NBC under fire for article downplaying controversial chant ‘We’re Coming For Your Children’

NBC News Faces Backlash Over Controversial Pride Event Chant

NBC News found itself in hot water after publishing an article that attempted to explain a controversial chant at a New York City Pride event. Participants were heard reciting, “We’re here! We’re queer! We’re coming for your children!”

The article cited “longtime march attendees and gay rights activists” who claimed the chant had been used at Pride events for several years.

According to organizers interviewed by NBC, the chant was “meant to be lighthearted and to poke fun at anti-LGBTQ sentiment.” NYC Drag March organizer Brian Griffin told the outlet that it was relatively mild compared to previous ones, saying he joked about sex toys and pubic hair at previous Pride events. 

“It’s all just words,” Griffin said. “It’s all presented to fulfill their worst stereotypes of us.” 

Activists told NBC the chant is “one of many provocative expressions used to regain control of slurs against LGBTQ people. And in this case, they said, right-wing activists are jumping on a single video to weaponize an out-of-context remark to further stigmatize the queer community.”

The “coming for your children” chant has been used for years at Pride events, according to longtime march attendees and gay rights activists, who said it’s one of many provocative expressions used to regain control of slurs against LGBTQ people. https://t.co/vrcbuxCEkf

— NBC News (@NBCNews) June 28, 2023

Previous chants at Pride events in New York have included other allusions to targeting children, including “Ten percent is not enough: Groom! Groom! Groom!” and violent chants, “Kill, kill, kill, we’re coming to kill the mayor.”

The NYC Drag March, launched in 1994 as a protest when Pride March officials exiled drag queens from their event out of fear it would deter corporate sponsorship, has been known for its problematic politics and flashy costuming.

The controversial chanting came as Pride festivities across the U.S. and Canada this past week featured rampant nudity, including a parade in Seattle where naked men rode bikes in front of children (video here; warning full frontal nudity).

NBC faced criticism from conservative commentators who mocked the article and claimed that the “coming for your children” chant was commonplace at Pride events. A community note was added below the article on Twitter that claimed the chant actually originated from the San Francisco Gay Men’s choir in 2021.

“Guys it’s totally fine that they chanted ‘we’re coming for your children’ because they do it every year and they also chant about sex toys and pubic hair and killing people,” Libs of TikTok tweeted. “‘It’s all just words’ say the people who force preferred pronouns on us and constantly change our language.” 

“’These guys haven’t suddenly become groomers — they’ve been groomers for years!’” Daily Wire host Michael Knowles said. 

“‘We’ve been saying this for years’  makes it worse, not better. But, uh, interesting propaganda spin here, NBC,” Federalist editor-in-chief Mollie Hemmingway said.

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