During Sunday's Seattle Pride parade, a booth run by the organization "Beyond These Walls" sparked controversy. The booth featured a display resembling a wall with images of prominent Republican figures, including former President Trump, Florida Governor DeSantis, Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene and Mitch McConnell, and Supreme Court Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh. Attendees, including children, were encouraged to throw plush toy bricks at the display, which had a target hole labeled "Basket of Deplorables."
Video footage of the booth shows a man cheering on a child as they toss the toy bricks. Beyond These Walls, a Pacific Northwest-based non-profit focused on LGBTQ+ prison reform, organized the booth. Both Seattle Pride and Beyond These Walls have not responded to requests for comment from Fox News Digital.
Other incidents from the parade also drew attention online. A group of transgender-identifying teenagers distributed pamphlets, with some wearing shirts and carrying signs with messages such as "I don’t want to look or be cis" and "Queers Bash Back." Another video depicted a street preacher being harassed by attendees who shouted at him and waved flags in his face. A school bus decorated with Pride flags and a "Protect Trans Kids" sign also drove through the parade route.
Seattle Pride continued its 2021 policy barring LGBTQ+ police officers from marching in uniform, a decision stemming from historical distrust of law enforcement within the LGBTQ+ community. Interim Executive Director Noah Wagoner cited past criminalization of LGBTQ+ individuals and police violence against marginalized groups as reasons for the policy.
