BY: DM
Published 7 days ago
A viral moment at this year’s Pride proved once again that sometimes the best clapbacks come with shade and a bit of truth. In a photo taken during a New York City march, a pro-Pride demonstrator stood tall beside a lone anti-LGBTQIA+ protester, then proceeded to serve up the perfect response. The image, shared on July 2 by the popular Facebook page Have A Gay Day, racked up over 330,000 reactions and over 30,000 shares almost overnight, turning its creator into an instant internet legend. Here is a look at how the drama unfolded.
The anti-Pride protester was met with the same energy.
The scene played out hilariously, and netizens ate it up. A white cisgender man stood leaning against a professionally printed sign draped in Pride colors, quoting Proverbs 16:18. “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall,” the sign read. For years, that verse has served as a favorite among anti-LGBTQIA+ protesters, a scripture they often weaponized to shame queer communities during Pride events. But this time, the moment took an unexpected turn.
A pro-Pride marcher, dressed head-to-toe in a bubblegum-pink tutu, matching socks, a flower necklace, and a glittering crown, stepped into view and flipped the narrative. In her right hand, she held a homemade sign featuring a pointed arrow aimed directly at the man’s biblical quote. Next to it, she had written a biting rebuttal. “Statistically more likely to be a sex predator than anyone here,” it read.
Unsurprisingly, the internet went wild. “That is hilarious….Then, I think: that is true. Not so funny, anymore,” one person commented. While another wrote, “Granny is a truth teller in the best prophetic traditions.”
Beyond the laughs and memes, the moment hit hard because it spotlighted a deep-rooted tension at Pride events — activists calling out protestors who twist faith into a tool for hate. For decades, groups like the Westboro Baptist Church and other fringe evangelical collectives have marched beside Pride parades, hoisting signs that condemn queer love in all its vibrant forms.
White heterosexual males are more likely to be predators.
The message wasn’t a random jab. It echoed findings from an FBI report. When it comes to sex offenses, men overwhelmingly predominate. FBI data from 2016 shows that 63% of known offenders nationwide were male, while females accounted for just 25.6%. In the same FBI report, white individuals made up 56.6% of known offenders, while Black or African-American individuals accounted for 27% — the remaining offenders were identified as other races.
But as we dig deeper, the numbers become more damning. A 2016 University at Albany study found that Black men entered the Sex Offender Registry at twice the rate of white men — 501 vs. 238 per 100,000 adults. If Black men face harsher policing and sentencing, white men skate by at a disproportionate rate.
Additionally, an overview by Screen & Reveal suggests that only 19.9% of adults on the U.S. sex offender registry identify as LGBTQIA+. That leaves roughly 80% who are presumably heterosexual. So the next time someone tries to weaponize “pride” against Pride itself, remember this viral moment. Sometimes, all you need is a tutu, a crown, and a sign that truthfully reads that bigotry’s toughest critic might just be data.
Should religious protesters be allowed space at Pride marches? Or does that cross a line?
