Barack Obama, Imagine Dragons And Charles Barkley Join LGBTQIA+ Allies Against GOP Homophobia
In the USA, the Republican Party are waging a war against the LGBTQIA+ community by attempting to ostracise transgender people, ban drag queens, delegitimise same-sex marriage and making some expressions of discrimination legal through legislation.
Allies of the LGBTQIA+ community are beginning to take a public and vocal stance against the GOP’s politics; former-President Barack Obama, rock band Imagine Dragons and NBA athlete Charles Barkley are among the most recent examples of this.
Our community needs allies
NBA legend and Basketball Hall Of Famer Charles Barkley recently competed in the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament. Here he stood in defence of the LGBTQIA+ community and Bud Light’s campaign with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, reports Cleveland.com. “Hey, let me tell you something. All you rednecks or (expletive) who don’t want to drink Bud Light, (expletive) y’all,” he told the crowd at the golf tournament. “So listen, as I said last night, if you’re gay, God bless you. If you’re trans, God bless you. And if you have a problem with them, (expletive) you.”
Rock band Imagine Dragons have reaffirmed their support for the LGBTQIA+ community by marching across the stage at their concert waving a Progress Pride flag. The concert was filmed for their Imagine Dragons Live In Vegas documentary and demonstrates the band’s long-standing commitment to keeping their shows a safe space for queer fans. “We care deeply about human rights, basic human rights, about the ability to love who you want,” lead singer Dan Reynolds tells Insider. “Everybody deserves the right to feel included. And it just seemed like I had the opportunity to bring some symbols of that love and inclusion into the performance,” says bassist Ben McKee.
Former US President Barack Obama also demonstrated his allyship by penning an open letter to American librarians shunning the banning of LGBTQIA+ books. In his letter, Obama says, “It’s no coincidence that these ‘banned books’ are often written by or feature People Of Color, Indigenous people, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
“It’s also important to understand that the world is watching. If America – a nation built on freedom of expression – allows certain voices and ideas to be silenced, why should other countries go out of their way to protect them?”
LGBTQIA+ advocates require public figures to speak up on behalf of the community and reach audiences they may not have access to. If the conservative party is left unopposed they will continue to pillory queer minorities and push them further to the fringes.
