It was supposed to be a token of
love. Instead, it became the target of
hate.
The Biggest Little Rainbow Bridge, located in Crissie Caughlin Park in Reno, Nevada was created by local Girl Scout Troop 508.
“The troop made the wooden bridge as a “beautiful and peaceful place” where people could come to “mourn the loss of our beloved four-legged family members who have crossed the rainbow bridge into the great beyond and reflect on the memories we have made with them,” wrote Sophie Perry of www.thepinknews.com.
The bridge, with its wooden planks painted in cheerful colors, was just days away from being completed when vandals defaced the bridge, pouring and splattering white paint across the freshly and lovingly painted surface by a group of girls younger than twelve. This was clearly a hate crime, targeting the LGBTQ+ community. Reno, Nevada is no stranger to this community, and several rainbows of various types can be seen around the city. Even though a sign had already been placed by the rainbow bridge designating it as a symbolic memorial to beloved pets lost as made famous by the poem “The Rainbow Bridge,” it’s obvious the vandals that struck could neither read, nor comprehend a rainbow might stand for anything else than a target for their homophobic hatred.
This is unacceptable, and it needs to stop. This country has never seen such a level of hot-headed hatred, and it’s seen a lot…the Civil War and the Civil Rights movement in the 1960’s, most notably. However, even with the hate and discord those two events brought, neither began, and flowed, from the very center of this country’s government…a sitting president.
The hate in America today has been stirred, fueled, and fanned into an inferno by Donald Trump. Since taking office in 2017 for his first term, he’s done everything in his power to segregate this country and its citizens with an age-old tactic, divide and conquer. The world watched as his words, like venom, poured forth during his first four years in office, awakening hate groups, sparking demonstrations, rallies, and finally, riots, culminating in the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Right wing extremists and even ordinary otherwise law-abiding Republicans all over the country praised the violent act, defending and excusing it as “just a protest.” When citizens arm themselves with whatever they can find, and force their way into the seat of our government with the intent of overthrowing it by stopping the certification of a presidential election in any way they can, it ceases to be a protest, peaceful or otherwise. It’s an act of violence, and instead of being condemned by the very president who instigated it, rioters were pardoned by the hundreds. What a horrible example to set for a country already divided, primarily because of one evil human being. How someone so insanely unqualified, both professionally and morally, managed to win over enough voting Americans to be elected for a second term is not only baffling, but frightening, and says a lot about both the intellectual aptitude and moral fabric of millions of voters. This isn’t a “red” or “blue” issue; it’s a hate issue…a moral issue, a good versus evil issue, and until this country’s citizens start thinking for themselves, stepping back, viewing things objectively, and then acting on conscience instead of the heated rhetoric of a megalomaniac and his equally deranged ilk, this country will never be “great again.” It will remain divided, its citizens will remain frightened, groups of people will continue to be bullied, and if things don’t change, America will once again be faced with the very real possibility of no longer being “united.”
I’m TIRED. I’m tired of excusing the mindset and behaviors of those who, intentional or not, fan the fire by continuing to support an administration and political agenda that is harming more than healing. I’m tired of smiling and pretending it doesn’t bother me because so-and-so is “a nice person.” I’m tired of tolerating people who think intolerance is okay, that trying to prevent or even strip away rights previously given to others, is acceptable…and it doesn’t matter if that “nice person” you know is actively part of the problem or simply a quiet complicit; they are ALL responsible. Every time they turn a blind eye to an injustice because it doesn’t affect them personally, they are responsible…every vote they cast in favor of someone in power that continues to push and shove such dangerous agendas to the very edge, they are responsible.
I’m growing more and more angry, and I hate that I am. I wish I could turn a blind eye like so many others, pretend things that are happening are not, but I no longer can. What I need to learn to do is monitor my own nervous system and do my best to remain as calm as possible, try to maintain objectivity, and take more deep breaths…but I still have a voice, and so long as I do, I will continue to cry out against injustice, kick and scream and holler if necessary to be heard, but I am not going to say nothing, do nothing, and hold no one accountable for their actions and deeds.
I was thrilled to see The Biggest Little Rainbow Bridge repaired, completed, and officially opened to the public a few days ago. I’m proud of and embrace those who really DO care about others and show it by not just feigning acceptance, but practicing it. I’m just as equally ashamed of those who tolerate intolerance and promote it, whether it’s with dangerous acts or silent allowance. All I can hope is that eventually something so monumental will happen that will shake people awake again, cause them to take a good, deep look at the state of moral neglect this nation has fallen into, and wish to do something to change it.
Until then, I have my voice, my pen, and I will be calling you out. You can count on it.
Below...photos of the bridge before, after, and the repaired after...
