OPINION: Breeder beers and hate crimes

June 1 always starts off the month of Pride, a time when individuals and companies around the world are encouraged to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and continue bringing awareness to the various issues in the community.

This year U.S. celebrations look a little different than most. Some companies only participated because it made them look good, and now that the federal government is back to taking away queer rights, they’ve stopped any Pride celebrations. Some companies only do minor celebrations in compared to what they normally do in fear of retaliation from the government or outside sources, while others still do the celebrations but only to increase profits. Some companies are standing proud and supporting their LGBTQ+ employees and customers despite the pushback. And then there’s the very few that have decided to celebrate “straight pride.”

I recently saw a social media post from an Idaho bar in which, in celebration of “straight pride,” they had special deals for different days. A board declaring June “Hetero Awesomeness Month” had three rotating deals: Mondays celebrate “Beers for Breeders,” in which straight men can get a free beer. Then there’s “Tetten Tuesday,” in which straight woman can buy one drink, get one free. The deals are rounded off with “Duo Deal Wednesdays,” where any heterosexual couple gets 15% off their bill.

The owner of the bar claims the whole event is not about targeting any group, but “raising awareness of practices we find troubling.”

This guy, and it seems like far too many Americans, have lost the plot in terms of what Pride is about. Maybe they never really knew.

Pride celebrates the fight the LGBTQ+ community has daily to simply survive and have human rights. There are at least six countries which actively punish homosexuality with death and another 58 where it’s simply illegal. Even in places where people say “the gays” are taking over, like here in the U.S., there is consistent discrimination and crimes against queer people.

Jonathan Joss, an Indigenous American best known for his roles as John Redcorn in “King of the Hill” and Chief Ken Hotate in “Parks and Recreation,” was murdered on June 1.

A gay man, Joss died protecting his husband when a neighbor opened fire at their San Antonio home. According to another neighbor, Joss and his husband Tristan Kern de Gonzales were consistently harassed for being gay. Gonzales also said the suspect yelled ”violent homophobic slurs" before opening fire.

Despite both of these facts, and the crime taking place on the the first day of Pride, the SAPD claims the murder didn’t appear to be a hate crime. Though this is a widely-publicized crime due to the nature of the victim, this kind of thing happens all the time.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, there were approximately 3,200 victims of hate crimes in 2023 based on sexual orientation or gender identity. These are just the hate crimes reported to and documented by law enforcement. While I may be straight, every single one of my queer friends have told me about different times they were either verbally or physically assaulted due to this hate and never reported it.

Some people talk about queer rights the same way they talk about racism - it’s not a problem any more; we’ve solved it. To that, I point to the above stats. Others say it’s a moral or religious problem, but if your morals or religion is telling you to hate, and possibly even harm, someone, you’ve got your own issues to sort through.

Throughout the month of June and in other celebrations of diversity, whether it be regarding race, sexual orientation or gender, you’re bound to hear people asking why they don’t get their own month of celebration. Why not white, male, straight pride?

While some people are taking this into their own hands, like the bar owner in Idaho, let me ask - are people being killed around the world for being white, male or straight? Do you have to hide from your family that you’re straight in fear of being kicked out of the house? Why do you think you need a pride month of your own?

Every day around the world, people have to fight for their basic human rights if they are queer, a woman, a person of color or any mix of the three. In places like the U.S., Pride festivals are held to celebrate that queer people were able to overcome the fear and hatred in their own lives and be their true authentic selves, while also fighting to keep these rights for both themselves and their brothers and sisters around the world.

I might be straight, but I am proud to be an ally to the LGBTQ+ community and even prouder of all the people in my life who are able to be loud and proud. I also want to offer encouragement to anyone who doesn’t feel they are able to be out yet - whether it’s those around you or you’re still discovering yourself, I’m here for you and am excited for the world to see the true you one day.

Happy Pride, this month and every month.