"These Colors Don't Run": HRC Launches Defiant Protest Campaign For Pride - The image of an eagle with feathers the colors of the progress pride flag went viral Friday

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Erin in the Morning (archive)

On Friday, the Human Rights Campaign unveiled its Pride Month campaign, titled “These Colors Don’t Run.” Slated to appear at more than 150 Pride events across the country—and to take center stage at this year’s WorldPride in Washington, D.C.—the campaign marks a decade since the landmark marriage equality ruling while celebrating the resilience and expansion of the LGBTQ+ community. But what truly set it ablaze online wasn’t just the milestones—it was the campaign’s imagery: a fierce eagle emblazoned with the hues of the Progress Pride flag, paired with the defiant tagline, “These Colors Don’t Run.” Within hours of its release, the artwork went viral in queer digital spaces.

The artwork for the eagle featured several subtle touches, such as long eyelashes, a harness, painted nails, and a sassy attitude.

“This image from HRC goes so hard,” said journalist Katelyn Burns on her bluesky account with hundreds of reposts.

Describing the inspiration behind the artwork, the HRC Design Team told Erin In The Morning, “At the heart of Pride is a demand for a country where freedom and equality are a reality for all. This graphic is about reclaiming the imagery of America, affirming our community’s resilience, and reminding opponents of equality: we aren’t going anywhere. And hey — even an eagle can’t say no to a nice pedi and some lashes for the best month of the year.”

On MSNBC, HRC National Press Secretary Brandon Wolf spoke of the campaign, “Obviously it’s a little cheeky, but I think it’s also two things, an acknowledgement of our history - the resilience and strength of the LGBTQ+ community - and a declaration of our present and future… I think these colors don’t run, that spirit of resilience and resistance, is about acknowledging that this is a community that has been an incredibly difficult times before, and has turned those obstacles into progress… and it’s also a declaration that there is no president that can push us back into the closet, there is no government that can strip us of our joy and our fight for freedom. We’re not going anywhere, and pride is not just going to be a celebration, it’s also going to be a protest”

Human Rights Campaign said:
This Pride Month, we are shouting loud and clear: THESE COLORS DON’T RUN. Our visibility has never mattered more, and neither has our strength. And as HRC’s @brandonwolf.bsky.social says, NO president can push us back into the closet.


(🎥: @msnbc.com)

In a press statement about the new campaign, HRC’s president, Kelley Robinson, said, “This year, we’re making one thing clear: These colors don’t run—and they never will. The Pride flag is more than fabric; it carries the weight of generations who refused to be erased and the fire of those still rising. With World Pride here in the nation’s capital, our visibility has never mattered more—and neither has our strength. That’s why it matters that HRC is now 3.6 million strong. It’s the largest base of support we’ve ever had, and it’s growing in direct response to the attacks on our community. This is not just a number—it’s a movement, a mandate, and a promise: we’re not backing down. We’re building a future where every LGBTQ+ person can live bold, safe, and free.”

When asked if the logo will appear on merchandise, Sofia Rivera-Negron at HRC stated, “Yes, it's real. Yes, we hear the yearning for merch. We just rolled it out this morning. But keep an eye out for this at your local HRC Pride booth.”

This year, a more defiant tone feels not only appropriate—it feels necessary. As LGBTQ+ rights face coordinated rollbacks across the country, HRC’s embrace of Pride as protest marks a meaningful shift for an organization that has, at times, drawn criticism for sidelining the most marginalized within the queer community. But recent actions suggest a course correction, such as the organizations recent willingness to even call out Democrats when they oppose transgender rights. In 2025, Pride isn’t just a celebration; it’s a declaration. With protests expected to be central to Pride events nationwide, HRC’s eagle lands squarely within a growing movement ready to fight like hell for its future.
 
That eagle looks so awful. All my life I've heard that gay people are good at aesthetics and I never see any evidence for it. I actually am good at aesthetics so I don't understand why they think using every possible hue in maximum vibrancy is going to create a harmonious image. Everything in full Pride colors looks schizophrenic.
It's like they got Johnny Lawrence to design it.

"None of this fruity homo shit, I'm gonna make a gay icon that's badass!"
 
I wonder if there will be fewer rainbow logo changes from the usual big corps this june.
 
That eagle looks so awful. All my life I've heard that gay people are good at aesthetics and I never see any evidence for it. I actually am good at aesthetics so I don't understand why they think using every possible hue in maximum vibrancy is going to create a harmonious image. Everything in full Pride colors looks schizophrenic.
Specifically it's gay men that are good at aesthetics. A lot of the "LGBTQ+" community members are "queer" now. Totally different things.
 
The artwork for the eagle featured several subtle touches, such as long eyelashes, a harness, painted nails, and a sassy attitude

It seems like the country has kind of hit Peak Trans lately, and along with that seems to be Peak Gay. And I think the bolded plays into it - the vast majority of Americans do not care if anyone likes to hold and kiss members of the same sex, rather than the opposite sex. The vast majority of Americans are not interested in trying to prevent people of the same sex from marrying.

But the vast majority of Americans, IMO, don't want to hear about your fetishes. And since there aren't really any legal battles left to fight when it comes to gay rights, an awful lot of gay activism just seems to be 'put your fetishes front and center in public'.
 
“This image from HRC goes so hard,” said journalist Katelyn Burns
Oh it 'goes hard' does it? Is it skibidi Biden? Lmao all leftist cultural astroturfing is like this now. Middle aged dead enders using outdated lingo from ten years ago.
"Kamala IS brat" ~ 62 year old straight man on Kamala's campaign
"Whoa this is so fire!" ~ 45 year old white woman on Kendrick Lamar's Superbowl performance
"This goes so hard" ~ fat middle aged tranny on a MEGA VIRAL post that got HUNDREDS of bsky updoots
 
It seems like the country has kind of hit Peak Trans lately, and along with that seems to be Peak Gay. And I think the bolded plays into it - the vast majority of Americans do not care if anyone likes to hold and kiss members of the same sex, rather than the opposite sex. The vast majority of Americans are not interested in trying to prevent people of the same sex from marrying.

But the vast majority of Americans, IMO, don't want to hear about your fetishes. And since there aren't really any legal battles left to fight when it comes to gay rights, an awful lot of gay activism just seems to be 'put your fetishes front and center in public'.
And add to the list then your cherished refugees aren't so open minded about gay wedding and all.
 
Much like DEI, I'm not entirely sure what people think is going to happen when their displays of overt need to control the narrative by way of public policy or grand outward displays go the way of the dodo.

"We NEED DEI". Oh really? So, what happens if DEI goes away? Do you think people will start whiteys-only clubs where rule number one is "No girls or fags, because they're icky" and rule number two is, "we put anyone darker than our gardeners in cages"?

"We have to have Pride, because if we don't, how is everyone ever going to know that we're here and we're queer, because they're STILL not used to it." As I've said before, we are not only used to it, we're downright BORED of it. Trump was a very clear referendum on the idea that maybe these things have gone a little far or have outlived their usefulness.

Ask identity politicians when the end goal is met for what they want, and I guarantee you, if it isn't a vague, rambling word salad about equality and rights that's clearly not grounded in research or history or even the current state of affairs, it'll be a screed about wanting their enemies dead. They can't ever tell you that the end goal is even partially met. If they did, they might actually have to be accountable for their own lives.
 
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