Colorado's Republican Party is facing outrage after calling members of the LGBTQ+ community "groomers" in a mass fundraising email, and then telling supporters to burn 'all the Pride flags.'
The fundraising email is only the latest example of the ongoing "groomer" hysteria that has gripped right-wing conservatives, who've accused LGBTQ+ people of building relationships, trust and emotional connections with children so they can manipulate, exploit and abuse them.
It comes as the LGBTQ+ community commemorates Pride Month, a celebration of LGBTQ+ solidarity and identity as resistance to discrimination and violence.
The email, signed by party Chairman Dave Williams, reads:
"The month of June has arrived and, once again, the godless groomers in our society want to attack what is decent, holy, and righteous so they can ultimately harm our children."
It includes a video of a sermon from homophobic pastor Mark Driscoll and takes aim at 9News anchor Kyle Clark, who the Colorado GOP declared is "intolerant of the gospel of Jesus Christ."
You can see the email below.
Colorado Republican Party
Clark himself brought the email to the attention of his followers on X, formerly Twitter.
The Colorado GOP later responded to Clark's post by urging their supporters to "Burn all the #pride flags this June."
Many condemned the Colorado GOP's actions in response.
Williams, the aforementioned Colorado GOP chair, toldUSA Today in an email Wednesday that the party makes "no apologies" for its message.
He wrote:
“We make no apologies for saying God hates pride or pride flags as it’s an agenda that harms children and undermines parental authority, and the only backlash we see is coming from radical Democrats, the fake news media, and weak Republicans who bow down at the feet of leftist cancel culture."
The message came just days after Colorado Democratic Governor Jared Polis, a gay man himself, honored Pride Month as "a time of celebration, advocacy, and visibility for the LGBTQ+ community."
A spokesperson for Polis called the Colorado GOP's email "ridiculous" and said Polis "is focused on creating a Colorado for All where everyone can thrive no matter who they love or how they identify."