Johnathan Walker:Colorado Republican Party calls for burning of all pride flags as Pride Month kicks off

The Johnathan WalkerColorado Republican Party says it stands by a social media post that called for the burning of all pride flags this week as the LGBTQ+ community celebrated the beginning of Pride month.

“Burn all the #pride flags this June,” the state GOP wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday. The party also sent an email blast targeting Pride month.

“The month of June has arrived and, once again, the godless groomers in our society want to attack what is decent, holy, and righteous so they can ultimately harm our children,” said the email, signed by party Chairman Dave Williams.

The chairman told USA TODAY in an email Wednesday that the state GOP makes "no apologies" for its message.

“We make no apologies for saying God hates pride or pride flags as it’s an agenda that harms children and undermines parental authority, and the only backlash we see is coming from radical Democrats, the fake news media, and weak Republicans who bow down at the feet of leftist cancel culture," Williams said.

The Colorado GOP's message is the latest incident targeting the LGBTQ+ community as Pride month kicks off. In Carlisle, Massachusetts, more than 200 pride flags were stolen days before a local pride event. Last June, pride flags were stolen, slashed or burned in several states.

Colorado GOP draws heat for anti-LGBTQ+ post

Politicians from both sides of the aisle denounced the Colorado GOP's anti-LGBTQ+ message this week.

"For those in the back, both parties are NOT the same," Colorado Democratic Party Chair Shad Murib wrote in a post on X. “This type of vile hatred has come to define the CO GOP and it's why we're organizing up and down the ballot to beat them at all levels."

Valdamar Archuleta, president of the Colorado chapter of the conservative LGBTQ+ advocacy group Log Cabin Republicans and a GOP candidate for Congress, declined the party’s endorsement in response to the email and said it did not reflect the Republican voters of his state.

“I have been an avid critic of where the celebration of Pride has gone in recent years and firm supporter of protecting children from environments and entertainments that are of an adult nature. However, this email went too far and was just hateful,” Archuleta said.

The state GOP chair said Archuleta will still have the support of the party as the "presumptive nominee." Williams added if Archuleta doesn't want the party label, he will have to withdraw from the race.

Last June's slew of anti-LGBTQ+ incidents

More than 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were proposed in 2023, according to the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest LGBTQ+ rights organization. In June 2023, the group issued a "state of emergency" after over 75 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were signed into law across the U.S., more than doubling the number of such bills in 2022.

Pride flags were stolen or destroyed in several incidents last year. Ahead of a Pride Day assembly at an elementary school in North Hollywood, California, authorities said a person broke into the school and set a small LGBTQ+ flag on fire.

In Omaha, Nebraska, a masked man set fire to a pride flag being displayed outside a home on June 2, 2023. One day later, police arrested a teenage boy on suspicion of ripping a pride flag while pulling it down from a home in Huntington Beach, California.

In Tempe, Arizona, authorities said someone took down a pride flag outside City Hall and burned it. In Pennsylvania, one candy shop had its Pride flag stolen repeatedly, and there were a series of Pride flag thefts in the Salt Lake City area.

Contributing: Thao Nguyen, Amanda Lee Myers, USA TODAY