this post was submitted on 03 Jun 2026
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Department of Public Works employee Eric Batman claims that having to see a Progress Pride flag flying outside the department’s Alhambra, California, headquarters during the month of June effectively forces him to “celebrate, recognize, and solemnize conduct and actions that he views as sin” in conflict with his sincerely held Christian religious beliefs, according to a lawsuit filed in March by anti-LGBTQ+ evangelical nonprofit the Liberty Counsel.

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[–] whitedovebooks@lemmy.world 3 points 5 hours ago

Nowhere in the Bible does it mention the Pride flag.

[–] sunbytes@lemmy.world 3 points 5 hours ago

Oh wow i really thought this was an onion article...

[–] despoticruin@lemmy.zip 8 points 10 hours ago

It's hard out there for a wimp

[–] phoenixz@lemmy.ca 15 points 15 hours ago

Fascist sues because he's reminded daily that he could be a nice and caring person if he wanted to

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you... The United States of America

[–] limelight79@lemmy.world 14 points 15 hours ago

How much do you want to bet that this guy has been on the internet calling people snowflakes unironically?

[–] lightnsfw@reddthat.com 21 points 18 hours ago

So can all his coworkers sue them because they have to look at this bigoted piece of shit every day?

[–] Zink@programming.dev 11 points 16 hours ago

This is literally what qualifies as "shoving it down our throats" when conservatives say that LGBT+ folks can live how they want but not shove it down everybody's throats. That's my personal experience with conservative relatives and locals, at least.

Being reminded that certain "other" people exist without being hunted down is all it takes to set them off.

So while the lawsuit is a stupid waste of resources, the basic dickhead at the center of it is probably genuinely motivated to pursue it.

[–] Kraiden@piefed.social 18 points 18 hours ago
[–] GoalPostGhost@lemmy.blahaj.zone 75 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Would be fun to see this lawsuit succeeding.

The Satanic Temple would have a field day suing everything christian by this precedent.

[–] Sylvartas@lemmy.dbzer0.com 15 points 21 hours ago

A satanist could even argue it causes them physical harm to be subjected to "holy" imagery against their will, if the scriptures are to be believed.

[–] Prior_Industry@lemmy.world 13 points 18 hours ago

Sounds like a right snowflake

[–] Son_of_Macha@lemmy.cafe 22 points 20 hours ago (2 children)

Has he considered reading the Bible and following the teachings of Jesus Christ? It might help him understand what Christianity is supposed to be about.

[–] WoodScientist@lemmy.world 2 points 16 hours ago

Most self-described Christians are Devil worshipers. If your religion preaches hate, you're not worshiping God, you're worshiping Satan.

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[–] WorldsDumbestMan@lemmy.today 29 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Sounds like he is very, VERY gay.

[–] nickiwest@lemmy.world 4 points 16 hours ago

That has to be it, right?

If seeing a piece of cloth is so triggering, then maybe that's an indicator of a much more deep-rooted problem.

The "Christian men" who protest gay rights the loudest are usually the ones who wind up in the headlines when they get caught soliciting male prostitutes at rest areas.

[–] blitzen@lemmy.ca 22 points 23 hours ago (2 children)

I know I'm probably bucking the hive mind here, but I would actually support legislation that government owned building can fly only city, state, and country flags. I'm completely in on making sure that government policies are inclusive and protective of those needing them, but flags just seem performative. In fact, they could be counter productive; flying them "in support" while policies do not.

[–] Squirrelanna@lemmy.blahaj.zone 10 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

Which cities, states and countries can a building fly? Only their own? Could a federal building raise a flag for another nation in solidarity, even if support for said nation is polarizing? Flags are performative, but knowing what is allowed to be performed can be a good indicator for marginalized groups to know where they might be okay living, even if policies are quite there yet.

[–] blitzen@lemmy.ca 4 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago) (1 children)

In my world, no. A government building flys the flags associated with it. While it's easy to be on the side of a federal building flying the flag of Ukraine, or one state flying the flag of another going through a tragic event, supporting that would also allow government buildings to fly the Israeli flag, or the confederate flag or a MAGA flag. You don't think that confederate sympathizers in the south would claim to be marginalized and the confederate flag flying at the Mississippi statehouse would make them feel welcome? It's a knife that cuts both ways.

I want marginalized people to feel welcome in their communities, but I don't believe the flagpole of a government building is where to do it. The floor of the government building is.

[–] Squirrelanna@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 5 hours ago

That's fair. I appreciate the consistency in your view. My follow up would be if, in that world, embassies would be exempt from that rule. Seems like a potential gray area.

[–] dejected_warp_core@lemmy.world 12 points 23 hours ago (2 children)

Agreed. Plus a legal precedent in favor of pride flags, could cut the other way. On principle, I don't want to see hateful sentiment yield a legal victory. In practice, disallowing this kind of expression in government facilities would/should keep MAGA flags and other nonsense far from the same flagpoles. Or at the very least, it could be argued so in a second court case.

[–] phx@lemmy.world 5 points 19 hours ago

Yeah. I generally don't have an objection to pride flags but I could definitely see somebody stretching the same arguments to have a Confederate or MAGA flag (or just Trump's face as he's so fond of putting it on fucking everything)

[–] Folstar@lemmus.org 8 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

I come to Lemmus for exchanges like this. Well reasoned, level headed, and consequences considered. Imagine if we could get conversations like this to take place in those government buildings- sure would be swell.

[–] dejected_warp_core@lemmy.world 5 points 19 hours ago

Thank you. Be the change you want to see in the world, right?

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 35 points 1 day ago

Fucking snowflakes

[–] borQue@lemmy.zip 5 points 17 hours ago

forcing to see is different. (Clockwork Orange) You can look the other way, teutonic twat.

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 18 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

I'm suing my employer because it rained today and I saw a rainbow.

disgusting.

[–] Lorindol@sopuli.xyz 9 points 18 hours ago

A few of my muslim students said that they couldn't draw a rainbow in art class, "because in our religion this is a bad thing".

I asked them "but are not all of nature's wonders the work of Allah?" While I watched the gears rolling behind their eyes I told them to ask their imams "who makes the rainbows in the sky?". And that they may return their given assignments after having received the answer.

[–] Jax@sh.itjust.works 11 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

I want to sue Eric Batman's parents, or whoever the fuck decided on that dogshit name.

[–] jwt@programming.dev 7 points 17 hours ago

Hate to break it to you, but they got killed by a mugger.

[–] DankDingleberry@lemmy.world 52 points 1 day ago (3 children)

this guy does not deserve his last name

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[–] razzazzika@lemmy.zip 56 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

I see confederate flags round here all the time and I don't feel forced to celebrate the confederacy.. idiot.

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[–] RepublicansAreEvil@lemmy.world 3 points 16 hours ago

I saw another video today of some hag saying "who you have sex with is no one's business" but the flag is about equal representation and how gay marriage was illegal and they were denied rights. It used to be way worse than just being denied rights too-- it used to be dangerous to be out.

These people just can't face the fact that we do come from a darker world and the wounds are still fresh. They just can't think critically and inwardly it seems to hurt them. You don't have to feel shame but anyone can recognize this is exercising a right they had been denied for a long, long time

[–] Psionicsickness@reddthat.com 31 points 1 day ago

Everyone has so many theories about this guy’s motivations. I think it’s just capitalism manifest. This guy sees a way to make a buck litigating. Welcome to America.

[–] EvasiveSpecies@lemmy.world 50 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Christians like this are SO addicted to seeing themselves as victims.

[–] pingveno@lemmy.world 6 points 19 hours ago

There is a certain strain of Christianity that must see itself as the underdog in a cosmic war of good and evil. Everything fits into that overarching narrative.

[–] echodot@feddit.uk 36 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Well the alternative is that they would have to help the poor and generally be a good member of society and that's too much like hard work so it's much easier to claim that they are the victim.

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[–] UltraMagnus0001@lemmy.world 49 points 1 day ago (2 children)
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[–] blimthepixie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 30 points 1 day ago (5 children)

He's definitely a repressed gay then

[–] nightlily@leminal.space 17 points 1 day ago

Stop blaming Christian fundamentalist fascism on gay people.

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[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 29 points 1 day ago (1 children)

effectively forces him to “celebrate, recognize, and solemnize conduct and actions that he views as sin”

Well then it's a good thing that, "sin” as a purely theological term, has no meaning to the US government. Right?

[–] tigeruppercut@lemmy.zip 23 points 1 day ago

Cue the 6 SCOTUS fucks busting through the wall like the koolaid man to make sinning illegal in their quest to turn the US into a christofascist theocracy

[–] A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world 21 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

Can I sue Eric Batman for having to see that he exists, and being upset by that fact?

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[–] toiletobserver@lemmy.world 421 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (41 children)

It must be hard to be this fragile little bitch of a bigot.

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