Proud and Clear

I hate to be a Debbie Downer during an otherwise festive month, but during Pride Month 2025 it’s good to be clear about who’s who and what’s what.

First, some who’s who. There’s a gay slur that fits the white Christian nationalists who’ve infiltrated Washington, so permit me to use it here – “homos.” They’re the true homos because they’re all about a lily white, heterosexual, homogeneous nation. And they’re wielding the cross like a sword against the rest of us to get there.

I proudly fall into the “rest of us” category. And it appears that the rest of us, to the extent we’re tolerated, are intended to be subjugated.

How do we know this? Look at the words they’re banning. The history they’re whitewashing. The storied institutions they’re seizing. The immigrants they’re disappearing, and the ones they’re welcoming as “refugees.”

If you think I’m exaggerating, keep reading.

“Don’t say ‘Gay’” is Back

It’s back, only this time there are over 350 other words and phrases now banned from use by the U.S. government. Here are a few:

Gay, trans or transgender, lesbian, queer, LGBTQ+, sexual preferences, multicultural, race/racial/racist, Hispanic, inequality, Native American and immigrants.

Foolish me thought we were all IMMIGRANTS, except for NATIVE AMERICANS or perhaps if you’re BLACK! Say all these words loudly, say them often!

Here’s what you can and can’t say:

You can say “white” but cannot say “black.”

You can say “male” but cannot say “female.”

The banned words are steadily being scrubbed from federal web pages. And the list keeps expanding.

“Drag” and “drag queen” are notably missing. Clearly an oversight, Shhhhh! We know they hate drag because they’re completely humorless and they’re obsessed with everything masculine, poor dears!

One of the first things Trump redux did after the hostile takeover of the Kennedy Center was cancel shows scheduled for the WorldPride celebration in D.C. this year.

Like:

A Peacock Among Pigeons: Celebrating 50 Years of Pride, a performance of the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, DC with the National Symphony Orchestra

Well, we know who the pigeons are! And this one:

Finn, a children’s coming-of-age musical about a shark who realizes he may be comfortable hanging out with gentler fish

God, they really hate those “gentler fish.”

On the heels of the Kennedy Center takeover, soprano Renee Fleming resigned as Artistic Adviser and Shonda Rhimes resigned as the Center’s Treasurer. Predictably, a number of artists also canceled scheduled performances.

Speaking of sharks and gentler fish, no surprise they’re going after the most vulnerable. Trans kids and undocumented immigrants. Because they’re such manly men.

An Executive Order titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” kind of says it all. (But, why history? I mean, no time like the present.)

It targets the Smithsonian Institution with JD Vance named to “effectuate the policies” of the Order. The hillbilly “PayPal” to PayPal co-founder and creepy billionaire benefactor Peter Thiel, will “effectuate” history and, importantly who gets the money. Follow the money.

We’re doing our own effectuating because we’re not helpless or too afraid to take them on. Effectuating protests and boycotts, supporting those targeted and harmed, demanding more from members of Congress, speaking out in ways big and small.

There’s a proud history from Stonewall to Act Up to the present. You can change the name of the USNS Harvey Milk, the ship named for the slain gay rights trailblazer and Korean War Naval submarine officer. But you won’t erase our history as much as you may try. The ship’s motto is “Courage and Conviction;” let that be ours.

Photo Credit: I’m grateful to Clarione Gutierrez-Owens for graciously permitting me to use his book cover artwork for “A Peacock Among Pigeons.”

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Andry Jose Hernandez Romero is a gifted makeup artist and actor who came to the U.S. from Venezuela in 2024 seeking asylum. He was persecuted in his home country due to his sexual orientation and political beliefs. He was unlawfully sent to CECOT prison in El Salvador in March, 2025 along with 237 others. Immigrant Defenders Law Center in L.A. is working to get Andry and others released and returned to the U.S.