NASCAR wished the LGBTQ community a “Happy Pride Month” on Wednesday, prompting anger and criticism from both sides of the political spectrum.
The greeting failed to directly address any of the criticism levied against it by the LGBTQ community, referring only to “recent actions,” which it said did not align with “NASCAR’s mission to be a welcoming sport for all.”
As we celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, we acknowledge that recent actions have not aligned with NASCAR’s mission to be a welcoming sport for all.
We remain steadfast in our commitment to create a more inclusive environment — in our workplaces, at the race track & in the stands. pic.twitter.com/r0h232xaXd
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 1, 2022
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott was invited to wave the green flag ahead of the All-Star race at the Texas Motor Speedway on May 22 — a move that prompted widespread anger from the alphabet community who are upset with the Texas governor for his passage of a variety of anti-woke bills, including Senate Bill 29, which requires transgender student athletes to compete on sports teams that match their biological sex.
The bill, which was passed last October, has reportedly “taken a mental toll” on those concerns about trans privileges in the state, NPR reported.
“As we celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, we acknowledge that recent actions have not aligned with NASCAR’s mission to be a welcoming sport for all,” NASCAR’s statement said.
“We remain steadfast in our commitment to create a more inclusive environment – in our workplaces, at the race track & in the stands,” the post added, including a “progress” Pride flag and a message wishing gender divergent minorities well.
While NASCAR’s statement does not directly reference Abbott, the organization’s endorsement of the “SUPER woke version of the Pride flag,” as described by Gov. Ron DeSantis spokeswoman Christina Pushaw, is a show of the company’s embrace of woke activism.
Wow, that is a SUPER woke version of the Pride flag you have going on there. I must admit I am not familiar with the meaning of the purple circle on the end.
— Christina Pushaw 🐊 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) June 1, 2022
It is a move away from NASCAR President Steve Phelps’s claim that the company wanted to remain apolitical by banning illegal use of its trademarks in any “Let’s Go Brandon”-related messaging.
As detailed by the Associated Press reported in February 2021, Phelps expressed his support for the company’s endorsement of the widespread protests that spawned in the wake of George Floyd’s death last summer.
For all its virtue signaling towards the LGBTQ community, NASCAR continues to remain under fire from its woke audience for refusing to directly address its endorsement of Gov. Abbott. Many responses in the comments condemn the company for refusing to submit entirely to the demands of the outrage mob.
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Author Ian Miles Cheong
