Beautiful Gesture: Northport Street Lamps to Honor Local Veterans — LGBT Community’s Backlash Is Unbelievable (Not Satire)
Northport is doing something simple and meaningful this summer: honoring local veterans with displays on street lamps. It’s a classic small-town tribute to those who served — banners or lights recognizing hometown heroes who put their lives on the line for the country.
The reaction from some in the LGBT community has been predictably over-the-top. Instead of seeing it as a wholesome way to remember service and sacrifice, they’re treating it like an attack on their priorities. The outrage is so absurd it almost feels like satire — but it’s real.
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Veterans fought for everyone’s freedom, including the freedom to live however you want. Honoring them with street lamps isn’t exclusionary — it’s basic respect for people who actually did something for the community and the nation. These are the men and women who answered the call when it mattered most.
The backlash reveals a bigger problem: some activists now expect every public gesture to revolve around identity and sexuality. Anything that doesn’t center their cause gets labeled as offensive or “problematic.” Honoring veterans apparently falls into that category for some people.
Northport’s decision is straightforward patriotism. It puts service and sacrifice front and center where everyone can see it every day. That’s the kind of thing communities used to do without controversy — and should still be able to do.
If anything, this story shows how far some corners of the culture have drifted. Veterans deserve recognition year-round, not just on special days. Street lamps lighting up their stories is a nice, visible way to keep their memory alive in everyday life.
The fact that this simple act of gratitude triggered such loud complaints says more about the complainers than it does about the town. Northport is doing it right.
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Mark Van der Veen offers some of the most analytical and insightful writings on politics. He regularly opines on the motives and political calculations of politicians and candidates, and whether or not their strategy will work. Van der Veen offers a contrast to many on this list by sticking mainly to a fact-based style of writing that is generally combative with opposing ideologies.
