. Andrew Doyle's case is that the wider points in the debate are also poorly understood. In a free society, he says, we are entitled to think and feel as we see fit and so long as that does not interfere with the liberties of others, it includes the right to hate. He also points out that the European Court of Human Rights has admitted there's no universally accepted definition of the expression hate speech and as we saw with the SNP's attempt at a hate law, the lack of clarity renders the law useless or dangerous or both. We do not know the motivation of the person or persons who removed the flags on Arran. But no evidence of hatred is required for it to be seen or recorded as such, and a legal system that requires no evidence is a legal system we should be worried about. I suspect the police investigation on Arran will come to nothing in the end, as so much of the furore around hate crime does. But I also fear we'll take the wrong messages from the fact that someone took the flags down. Some people, including the police it would seem, will believe it's evidence of hatred for LGBTQ people, but it's much more likely to be evidence of how divisive and contentious the debate over the T in LGBTQ has become, including for many gay people. So the question in the end is: was it a hate crime we saw on Arran at the weekend? No: just a sign of where we are now.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Pine City Pride 20 years later: a proclamation about being yourself in rural Minnesota
(Photos courtesy of themncolumn, from "Pine City Pride 2012," Flickr.) Two decades ago, a quiet but radical act took place in Pine City, Minnesota. It didn't involve picket signs, marches or sweeping legislative change. It was a picnic. In a park. With a rainbow flag fluttering from a folding table, a handful of brave souls gathered near the Snake River to celebrate who they were — out loud — for the first time in their rural town. That picnic was the beginning of East Central Minnesota Pride. And, unbeknownst to many at the time, it was the first rural LGBTQ Pride event in the United States. This June, Pine City — population 4,200 and growing — will celebrate the 20th anniversary of that event. In doing so, we celebrate more than a milestone. We honor the legacy of a place that chose community over conformity, compassion over silence, and inclusion over fear. The story of rural Pride didn't begin in a metro center with corporate floats or glitter bombs. It started in a town known more for fishing derbies and Friday fish fries than for progressive firsts. Back in 2005, when rural queerness was still mostly whispered or erased, a small group of LGBTQ locals and allies chose to be visible. Their gathering was met with curiosity, quiet resistance, and eventually, something even more powerful: acceptance. In fact, the event drew enough attention that by 2007, the Star Tribune ran a headline that captured both the controversy and the charm of it all: 'Hot-button issues with potato salad.' The picnic may have seemed simple on the surface, but it challenged deeply held assumptions about who belongs in rural spaces — and how loudly they're allowed to exist. Over time, East Central Minnesota Pride became an anchor — both for LGBTQ residents, and for the whole region. Today, the event features live music, drag performances, speakers and families pushing strollers past booths staffed by churches, businesses and nonprofits. The small town where it began now hosts crowd sizes that crack the thousand mark each year, including people from towns that still don't have a Pride of their own. What Pine City proved is that Pride doesn't require a skyline. It requires courage. And community. And a willingness to believe that small towns can be big-hearted. Don Quaintance, one of the event's founding members, put it best: 'Small-town Pride events are the ones that create the change. It's easy to blend in with 500,000 of your friends at the Twin Cities Pride festival — and another to be one of 500 in Pine City. That takes a good deal of courage.' In many ways, Pine City's embrace of Pride helped shape its evolution. Last year, the town elected Minnesota's only openly gay mayor, Kent Bombard — a lifelong resident who volunteered for the other big event in town, the Pine County Fair — long before running for office. The city continues to grow, becoming more diverse, inclusive and welcoming with each passing year. Of course, it hasn't always been easy. There have been critics, letters to the editor, even threats. But each year the rainbow returns to the town square at Robinson Park, each year families attend together, and each year more younger people see a future for themselves here — without needing to leave home to live authentically. That matters. Because for every rural LGBTQ person who finds support in their hometown, we chip away at the idea that queerness belongs only in cities. We push back against the false choice between authenticity and belonging. And we remind the world that rural America is not a monolith. As someone who grew up in Pine City and has watched this transformation firsthand, I can tell you that the real success of rural Pride isn't measured in crowd size or media mentions. It's measured in conversations between neighbors. In rainbow stickers on truck bumpers. In the kid who doesn't flinch before saying 'my boyfriend' at Walmart. That's where the revolution lives. There are now more than 20 rural and small-town Pride celebrations across Minnesota, and dozens more nationally. Some have grown big and bold; others remain intimate. All of them owe a quiet debt to Pine City. As we gather again on June 7 to celebrate 20 years of rural Pride, we do so with gratitude — for the founders who risked being seen, for the allies who showed up, and for the small-town queers who keep choosing visibility. Because visibility in rural America is powerful. It's political. And it's deeply personal. Pride in Pine City may have started as a picnic, but it became a proclamation: We are here. We've been your neighbors. And we're not going anywhere. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Time of India
6 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
EU countries up pressure on Hungary over LGBTQ clampdown
BRUSSELS: A majority of EU countries including big hitters France and Germany on Tuesday called on Brussels to take action against Hungary unless it rows back on anti-LGBTQ measures aimed at banning Pride events. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Seventeen of the bloc's 27 members signed a letter expressing alarm at the recent legal steps that "run contrary" to the European Union's fundamental values. "We therefore call upon Hungary to revise these measures," read the text posted online by several signatories. I t urged the European Commission "to expeditiously make full use of the rule of law toolbox at its disposal in case these measures are not revised". The letter specifically referred to legislation passed in March that aims to prevent LGBTQ Pride events -- such as the annual celebration planned in Budapest on June 28. The law allows the use of facial recognition technology to identify organisers and enables authorities to fine those who attend such an event. Widely condemned by rights groups, it was the last in a series of legal changes that has seen Hungary's nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban gradually roll back LGBTQ rights in the name of "child protection". Budapest banned the official registration of sex changes and the legal recognition of the gender identities of transgender people in 2020. And under a 2021 law, which was disputed by the commission at the European Court of Justice, it is also no longer possible to talk to minors about gender re-assignment and LGBTQ issues. Under Orban, Budapest has regularly found itself at loggerheads with the EU, which has already frozen billions of euros in funds over issues including the treatment of asylum seekers and alleged corruption.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Red, white and blue only: FDOT affirms bridge lighting policy excluding Pride displays
Video above: DeSantis signs law to protect Florida's state parks TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The Florida Department of Transportation affirmed its policy forbidding the display of lights outside of a red, white and blue color scheme. Earlier this year, the department extended the policy put in place by Gov. Ron DeSantis last year, when he declared it 'freedom summer.' The policy states that any additional lighting combinations 'will be limited to the recognition, commemoration and/or promotion of government holidays' and must be approved by FDOT. This follows controversy sparked over the department's decision to exclude LGBTQ Pride displays, which used to light up bridges in a rainbow pattern across the state. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Four of U.K.'s largest Pride marches suspend political party participation
The organizers of four of the United Kingdom's largest LGBTQ Pride marches have banded together to suspend political party participation in their annual events in support of the country's transgender community. 'At a time when trans rights in the UK are under growing attack, our resolve has never been stronger: we will not allow progress to be undone,' the statement issued Monday by Birmingham Pride, Brighton Pride, Manchester Pride and Pride in London said. 'We will not stand by as the dignity, safety, and humanity of our trans siblings are debated, delayed, or denied.' Political parties are often represented at Pride marches in the U.K. For example, the current prime minister, Keir Starmer, attended London Pride in 2022 when he was leader of the Labour Party. Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a member of the Conservative Party, also attended Pride marches in a political capacity in 2010 and 2011. The joint decision to prohibit political party participation at these major Pride events follows a ruling last month by the U.K. Supreme Court to exclude transgender women from the legal definition of 'woman' in the Equality Act, a 2010 law that legally prohibits discrimination based on certain protected characteristics. The ruling stemmed from a legal dispute that began in 2018 when the Scottish Parliament passed a law seeking to increase the number of women on public sector boards. The law, to the dismay of some women's rights activists, included transgender women in its definition of women. Last month's court ruling, according to the four Pride groups, 'underscores the urgent need for immediate action.' 'In this moment, we choose to stand firmer, louder, and prouder in demanding change that protects and uplifts trans lives,' the statement said. In a statement shared on X, the LGBT+ Lib Dems, an arm of the Liberal Democrats party, said they are 'sickened to our core' by the blanket suspension on political parties. The group said the Liberal Democrats 'have been at the forefront of campaigning for LGBT+ rights' and have earned the right to be present at Pride marches. 'We look forward to a constructive dialogue with Pride organisers so we can come back bigger and better, while those parties who pander to bigotry and hatred can be left in the past, where they belong,' the statement continued. In an email to NBC News, Albie Amankona, a spokesperson for LGBT+ Conservatives, called the decision "disappointing." "While we regret this decision, our members look forward to attending in a personal capacity with pride in who we are and what we stand for," he said. The four Pride groups, in their joint statement, added that the rollback of trans rights in the U.K. is part of a 'disturbing global trend,' citing the banning of Pride events in Hungary and the proliferation of anti-trans legislation in the United States. So far this year, 575 anti-LGBTQ state bills have been proposed across the U.S., many of them targeting transgender rights, according to a tally by the American Civil Liberties Union. And on the federal level, the Trump administration has made trans issues a priority. In his first weeks in office, President Donald Trump signed a series of executive orders targeting trans rights, including one stating the U.S. government would recognize only two unchangeable sexes and another barring trans people from military service. This article was originally published on
