In a recording of his Sunday sermon following Election Day, 87-year-old Kenneth Copeland said, “I believe it’s here right now, the [Christian spiritual] awakening we’ve been waiting for…. Now the atmosphere has been cleansed…. No more rainbow flags. No more.” An audience member can be heard exclaiming, “Thank you, Jesus!” in response. – LGBTQ Nation, November 12, 2024
I’m not sure what kind of awakening Copeland thinks is happening, but based on Trump’s plans so far, this “awakening” doesn’t strike me as either Christian or spiritual. And I don’t have time right now to unpack the notion that Trump has spiritual advisers.
However, I do think we’ve found the new design trend for 2025. Forget about open concept, modern farmhouse, or whatever else HGTV is hawking (shiplap accent walls, JoJo?). Next year needs to be the year of the rainbow flag. Lots and lots of rainbow flags. Like Fun with Flags from The Big Bang Theory, but with a much queerer bent.
Given what the queer community is likely to be up against for the next four years – and Copeland’s comments feel like a sampling of what to expect – we should take every opportunity to protest, no matter how small. So what better way than to get queer architects and interior designers to find every opportunity to incorporate a bit of rainbow into their projects? Especially if we can slip that in under the radar of every client who voted for Trump.
Besides, every project deserves a hint of color, right? Perhaps we start a letter-writing campaign to Sherwin-Williams, Benjamin Moore, and other paint companies to declare their color of the year as “rainbow.” After some of the past selections – thank you, Sherwin-Williams, for the grayish brown of Urbane Bronze – something bright and cheerful would hit the spot. Especially after the post-election gloomies many of us are feeling.
And with rainbow being the color of the year, I’m sure we could convince someone to paint their exterior in the latest trend. People love to be trendy. I’d even suggest we buy a building across from Copeland Ministries and paint it rainbow, like the Equality House across from Westboro Baptist Church. I don’t foresee a shortage of volunteers willing to help with painting. Unfortunately, judging from what’s on Google Maps, Copeland owns pretty much every piece of property in town.
Or we go straight to HGTV and tell them to hop on board. Enough queer designers have passed through their hallowed halls, and one would hope we might have some leverage. As author Fran Lebowitz once said: “If you removed all of the homosexuals and homosexual influence from what is generally regarded as American culture, you would pretty much be left with Let’s Make a Deal.” Ditto for HGTV. I’m certain we could get one of the Property Brothers on board.
But even if we can’t get the paint manufacturers and others to participate in our protests, we can still taste the rainbow – and share it with our clients every chance we get, whether they know it or not.
Thanks for the idea, Mr. Copeland! See you in church!
