The illustration and photos are from the Huffington Post.
The city of Friendswood, Texas, announced on Facebook that hometown hero Haley Carter would be the grand marshal for the town's famed Fourth of July parade. Carter, who was in the Marines and is a retired professional soccer player, was the type of person people wanted to see in the parade.
The right-wing culture warriors arrived.
The same day that Friendswood had appointed a "gun-grabber" who is "into drag" and "trans activism" to lead the parade, Jesse Kelly wrote on his website. Kelly ran a failed congressional campaign in Arizona and now hosts a radio show from Houston. He wrote that communists are also in blood-red areas.
Some of the excited Facebook comments included a picture of Kelly and her son. She was beginning to receive threats.
Carter is thought to be the kind of person conservatives would support.
She served two tours in Iraq after graduating from the U.S. naval academy. She was an assistant coach for the Afghanistan Women's National Football Team as well as a player in the National Women's Soccer League. She graduated from a law degree.
In her home state of Texas, Carter supports gun reform. In the wake of the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, she wrote a letter to Texas leaders demanding action on gun reform. She frequently takes her son to drag events and once surprised him with a trip to Las Vegas to see his favorite drag queen.
Carter stepped down from her role as grand marshal. She won't be replaced by anyone.
Carter stepped down due to threats of harm to herself and her family, according to the city. Carter said she was traveling and couldn't comment.
The July 4 parade in Friendswood has been a tradition for 130 years. The grand marshal of the Fourth of July is chosen by the Steering Committee.
Carter was chosen because she is a native and has a long record of service.
Ley is the epitome of the uniquely American holiday. It's freedom. It's independence. Country is a love of mine. Houston Mayor Turner said in a statement that the grand marshal was the perfect one. Some people have made threats against Haley and her family because of her strength, her belief in equality, and her leadership in trying to reduce gun violence here in Houston.
You could not take your child to drag shows if you were offended by them. Kelly is not the only one who follows his lead.
The Friendswood parade is important to the people of the town. It shouldn't be a problem for Haley Carter to be the grand marshal. How far will the right wing go if they threaten violence over a parade?
There is an alarming new trend. Conservatives are harassing people out of jobs, like the white parents who chased a black woman out of two education jobs, or the Oklahoma teacher who resigned after parents objected to his support for gays.
There were no repercussions for the people who launched the attacks on Carter. Kelly bragged about his success.
He said that it was him who did this and that he should be blamed. Your friend was stopped from representing the community. The new right is welcome.
The article was first published on HuffPost.
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