This year's Thanksgiving Day parade will reportedly feature transgender- and LGBTQ-themed acts, sparking backlash from parent groups and conservative personalities.
Department store chain Macy’s has hosted the Thanksgiving Day parade in New York City since 1924.
One Million Moms (1MM) launched a petition opposing the “LGBTQ agenda” the company is promoting through its parade acts.
“The non-binary and transgender extravaganza on display this Thanksgiving will be brought to you by Macy’s during their annually sponsored Thanksgiving Day Parade,” reads a statement from the advocacy group. “Unless they are forewarned about it, this year’s holiday parade will potentially expose tens of millions of viewers at home to the liberal LGBTQ agenda.”
One of the performances at this year’s parade is from the musical & Juliet and features Justin David Sullivan, an actor who identifies as non-binary and who plays Juliet’s non-binary friend May.
Another act features Alex Newell, another actor who identifies as nonbinary, performing as Lulu, the female lead in the musical Shucked.
“This isn’t the first time the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade featured gender non-conforming performers” noted the advocacy organization. “In 2021, transgender pop star Kim Petras performed during the parade, becoming the first transgender celebrity to perform during this once family-friendly holiday tradition.”
Roughly 25,000 people have already signed 1MM’s petition which reads:I do not agree with the LGBTQ agenda you are pushing on families during your Thanksgiving Day Parade. My family and I will not watch this indoctrination. Since this event goes against our beliefs and values, Macy’s has left conservative and Christian families with no choice but to avoid the parade and its stores, even during the holiday season. My family will not support Macy’s; you have lost our trust.
“Shame on Macy’s for promoting and sponsoring this type of entertainment,” said 1MM. “It is clear that Macy’s does not have our children’s best interests in mind.”
The LGBTQ publication Advocate says 1MM has “a history of voicing their discontent regarding LGBTQ+ representation in mainstream media and advertising.”
“The group has also boycotted American Girl for introducing a doll with lesbian aunts, threatened to boycott Oreo for its LGBTQ+ campaign, boycotted Toy Story 4 over a scene they interpreted as depicting a lesbian couple, and criticized the cover of Parents Magazine for featuring gay dads,” noted the outlet.
1MM’s petition has the support of Kristen Waggoner, the president of Alliance Defending Freedom.
“We’re all about tolerance and inclusivity,” Waggoner said while appearing on Fox News on Nov. 14. “And what that means is it shouldn’t be corporate brands that are waging propaganda on our children. Right now we’re seeing in the entertainment industry, at Disney’s hands, as well as – even in our school system – we’re seeing propaganda being waged that plays out in secret transitions that are being facilitated without parents' knowledge. We’re seeing curriculum and books that are being used in classrooms that are designed to confuse children about who they are and who God created them to be.”
“I think it is an issue of parents saying ‘We’re here to parent,’” she added. “And this ideology isn’t just existing as a theory or in a vacuum. It’s playing out on the ground and it’s very destructive.”
The televised parade starts at 8 a.m. on Nov. 23.
