I stand in complete solidarity with the Boise Pride celebration and the recent decision by the Utah Pride Center to close ties with Zions Bank after they pulled out of their Boise Pride Orange-level sponsorship. Zions Bank CEO, Scott Anderson, stated it resulted from threats to bank employees and specific events at the festival involving children/minors.
The event in question was Drag Kids and Drag Story Time. Events like this offer a safe, family-friendly space for youth to express themselves. I remember trying to walk in my mom’s high heels when I was 6. And I would wear my dad’s aftershave and oversized jackets when I was 4-5. And then there were the many times my older sisters did my makeup. That’s what being a kid is all about, and it is at the heart of drag.
How is an innocent exploration being sexualized and smeared by critics and now Zion Bank?
You can’t conflate an adult drag performance at a bar with a kids’ drag show. Should we ban children’s movies/plays too, regardless of the G MPAA rating? Or all other forms of children’s entertainment?
For too long, “safety for the children” and “gay agenda” has been used in anti-LGBTQ rhetoric to demonize LGBTQ people as sexual perverts. By backing out of its sponsorship, Zions Bank told its LGBTQ customers and allies, “we agree that you’re trying to harm and convert our kids.” Shame on Zions Bank for perpetuating this harmful anti-LGBTQ trope. Your corporate actions and sponsorships are now nothing more than marketing and social performance. Appealing to the LGBTQ community to get more customers is not supporting the community at all. Standing up when it’s not easy is!
My Zions Bank account will be closed this week but not before I donate to the Utah Pride Center.
Dave Christensen, Salt Lake City
from The Salt Lake Tribune https://ift.tt/QR405aB
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