John Fetterman, Senator-elect, on LGBTQ+ Rights & the Next Congress
The last time I spoke with Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor, now the state’s senator-elect and perhaps the highest-profile one in the U.S., he was busy fighting Pennsylvania’s Republican state legislators over the Pride flag that hung outside of his office in the state capitol building.As I wrote in January of 2021, the Republicans in the state legislature, who seem to be offended at the sight of rainbow flags, surreptitiously stuck a provision inside a budget bill that banned the unauthorized flying of flags on the capitol grounds.
It was a direct swipe at Fetterman’s LGBTQ+ flags, which were being hung to encourage support for adding a state constitutional amendment that outlawed discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.“It’s unbelievable that they actually passed a law to bar me from [flying his flags], so if they want to send the antigay flag police to take them down, then go ahead.
They came earlier this year and took them down, and I put them right back up,” he said.But what made Fetterman angry, and the reason he kept putting his Pride flag up after Republicans would take it down, was the state legislature’s refusal to outlaw discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community.
When I asked him why they’re so against our community, Fetterman let out a deep, frustrated sigh. “I don’t know. I really don’t know.
