# Stupidity and Rainbows. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 20, 2003, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-and-rainbows/189743 "2003-07-20T15:17:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![beagledave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@beagledave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beagledave)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2003, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-and-rainbows/189743/1 "2003-07-20T15:17:58Z")
From my fair state of [Iowa](http://desmoinesregister.com/news/stories/c4788998/21755696.html)… We get homophobia and general stupidity. > [@](#): > > Nevada, Ia. - Signs at local parks have been removed after an angry resident claimed the image was promoting homosexuality and immorality. > > The signs, placed in seven city parks, were intended to promote a local character development program and its six rainbow-colored pillars: respect, responsibility, trustworthiness, fairness, caring and citizenship. > > The CharACTer Nevada program is affiliated with the Los Angeles-based Character Counts! program. > > In a recent letter to the Nevada City Council, Don Juhl presented a different interpretation of the rainbow. > "The thought that our city was being asked to endorse homosexuality and prominently display this public badge of the homosexual community makes a mockery of the word “character,” " Juhl said. I have this image of Mr Juhl with a shotgun, outside after a rainstorm…just waiting to curse the unsuspecting rainbow. A shame that Mark Frideres and other members of the board caved in to this twerp. ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2003, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-and-rainbows/189743/2 "2003-07-20T15:23:16Z")
Wow. That is pathetic. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2003, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-and-rainbows/189743/3 "2003-07-20T15:27:25Z")
They took the signs down after _one_ complaint? Good cripes, what pathetic wussies those politicians are. For fuck’s sake, grow a backbone, guys! ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2003, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-and-rainbows/189743/4 "2003-07-20T15:29:07Z")
“There was a rainbow distinctly present in the sky above City Hall today after the rain shower! I fervently object to this promotion of the homosexual lifestyle!” ---
**Author:** ![beagledave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@beagledave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beagledave)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2003, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-and-rainbows/189743/5 "2003-07-20T15:34:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Q.E.D. \* > \*\*They took the signs down after _one_ complaint? Good cripes, what pathetic wussies those politicians are. For fuck’s sake, grow a backbone, guys! \*\* While I agree that there is a certain “wussiness” to their actions, I’m not sure that the group could be considered “politicians”. From the story they seem to be some sort of board of volunteers (seperate from the city council) that runs the “CharACTer” program in Nevada. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2003, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-and-rainbows/189743/6 "2003-07-20T15:39:31Z")
It’s not without [precedent](http://loper.org/~george/trends/2000/Jul/80.html). If the hetero-world wants to completely cede rainbows to us, that’s fine by me. It certainly will make dealing with fundamentalist whackos easier. Just point them to Genesis 9:14-17: > [@](#): > > 14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, > 15 I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. > 16 Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth." > 17 So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.” Gay pride = God’s covenant. And then their heads will explode. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2003, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-and-rainbows/189743/7 "2003-07-20T15:49:03Z")
Cue Kermit the Frog! “Why are there so many songs about rainbows?..” ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2003, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-and-rainbows/189743/8 "2003-07-20T16:17:29Z")
I don’t know why, but that song started running through my head when I saw this thread. I never thought about it in THAT way before. But hey, why not? I’ll happily cede rainbows so I can watch fundie heads explode, **Otto.** But can we get them back, at least part time, after the carnage is over? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2003, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-and-rainbows/189743/9 "2003-07-20T20:51:52Z")
Oddly enough, Madison Pride was today and there was this fundie (who was actually about the hottest guy at the parade even with his shirt on) who was dragging a rainbow flag along the ground and lamenting (in part) about how “sodomites” has co-opted the symbol of God’s covenant. As I passed him I told him that the way he was standing (leaning against a pole with the back of one hand perched on his hip) made him look kinda gay. I just thought he’d want to know! ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-and-rainbows/189743/10 "2003-07-21T10:06:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Otto \* > \*\*Oddly enough, Madison Pride was today and there was this fundie (who was actually about the hottest guy at the parade even with his shirt on) who was dragging a rainbow flag along the ground and lamenting (in part) about how “sodomites” has co-opted the symbol of God’s covenant. > > As I passed him I told him that the way he was standing (leaning against a pole with the back of one hand perched on his hip) made him look kinda gay. I just thought he’d want to know! \*\* 😃 So what did he say? ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-and-rainbows/189743/11 "2003-07-21T14:16:18Z")
/Homer Simpson/: First you take all the good names like Lance and Bruce. And the word “queer.” That use to be our name for you. And now it’s rainbows. Further proof of the homosexual agenda! - Someday we’ll find it, the rainbow connection, the \*\* lovers \*\*, the dreamers and me. \* Well, what you do expect from a frog who’s making it with a pig? ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-and-rainbows/189743/12 "2003-07-21T14:57:15Z")
> [@](#): > > So what did he say? Nothing. He just glared. With those smoldering, repressed eyes. ---
**Author:** ![Esprix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprix/32/7899_2.png) [@Esprix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprix)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-and-rainbows/189743/13 "2003-07-21T19:53:44Z")
I was at NY Pride once and a Bible-belter actually _waved his Bible at me_ (such disrespect to the Word!) and yelled, “Shame on you!” I looked right at him and said, “Shame on _you_ for wearing that tie with that shirt! UGH!” He wasn’t amused, but everyone around me was. 😃 Esprix ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-and-rainbows/189743/14 "2003-07-21T20:10:17Z")
I listen to those “Character Counts” segments on my local news radio every afternoon on my way home from work. Wonder if Mr. Michael Josefson (the president of CC) would make a comment about this bru-ha-ha. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-and-rainbows/189743/15 "2003-07-21T20:12:56Z")
How DID the rainbow get to be the symbol for gay pride, anyways? ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-and-rainbows/189743/16 "2003-07-21T20:37:22Z")
[History of the Rainbow Flag](http://www-2.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs.cmu.edu/user/scotts/bulgarians/rainbow-flag.html). ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2003, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-and-rainbows/189743/17 "2003-07-22T03:54:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Esprix \* > \*\*I was at NY Pride once and a Bible-belter actually _waved his Bible at me_ (such disrespect to the Word!) and yelled, “Shame on you!” > > I looked right at him and said, “Shame on _you_ for wearing that tie with that shirt! UGH!”\*\* Mind if I put that on my quotes page? ---
**Author:** ![Esprix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprix/32/7899_2.png) [@Esprix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprix)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2003, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-and-rainbows/189743/18 "2003-07-22T05:23:36Z")
Go right ahead, my sweet. Esprix ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2003, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-and-rainbows/189743/19 "2003-07-22T08:23:36Z")
Y’know, I knew the major University of Hawaii athletics teams were never really outstanding, but there’s no need to get personal… ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2003, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-and-rainbows/189743/20 "2003-07-22T08:29:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by whiterabbit \* > \*\*I don’t know why, but that song started running through my head when I saw this thread. I never thought about it in THAT way before. But hey, why not? > > I’ll happily cede rainbows so I can watch fundie heads explode, **Otto.** But can we get them back, at least part time, after the carnage is over? 😃 \*\* It’s like Scanners, but caused by a RoyGBiv chart. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidity-and-rainbows/189743.md?page=2)