A gay bar in Washington D.C. recently came under fire for flying the thin blue line flag. The pro-police flag was flown next to the gay pride and American flags outside the establishment. Nellie’s Sports Bar put the flag up to offer a warm welcome to police officers belonging to the LGBT community. However, according to protesters, the flag supports the Blue Lives Matter movement. The bar received criticism and calls for boycott because, according to critics, the Blue Lives Matter movement only exists to discredit the Black Lives Matter movement.
Social media users blasted the establishment’s decision to fly the flag in the wake of recent police shootings. The bar was also accused of flying a flag representing “anti-blackness.” Nellie’s decided to remove the flag and apologize for being “tone deaf.”
According to the business, they replaced the St. Patrick’s Day flag with the thin blue line flag after observing an influx of police officers patronizing the bar. In a statement posted to their Facebook page, Nellie’s said, “Soon after the flag was hoisted, we learned from our customers and the community that this flag is also used to undermine the Black Lives Matter movement, and we promptly removed it.”
The statement continued to offer an embarrassing apology as the bar groveled for forgiveness. It reads like a bad comedy skit where a white person accidentally uses the “n-word.” According to Nellie’s Sports Bar, they will never make such a horrendous mistake again. The bar offered thanks to those who pointed out how they should be thinking. To make amends the business agreed to donate money to a group called No Justice, No Pride, one of the groups who objected to the flag being flown. According to the activist group, “We exist to end the LGBT movement’s complicity with systems of oppression that further marginalize queer and trans individuals.”
So now there are groups policing what goes on within their own community, groups that exist to pass judgement on each other for not being gay enough or ignoring the plight of other minority groups? These groups are effectively stifling freedom of speech by manipulating and guilting people into thinking they’re supporting terrorists or something. One could also argue that supporting the Black Lives Matters movement is disrespectful to police officers of all colors.
The thin blue line flag is often used when a police officer is fallen in the line of duty. I’ve always thought the Blue Lives Matter movement began as a show of support to law enforcement following several attacks on police officers. The animosity towards police officers in the United States has made the streets increasingly unsafe for those on duty. Of course activist groups exist for police officers. The LGBT community doesn’t get to define an entire movement because Black Lives Matter doesn’t agree with it. Such a noble cause, accosting businesses over who they support.
