At least 5 GOP-led states have a new Pride Month tradition — renaming June

"If you can't lick 'em, join 'em," a conservative Indiana senator famously advised nearly a century ago. Today’s Republicans appear to have taken that lesson to heart, working overtime to create GOP-branded alternatives to Pride Month that celebrate traditional marriage, "nuclear families,” and what some governors are calling "fidelity."

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders became the latest Republican official to join the trend Monday, the start of Pride Month, issuing a proclamation declaring June “Fidelity Month" to celebrate "fidelity to God, family, community, and country."

The announcement was unveiled through the right-wing outlet The Daily Wire, where Sanders made clear the proclamation was intended as a direct counter to Pride Month. Anti-LGBTQ+ activist Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, applauded the move, saying, "I can't think of a better way to celebrate and honor America than by celebrating faith, family, and freedom."

The irony of the "fidelity" branding is hard to miss. Data previously reported by The Advocate found that same-sex couples divorce at lower rates than opposite-sex couples — 1.1 percent compared with 2 percent. If fidelity is the goal, LGBTQ+ couples may not be the obvious target.

Related: June is Pride Month. Tennessee Republicans say it’s ‘Nuclear Family Month’

Arkansas is far from alone.

GOP lawmakers in Tennessee started what's been labeled the “rename June” trend by designating this month to be “Nuclear Family Month.” The state declares nuclear families are “one husband, one wife, and any biological, adopted, or fostered children” and “God’s design for familial structure.” Or as The New Republic branded it: "Screw Grandparents Month."

Last week, Alabama’s Republican Gov. Kay Ivey signed a proclamation proclaiming June is “Strong Families Month.” And just in case any gay dads or lesbian moms decided to bring their gun show to Montgomery, the declaration makes it clear "strong families” don’t include same-sex couples: “Homes led by stable parents, a father and a mother, provide children with the structure and discipline necessary to succeed.”

Also, last week, Republican Gov. Spencer Cox of Utah declared that June is “Fidelity Month” and said that the U.S. Constitution was “made only for moral and religious people.” Readers of The Advocate will recall that Utah is the state whose Republican legislators passed three bills earlier this year, restricting gender-affirming care for youth, ignoring research they commissioned, which concluded the treatment is safe and beneficial.

Related: Trump doesn't recognize Pride Month, but declares June Title IX Month

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Indiana Gov. Mike Braun adopted language nearly identical to Tennessee's proclamation, declaring June "Nuclear Family Month" and describing families consisting of "one husband, one wife, and any biological, adopted, or fostered children" as God's intended family structure.

But Perkins’s group, the Family Research Council, didn’t hesitate to weigh in, posting an online statement claiming that Pride Month “is off to a faltering start again this year,” highlighting Gov. Sanders’ opposition to “LGBT depravity.”

The reality is that June has never belonged exclusively to any single cause. Alongside Pride Month, it is also National Caribbean American Heritage Month, Men’s Health Month, and National PTSD Awareness Month.

Pride Month’s existence has never prevented anyone from celebrating their faith, family, or values and the good news is there's plenty of room on the calendar for everyone.