Rantz: ‘Butt stuff’ LGBT flag controversy roils Pierce County community

Neighbors in Pierce County are feuding over an LGBT pride flag, with one accusing the other of liking “butt stuff.”

Mark Gray flies the LGBT pride flag outside his home in the Summit View neighborhood near South Hill. He said he displays the flag to show his support for the gay community, of which he’s not a member. However, his neighbor was triggered and put up her own sign to call Gray out with a cheeky retort.

The unidentified neighbor posted a sign showing a rainbow flag, drawn to resemble a backside, with the words, “My neighbor loves butt stuff,” and an arrow pointing to Gray’s house.

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Why did the ‘butt stuff’ sign go up?

Gray explained that he was “in shock” when he first saw the sign. He never thought his flag would be the butt of someone’s ire.

He wondered to KIRO 7 TV, “What are you trying to prove here?” Well, I think it was that he loves … never mind.

“I almost went to take the flag down then I thought why? Why bow down to that stuff when we need to stand up not sit down,” Gray told KIRO 7 TV.

The neighbor behind the scene did not wish to speak to KIRO 7, so we can only speculate why she put it up. But I have some ideas.

It’s easy to dismiss the neighbor as a bigot. She may very well be. But it may also be worth noting why a flag triggers a handful of people to the point of trolling their neighbor.

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The LGBT pride flag has become political

The LGBT pride flag has become a political symbol. It no longer means you merely support the LGBT community. In 2024, most of the country supports LGBT rights.

But activists on the Left have turned acceptance of rights into accepting every radical view they hold.

If you don’t pretend there are 17,000 different genders that are fluid, then you don’t support LGBT rights. If you don’t believe random noises (ze, hir, fae, blerberler) suffice for personal pronouns, then you’re a bigot. If you don’t immediately affirm your 11-year-old son as a girl because he was convinced by a teacher he ought to wear a skirt to school, you’re an abusive parent.

There’s no more debate; just acceptance of radical left-wing views around gender and gender identity. Polls overwhelmingly indicate that the American people don’t believe women and girls should be forced to compete against men and boys. The idea that there are 17,000 genders that you can change on a whim is also overwhelmingly rejected.

Rejecting these ideas doesn’t mean people are — or should be — mean, disrespectful or cruel to anyone. And Americans are, overwhelmingly, accepting in that regard. But tolerance and acceptance aren’t enough for a small group of radicals who demand you tolerate, accept and believe what they do.

The sign may reflect an annoyance of activists taking over the LGBT flag for political posturing.

Virtue signaling is … annoying

The sign may also be a reaction to someone who insufferably signals one’s virtue.

It’s incredibly annoying when anyone purely wants credit for showing their support for any group of people. If you need a pat on the back and recognition for your support, then you’re probably not all that supportive to begin with. That kind of support simply tokenizes members of whichever community you’re using to earn social currency.

True support comes from a genuine place of empathy and understanding, not from a desire to be seen as a good person. When you truly care about a cause, your actions speak louder than any public display of virtue signaling ever could. Authentic allyship means standing with a community without needing the spotlight. For too many on the Left, they actively refer to themselves as “cis-gendered” and proactively offer up their own pronouns so that you give them points for their wokeness. It’s annoying.

I have no idea if Gray is this person or is even perceived to be. He seems genuine but I can’t pretend to know him any more than I can pretend to understand the neighbor.

‘Butt stuff’ aside, it’s also just a flag

It’s obviously possible, even likely, that the neighbor was triggered by the LGBT pride flag for irrational reasons. She ought to get over being … butt-hurt.

Neighbors get to hold views that are different from your own. Your passion (or bigotry) doesn’t dictate a neighbor’s reasonable expression, no matter their motivations.

There are some on the Radical Left who feign outrage when they see an American flag. They claim it’s a symbol of white supremacy culture, spouting off whatever it is they read in a Robin DiAngelo essay. Their college professors taught them to hate this country and the flag sends them into a rage that can only be satiated with a public burning.

Going into a rage over the LGBT pride flag on a neighbor’s porch? It’s just as unhinged and intolerant as progressives who burn American flags.

Does this neighbor have the right to be unneighborly and display her childish (though, admittedly, funny sign)? She sure does. But why burn so much energy being a rotten neighbor?

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