‘Gay for Gorsuch’ T-shirts are, regrettably, a very real thing after the Trump-appointed judge’s momentous Supreme Court ruling
Neil Gorsuch, who dealt a blowback to his conservative allies by backing a pro-LGBT+ ruling, has attracted a new following: Queer men with Redbubble accounts. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images/Redbubble)
An line of “I’m Gay for Gorsuch!” merch has launched on online marketplace Redbubble, and we must all live with it.
Supreme Court justice Neil Gorsuch, 52, led the way on a landmark victory for the LGBT+ rights movement on Monday (June 15).
A sweeping six-to-three majority ruling enshrined workplace discrimination protections for queer people. It means that existing provisions under the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which outlaw discrimination based on sex, also apply to cases where “an employer fires an individual merely for being gay or transgender”.
The surreal symbolism of Gorsuch, a profoundly dusty conservative and one of two jurists appointed by president Donald Trump himself, defying his own track record and coming out in favour of basic equality for queer folk has not been lost on the community.
There is now ‘Gay for Gorsuch’ merchandise and we must all live with this fact.
In 2017, Lambda Legal posted a statement with the headline “Neil Gorsuch Has an Unacceptable, Hostile Record Towards L.G.B.T. People” Accompanying it was and a picture of Gorsuch with the word “DANGEROUS” printed over his face.
Fast forward three years and Gorsuch has suddenly found himself with a significant gay following.
While many activists expressed their surprise at such a reliably conservative justice putting the law above his own feelings, some decided the next logical step would be to edit a rainbow on Gorsuch’s tie and whack his face on T-shirts and iPhone cases.
Journalist Brad Columbo took to Twitter after the ruling announcement to make one of his own: He’s ordered an “I’m Gay for Gorsuch! Classic T-Shirt” in a size large.
https://twitter.com/brad_polumbo/status/1272607062011318275
People’s brains truly struggle to process ‘I’m gay for Gorsuch’ t-shirt.
It’s safe to say the unique purchase got people talking.
One Twitter user simply said: “We’re in hell. We’re in hell. We’re in hell. We’re in hell. We’re in hell. We”re in hell. We’re in hell. We’re in hell.” We’re well aware of this, @gaytransistor.
Reaching Mariana Sea Trench levels of despair pic.twitter.com/XsiTbyYWNb
— use me kosho (@samcorb) June 15, 2020
I saw the face of God and He was Weeping https://t.co/FrC2a0Z3E0— DEATHCORE DOGGY (@SAMOYEDCORE) June 15, 2020
https://twitter.com/saymthreetimes/status/1272621675427880961
https://twitter.com/josephlongo_/status/1272616185796988929
https://twitter.com/OrangePaulp/status/1272619429067702273
And, yes, the T-shirt is, indeed, unbearably real. It’s just one item among seller Aidan Glick’s wares and is available on everything from travel mugs and an acrylic block, to face masks and a throw pillow.
