(Gilbert Baker Day was yesterday, but PRIDE month is all month. I’m not sure I recall ever learning Gilbert Baker’s name before this morning. Also, I’m really gonna miss Gov. Kelly after her term ends, even if we manage to elect another Dem.)
Kansas residents and activists gathered with Gov. Laura Kelly last week for her signing of a proclamation honoring rainbow flag creator Gilbert Baker. (Photo from Kansas governorโs office)
Happy Gilbert Baker Day!
Thanks to a proclamation from Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly signed Friday, we can celebrate the life and work of Parsons native Baker this June 2. He created a piece of American iconography that has spread across the globe and into the hearts of those who care for their gay neighbors: the rainbow pride flag.
Lauren Shepard of Parsons was on hand at the Statehouse to watch Kelly sign. She had just graduated from Pittsburg State University with a masterโs degree. According to her, efforts to honor Baker locally ran into static.
โUltimately, the town, the city commission ended up tabling the idea, so we pivoted and got together and started a Gilbert Baker Memorial Scholarship through the Parsons High School, where he graduated,โ she told me. โSo now every year we select a student thatโs active in their OAQ, which is like a gay-straight alliance, itโs a student organization there at the high school.โ
Wall was out of the state Friday, but a group assembled by her showed up to honor Baker. It included Shepard, several Lawrence activists and state Sen. Marci Francisco. I tagged along and noted that multiple groups had gathered on the second floor of the Statehouse for their own proclamation time with Kelly. One was promoting an โAsteroid Day.โ
Inside the governorโs ceremonial office, group members realized that no one had actually brought a rainbow flag โ the symbol for Pride Month and LGBTQ+ rights more generally.
Crisis averted, the group took pictures with Kelly, the proclamation and the props. That was that.
No one on hand missed the broader implications. Baker had turned his back on his Kansas background, living in San Francisco and New York City. He had finally agreed to return to Parsons, Janovy writes, for a key to the city and film festival in 2017. A month before the events, Baker died at the too-young age of 65.
โIt allows us to recognize one of our own who created an emblem that allows us to recognize all of LGBTQ across the country and across the world,โ said Rachel Reed of Lawrence. โAnd itโs very, very important.โ
Janis Guyot serves as president of Lawrence PFLAG and stood in for Wall at the signing. Afterward, she held the proclamation certificate as others in the group swirled around to take a look.
โIโm really happy that thereโs something to celebrate for the LGBTQ world right now,โ Guyot told me. โItโs tough time for all of them.โ
Since Bakerโs untimely death, weโve seen a public push and pull over gay rights. Transgender folks โ members of the movement from the beginning, whether they were identified as such or not โ have been systematically excluded and discriminated against. The Kansas Legislature has repeatedly passed hateful laws.
Who knows what Baker might say about this recent turmoil. Given that he went by the drag name โBusty Ross,โ I imagine he would bring an irreverent sense of humor along with his passion for making the world a better place.
Hopefully, he would say progress hasnโt stopped, and it wonโt stop, regardless of small minds and even smaller hearts.
In an oral history from 2008, Baker suggested as much: โI do know that time is on our side and that the young people generation, and more importantly my generation, we have fought hard, and we have โ weโve worked on our parents, we have our own children, and weโre moving society forward. So I think weโre going to be all right. I mean, it may take a little more fight and a little more work than people want, but weโll get there.โ
Clay Wirestone is Kansas Reflector opinion editor. Through its opinion section, Kansas Reflector works to amplify the voices of people who are affected by public policies or excluded from public debate. Find information, including how to submit your own commentary, here.
With DEI initiatives firmly in the crosshairs of the Trump administration, many large corporations that were once so quick to celebrate June as Pride month have quietly ditched their public support for LGBTQI+ rights even faster.
It used to be common for companies to emblazon their social media accounts with rainbow-themed versions of their logo, but in 2025, the same big businesses that were so vocal about supporting Pride initiatives have fallen silent.
The controversial post that sparked a social media backlash.
Thatโs certainly true for big international airlines in the United States, which were falling over themselves to show their support for Pride until very recently (critics might argue they were just chasing the so-called โPink Dollarโ).
In 2025, the social media accounts of American Airlines, Delta, and United make no mention or reference to Pride, even if these airlines do still support LGBTQ+ initiatives (Alaska and United are still sponsors of San Franciscoโs Pride parade even as other big name corporations drop their support).
German flag carrier Lufthansa doesnโt seem too concerned that supporting LGBTQ+ rights is no longer fashionableโฆ at least not in Trumpโs America.
On June 2, the airline posted a photo of a pilot waving a Pride rainbow flag out the window of a cockpit, captioned with the words: โCarried with pride, waved with passion. We will always spread the love, across borders, screens, and the skies.โ
Lufthansa has been quick to respond to critics.
It seemed like a pretty inoffensive and inspiring message that didnโt directly reference LGBTQ+ rights, but it didnโt take long for Lufthansaโs Facebook page to be deluged with homophobic comments.
But it looks like Lufthansa knew exactly what it was getting itself into, and its social media team quickly fired back at critics with sassy replies that shut down the hateful comments without censoring them or turning off the comment feature altogether.
โThank you for you for giving me a reason not to be a Lufthansa passenger,โ one person wrote underneath the post. Lufthansa clapped back with:ย โYouโre welcome to join us on board whenever rainbows are not scary to you anymore!โ
While one person inferred that inclusivity was a safety issue, saying: โThat could actually affect the flight of the plane. Iโll take the bus.โ
Lufthansa was not having any of it, though, relying:ย โIt is a disappointment that we are losing you as a customer for this reason, but we stand by our values.โ
Another referenced DEI, saying: โNever flying on a plane with one of them pilots. You know they are a DEI hire. Iโm not testing fate for their delusional world.โ
Again, Lufthansa stood firm:ย โSorry to see you go but we stand by our values and will continue to implement DEI.โ
Many responses to the post have, however, been positive, and some fans have pointed out that the response has proved exactly why, even in 2025, Pride is still needed.
June has traditionally been recognized as Pride Month to mark the Stonewall riots that occurred in late June 1969. Since then, several US presidents have issued proclamations, declaring June as the month of Pride, but White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said earlier this week that President Trump has no plans to issue a similar proclamation this year.
Trump was, however, the first Republican President to acknowledge LGBT Pride Month back in 2019 when he Tweeted a message in support of the commemoration.
Dillon’s is a store that originated here in KS, but since has become part of the Kroger Company. I’m posting this because, in of all places Kansas, Dillon’s is openly advertising its Pride Month observances (and, of course, hopes of sales, but ya know!) So, anyone else’s Kroger Co. store observing Pride Month openly? Or other businesses? I figure if we mention them and disseminate the info, it can only encourage such things. I couldn’t get the animated ad in full, so here are the images, with the script in between, above the image to which it applies. Additionally, I got this ad in email, so I’m keeping an eye open for TV ads. I think I heard a radio ad earlier today, but that doesn’t mean they advertised on every radio station. I’ll also make it a point to see how much Pride is inside the store, though I mostly use PickUp. This seems a good thing, to me!
Discover awesome LGBTQ+ brands and Pride-perfect recipes. Thank you to our LGBTQ+ associates, customers and vendors for making our company brighter and better.
This person was not fired for his religious beliefs.ย He was fired for pushing his beliefs on others and doing something at work on work property that their employer told them not to do.ย How many of us get to disregard the orders of our bosses and when fired claim it was because of ours religious beliefs?ย
But this is entirely about getting the case to the SCOTUS to move the US a little closer to making Christianity the official religion of the country, and cementing into law that Christians do not have to follow the non-discrimination laws due to being Christians, so above such laws.ย It is about making Christians above any law or rule because of … god, because you can make the bible say anything you desire.ย It is about making it legal for Christians to push their religious beliefs on coworkers while insulting and refusing to work with those they claim their god dislikes.ย ย And forcing the employer to make special concessions to them again based on what they claim their holy book says and it is only their holy book that counts.ย Hugs.
Eli Lilly & Co. has been hit with a suit claiming it fired a New Jersey drug sales representative for holding a biblically based view on sexual morality. In a case that pits an employeeโs right to religious expression against the companyโs support of its LGBTQ+ workers, plaintiff Jonathan Samaniego claims he was terminated based on his religious views, in violation of Title VII and New Jerseyโs Law Against Discrimination.
Inย Samaniego v. Eli Lilly & Co., the plaintiff began posting scripture passages during a discussion of Pride Month on the companyโs in-house employee communication system, Yammer.
On June 14, 2024, Samaniegoโs manager, Jacqueline Porter, posted a lengthy message about Pride Month on Yammer, according to the lawsuit. According to Samaniegoโs suit, the plaintiff prayed about how to respond to Porterโs Pride Month posting, then made his own post to Yammer from the book of Leviticus, which said, โYou shall not sleep with a male as a with a woman. It is an abomination.โ
According to the report, Samaniego was called into HR and told to refrain from such future postings on the companyโs system.
However, days later he reportedly posted anti-gay bible verses again, including this from Corinthians: โDo you know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.โ
After refusing to sign a directive agreeing to stop the postings, he was then terminated, per the report.
Samaniego is being represented by the Pacific Legal Foundation, which appeared here in 2022 when they sued to blockย LGBTQ-related questionsย from the US Census.
The group first appeared on JMG in 2010ย when they suedย then-California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in an attempt to force him to defend Proposition 8 in federal court.
In 2012, they attempted to force a California state referendum thatย would have bannedย mentioning LGBTQ figures in history lessons.
Also in 2012, theyย attemptedย to sanction DOJ attorneys for opposing the Defense of Marriage Act.
The group has repeatedly sued to overturn state bans on ex-gay torture,ย claimingย that 80% of ex-gay โconversionsโ are successful.
In 2019 theyย sued Californiaย to end sexual education and HIV prevention instructions in public schools.
The Pacific Justice Institute, their parent organization, was named a hate group by the SPLC in 2014.
Since the advent of the pandemic, the group has also filed multiple lawsuits against COVID protocols and vaccine mandates.
“…fired …for holding a biblically based view on sexual morality…”
No, you have the right to hold any view you choose. You were fired for spreading it around on company media, which you mistakenly thought was a pulpit. Your religious beliefs are YOUR beliefs, just yours.
The company has a right to its policies, seriously, it’s right there in virtually every employee handbook of the majority of companies. You used company property to push your cult bullshit, thus committing acts of discrimination, they warned you and you chose to violate the policy again.
Also, this is in no way a Title VII violation of your rights as you had been told, via the company, that you were violating their employee guidelines and non-discrimination policy that they set. The irony of you suing for doing what you claim they did to you is hilarious. This should be laughed out of court, but in present day USA, anything religious takes priority, even over other human rights.
With DEI initiatives firmly in the crosshairs of the Trump administration, many large corporations that were once so quick to celebrate June as Pride month have quietly ditched their public support for LGBTQI+ rights even faster.
Scottie's Playtime 