Shame in Greenwich during Pride Month

Members of the LGBTQ+ community should be able to lean on the knowledge that an ever-growing army of allies is marching behind them.

All it takes is a rainbow flag for some bullies to show their true colors.

The oppressors who encircled the Pride Flag at Greenwich Town Hall with lawn signs bearing the word “groomers” revealed much more in the method of the hate crime, as it was executed under the cover of night.

Rainbows, though, have a way of enduring even in darkness. They are the ideal symbol of diversity, shorthanding the notion that every person has a distinct hue.

Among the many things every human shares, though, is a childhood. And every child learns all too soon that bullies prey on the innocent

That's what real groomers do. As do cowards who cast everyone in the rainbow with the same brush. They harass people, anonymously.

It doesn't really matter if one person was responsible for the signs, or 100. Homophobic comments thrive on social media, though perhaps with less anonymity than a sign plunged into the emerald yard encircling the brick Town Hall in one of the richest towns in America.

Some of Connecticut's communities continue to struggle with Pride Month, as Darien did last year in disallowing a Pride flag to be flown on town property.

Greenwich First Selectman Fred Camillo, Selectwoman Lauren Rabin and Selectperson Janet Stone McGuigan took a smart approach in their joint statement, calling on local groups, including the Democratic and Republican town committees and Greenwich Voices for Democracy and Greenwich Patriots to join them in condemning hate speech.

The far right Patriots responded with a statement to clarify that “we had nothing to do with this incident and do not support it in any way.”

In the group's daily email blast on Tuesday, meanwhile, they criticized school field trips to Perrot Memorial Library for Pride month. “Greenwich Public Schools sent a clear message that it doesn't care about what parents think, and also that it believes sexually-explicit content and transgenderism are age-appropriate topics for the district's first graders,” the blast reads.

Those are just more words declaring similar accusations to the signs.

The RTC tweeted that “We support free speech & condemn violating private property. THESE Greenwich Republicans don't engage in hate.”

Pride Month draws a line in the dust between love and hate. For all the cruelty expressed in the single, repetitive word on the lawn signs (which also appeared near Greenwich Pride promotions elsewhere in town), the outcome may merely be even more acceptance. Hundreds gathered in the light of day for the event Sunday. The signs should inspire even more support for the many other events slated to take place in Connecticut's towns and cities during the remaining three weeks of Pride Month.

That's the best possible response to this incident. In the face of bullying, members of the LGBTQ+ community should be able to lean on the knowledge that an ever-growing army of allies is marching behind them.

As bullies continue to see the world only in black and white, this rainbow should only grow brighter.