Due to all of the crazy that’s been happening in my world since May, I unfortunately had to miss out on Pridefest in Pittsburgh this year. Fortunately though, my daughter and I were able to attend the Pride festivities in Warren, Ohio over the weekend…
THE STORY
…Before I get too far into this, I want to add my usual disclaimer prior to a post that some may find offensive. If you happen to be of the mindset that our fellow human beings who are a part of the LGBTQ community are undeserving of the same rights that we of the hetero community have, then move along. Seriously, move along…I will not trifle with trolls. I am willing to listen to those who respectfully present differing political beliefs. I am not however willing to listen to someone who is opposed to basic human rights for those who are different from ourselves whether it be race, religion, sexual orientation or some other preconceived difference.
As many of you already know, I am the proud mom of a gay son and the best son-in-law in the world. I do not take kindly to anyone trying to deny my boys the same rights to simply live their lives, love one another and be happy and safe that everyone else enjoys.
With that bit of business out of the way, let me start by saying that I have not once attended a Pride event where the overwhelming majority of people aren’t the kindest most joyful people that I’ve ever been around. You can pretty much strike up a conversation with anyone and come away from it feeling just that much happier with the world.
Everywhere you look, you are surrounded by so much color and joy and love…
We need to remember though, that while Pride Month is a beautiful celebration of love, diversity and inclusiveness, the reason behind it is not so beautiful. We need LGBTQ Pride month and all of the celebrations and parades that go with it to bring awareness to the fact that an entire segment of our population, of the human race, is being denied basic rights and freedoms. It is not only LGBTQ rights that we are fighting for…it’s human rights.
People who chirp statements such as “Well, why don’t we have a Straight Pride month?” are utterly ludicrous. So called “straight” people don’t have to worry about being denied the right to marry the person that they love, being fired from their jobs or denied healthcare; they do not have to fear getting beaten in the street or in some countries, put to death, simply because of who they love. Yes, everyone has their own ideologies and opinions, but this isn’t about ideology. It is about humanity.
I have never been one to back down when it comes to defending the LGBTQ community whether it be with people that I know, strangers and now apparently, corporations. JCPenney is a store that I have featured often in my posts because they have cute clothes at an affordable price point and because honestly, it’s the only store near me in an under 30 minute driving range.
JCPenney has developed the reputation over the last several years as being supportive of the LGBTQ community and I am not necessarily denying that. Although a recent incident at my local JCPenney store and the subsequent “discussion” I had with JCPenney via Twitter calls that into question, at least in my mind.
Originally the Pride apparel at the store was out and displayed where it was easily visible. However when my daughter and I went back to the store to purchase some tees we were unable to locate them. Mind you, this is in no way a huge JCP…it’s a small two floor store located in an almost entirely dead mall. We finally discovered the Pride display…in the elevator alcove in the very back of the store. Talk about putting the gay community back in the closet…
Hiding the merchandise away in what amounts to a closet was offensive to begin with, but what really spurred me into action though was the discovery that the entire display had supposedly been moved due to the loud complaints of some random man who found it “offensive”. The response of the random man was not surprising as I live in a very backwoods small-minded slice of Pennsylvania. What was surprising was the response by JCPenney in choosing to hide the Pride merchandise away where it wouldn’t offend anyone’s delicate sensibilities.
Within minutes of my tweet in regard to the situation I received a response from JCPenney. Initially I was super impressed. It felt like they were really taking the issue seriously. After some dm’s back and forth, they assured me that the problem had been taken care of. The above photos? Those were taken two days after our conversation.
I sent the photos to JCPenney via our DM conversation. Their response? Nothing. Nada. Cue the crickets in the background… I’m pretty certain they were hoping that I would simply give up and go away. Obviously they don’t know me. When you have, figuratively speaking, slapped my son in the face, disregarding me is not going to silence me…quite the opposite in fact. You have awoken the mama bear and I will hold you accountable. The thing is, had JCPenney actually truly dealt with the situation and treated my concerns with respect, I would have written a post singing their praises, but sadly, here we are.
Herein lies the issue…you either support LGBTQ rights or you don’t. There is no middle ground. There is no “we support the LGBTQ community unless it’s inconvenient for us”. You need to pick a side and stand by your decision. As a major corporation it has to be an across the board policy. If you truly support the LGBTQ community then you cannot allow not even one tiny backwoods store to go rogue and not hold them accountable for their actions. Every single JCPenney store represents your corporate beliefs. When it is brought to your attention, you cannot simply ignore it and hope that it goes away. You cannot allow a segment of the population to be hidden away in an alcove while at the same time claiming to support their basic human rights.
**PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SHARE THIS ACROSS SOCIAL MEDIA AND/OR CONTACT JCPENNEY**
THE OUTFIT
For obvious reasons, nothing that I’m wearing today comes from JCPenney…
There are few things that I love more than a good kimono. And this floral kimono I found at Walmart is all kinds of pretty. I’m not normally a fan of yellow, and yet here I am sporting a yellow kimono. It’s simply that pretty. I picked it up in-store, but it’s also available online (For some reason it’s showing as “sold out” in the Shopstyle widget, but it isn’t). In my opinion, there is no easier way to dress up a casual look then to toss a kimono over top. The beauty of that is, they work all year ’round, but are especially useful in the summer when the temperatures aren’t especially conducive to layering.
The Love Is Love tee is from Old Navy a few years back. What else should one wear to a Pride festival other thank a Pride tee. Not surprisingly I have several, most of which are from the Human Rights Campaign. They have so many cute tees/tanks to choose from along with other Pride gear. Also not surprisingly, I picked up another tank top at the Pride festival.
In the spirit of mixing things up, I went with my white Tomgirl jeans instead of my usual blue. The white jeans don’t get to come out and play as often as my other denim. I like the way all of the colors popped against the white. I finished it off with my ever present Adidas since we were doing a lot of walking and they are the most comfortable sneakers that I own…plus they make everything look just a hair cooler than it would otherwise.
THE TIP
Kimonos are your BFF. I suggest a variety of prints and colors so that you have plenty of options to jazz up just about any outfit. They are easy to throw on and a kimono is also an easy no thought involved way to throw in some print mixing too.
THE LINK UPS
Check out the weekly link ups I participate in for even more fashion and style ideas…
Kimono: Walmart; Jeans: American Eagle; Tee: Old Navy (Similar); Sneakers: Adidas
