The left loves to sermonize the political right with their constant talk of tolerance. Conservatives are so closed minded while progressives are open and inclusive. But what happened in Charlotte, North Carolina recently puts this lie to the test and should remind these so-called liberals to give the sermon a rest and begin to start practicing what they preach.
Brian Talbert, a gay Republican and member of the pro-Trump group Deplorable Pride, felt the sting of betrayal when the organizers of the Charlotte, North Carolina gay pride parade informed him that he could not participate. This discrimination belies the idea of complete equality and affirmation espoused by organizations such as Charlotte Pride. It also highlights the hypocrisy of many of the political left within the community. Apparently, it’s wrong to marginalize different genders, races, and sexual preferences, but perfectly fine to exclude people for their political beliefs.
The Washington Post interviewed Mr. Talbert after the rejection and described the planned float:
It was going to be 27 feet long, have “a bunch of American flags,” a replica of the Statue of Liberty, “female impersonators” and the “most patriotic music anyone has ever heard.”
The design would be so powerful, Talbert said, that nobody at the 2017 Charlotte Pride Parade would ever forget it.
“You were going to look at this float and be filled with pride for being an American,” Talbert told The Washington Post.
Brian Talbert said that Charlotte Pride denied his application because of his support for President Trump and that they called him anti-gay. As a gay man, Mr. Talbert can’t figure out how he’s anti-gay. “I don’t see how I was going to be anti-gay anything because that would be anti-me,” Talbert told The Post. When asked to comment, Charlotte Pride released the following statement:
Charlotte Pride reserves the right to decline participation at our events to groups or organizations which do not reflect the mission, vision, and values of our organization, as is acknowledged in our parade rules and regulations by all groups at the time of their parade application. In the past, we have made similar decisions to decline participation from other organizations espousing anti-LGBTQ religious or public policy stances.
Charlotte Pride envisions a world in which LGBTQ people are affirmed, respected and included in the full social and civic life of their local communities, free from fear of any discrimination, rejection, and prejudice.
Charlotte Pride invites all individuals, groups, organizations and causes which share our values to join our community’s celebration of the LGBTQ community, history, arts and culture during the Charlotte Pride Festival and Parade, Aug. 26-27, 2017.
Charlotte Pride claims to want full respect, affirmation, and the inclusion of all LGBTQs, but it seems they forgot to mention one notable exception. Interestingly enough, they forgot to mention it in both their Rules & Regulations and their application.
Mr. Talbert told Fox 46 that he didn’t think he should be vilified for being proud to be an American or for supporting his president. He and his group didn't espouse anti-LGBTQ ideas, and he wanted his float to sstand out as proof that Trump supporters weren’t the racist, homophobic bigots the left makes them out to be.
He plans to sue Charlotte Pride for the discrimination and has already raised over seven thousand dollars with his GoFundMe.com campaign. Brian Talbert definitely suffered discrimination for his political beliefs. However, his lawsuit might be a little misguided. While recent cases like Masterpiece Cakeshop’s discrimination might give him some credibility, Mr. Talbert hasn’t necessarily had his Constitutional rights infringed. Charlotte Pride isn’t the government. Even if the First Amendment did protect people from non-government entities, Charlotte Pride didn’t prevent Mr. Talbert from expressing himself or take any punitive actions against him for doing so.
Mr. Talbert calls Deplorable Pride a minority within a minority and no stranger to discrimination. His message to Charlotte Pride is simple. “I want them to realize that they’re doing the exact same thing they say bigoted people are doing to them — they’re the oppressors now,” he said. “It’s disgusting, and every gay person in America should feel ashamed.”
Charlotte Pride’s discrimination is hypocrisy of a sadly self-destructive kind. However, it isn’t just a symptom of the Trump presidency. It’s simply one new facet of the much larger hypocrisy that is only now coming to the forefront because of the national division over President Trump. The social justice warriors of the left cry out for tolerance and inclusion for all people, but they only want it for themselves. Anyone who disagrees with them on any subject should have their “hate speech” censored, their “privilege” oppressed, and their right to live their lives unmolested denied.
Oh, the ever-tolerant left.
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