Macy’s Parade draws anti-trans backlash from One Million Mums over non-binary inclusion
One Million Moms has launched a petitions against Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. (Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Macy’s, Inc.)
Conservative anti-LGBTQ+ group One Million Moms has urged people to sign their petition against this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, claiming it has an ‘agenda’.
The petition, which has over 18,000 signatures, complains that this year’s parade will be a “non-binary and transgender extravaganza” and could “expose” tens of millions of viewers to the “liberal LGBTQ+ agenda.”
Specifically, One Million Moms takes issue with performances in the parade that will include the music from two Broadway musicals, & Juliet and Shucked.
The former includes a non-binary character called May, who is Juliet’s best friend in the stage show. The character is currently portrayed on Broadway by Justin David Sullivan, who is also non-binary.
The latter includes gender non-conforming actor Alex Newell, who plays the role of female character Lulu in Shucked and has previously portrayed a transgender woman on television.
One Million Moms warns that it isn’t the first time that, as they put it, “this liberal nonsense” has been part of the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, noting that in 2021, trans pop icon Kim Petras performed in the parade.
The sensationalist petition concludes: “Shame on Macy’s for promoting and sponsoring this type of entertainment. We still cannot trust Macy’s Dept. Store.
“It is clear that Macy’s does not have our children’s best interests in mind. Macy’s needs to know that trust must be earned and once trust is lost, it is difficult to get back.”
In response to the backlash, Macy’s issued a statement standing strong with its performers: “For nearly 100 years the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has showcased the very best in entertainment, delighting Americans everywhere with the most popular music acts, the best of Broadway, our country’s finest marching bands and dance teams, and giant balloons and floats that capture your imagination.“
“Every performer and volunteer is there with one mission — to entertain millions of spectators and kick off the holiday season. We look forward to celebrating this iconic Thanksgiving tradition again next week.”
Macy’s Day Parade, which first took place in 1924, typically features large balloons of cartoon characters, performances by artists and theatre groups, and plenty of colourful floats.
Last year, the three-hour Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade drew in 27.7 million viewers.
Parade commentators don’t typically go into too much detail about parade participants’ sexual or gender identities, but One Million Moms, which is believed to have far fewer than one million members, has found something to throw a fit about this year.
This is far from the first time that the conservative group has lashed out at entertainment media.
The group, which is part of the Christian American Family Association (a designated anti-LGBTQ+ hate group per the SPLC), takes issue with just about anything that depicts LGBTQ+ individuals or couples in media.One Million Moms has previously used their collective voice to condemn just about everyone – from Cadbury Creme Eggs and Arthur the Aardvark to Toy Story 4 and the Hallmark Channel.
