Borgata has a history of supporting the LGBT lifestyle.
Borgata is rolling out the LGBTQ Rainbow Carpet this month in a series of events meant to celebrate alternative lifestyles. The events are part of Pride Month, which celebrates the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transsexual culture in America.
Ironically, Borgata is sometimes criticized for its chauvinistic or sexist attitudes, because of the Borgata Babes. Yet Borgata caters to the LGBT audience in a number of ways. It “OUT” program books travel packages and weekend visits for gay and lesbian couples to visit the Atlantic City gaming destination.
In May, Borgata hosted music shows by Ruby Rose, a genderfluid actress, electronic DJ, and star of the Netflix program, Orange is the New Black. The night was a celebration of inclusiveness.
June Is Pride Month at Borgata
Borgata’s Pride Month events begin on June 4, when Sister Funk is set to appear (and sing covers of funk hits). Later that night, America’s Drag Stars will perform for the Borgata’s audience. On June 10th and 11th, Wanda Sykes will take the stage to perform her standup act. On June 25, Glee star Jane Lynch gives a performance. Meanwhile, Borgata will roll out the Rainbow Carpet to welcome the performers each time.
North Carolina’s H2 Bill
Borgata’s events come at a time when another controversy over LGBT rights is sweeping the nation.In fact, Borgata appears to making a bit of a political statement with its rainbow carpet, which is certain to offend some gamblers. The display is well-timed for the usual political controversies that happen in the middle of a US presidential campaign.
In North Carolina, lawmakers have passed the H2 bill — better known as the “Bathroom Bill” — which requires transsexuals to use the restroom facilities marked for the gender they were at birth. This would force self-identifying women to use the men’s restroom, while requiring self-identifying men to use the women’s restroom.
North Carolina’s move has caused a political and financial backlash. Several corporations have said they would stop doing business in North Carolina, until the bill was removed. Hollywood, which films a lot of movies in North Carolina, said it might stop producing films in the state. President Obama released a memo which said school districts which follow discriminatory policies are at risk of losing federal funding. Public schools receive about 11% of their funding from the federal government.
Bathroom Bill Proponents
Meanwhile, Americans for the Bathroom Bill have been outspoken in the conservative media. They’ve been outspoken on Facebook and other social media platforms. Parents and parents groups have said the LGBT community is trying to force their daughters to go to the same restroom as people who were born men, who might “peek in the stalls”. More sensational citizens have suggested the LGBT community wants to force people to shower together in gym class.
How Wedge Issues Work
The North Carolina law is what’s called a “wedge issue” in American politics. Every four years, politicians create a political and social crisis of one sort, hoping to push the electorate’s psychological buttons. The point is to win votes, or at least keep traditional voters loyal — to essentially dig a ditch or drive a wedge between voters and one of the two political parties.
Wedge issues typically involve social issues. They are meant to raise passions to a point that voters are willing to vote on a single-issue platform, often ignoring weightier or more persistent issues. In the last several presidential elections, key wedge issues involved gay marriage, gays in the military, gun control, and various aspects of Roe v. Wade.
Both parties do it, when they think a particular issue wins them votes. Or better put, they do it when they think an issue is going to win them more votes in pivotal parts of the country.
The 2016 U.S. Presidential Election
2016 is a particularly pivotal and unpredictable year. Nearly two-thirds of Republicans did not vote for the presumptive Republican nominee, Donald Trump. As many as 20% of Republican voters have said they would never vote for Donald Trump, as evidenced by the GOP leaders’ “Never Trump” movement.
In a year like that, Republican voters need to be remembered how it important it is to vote for the GOP, even if it’s only for state-level and congressional opponents. North Carolina is a pivotal state — a place which voted for Obama, and one which could pivot to Hillary Clinton, thus sinking Donald Trump’s chances.
North Carolina’s Elections
More important to North Carolina Republicans, massive defection in the presidential election would hurt down-ballot Republicans. The Democrats might win seats in the U.S. Congress, or win seats in the North Carolina State Legislature.
As the theory goes, the Bathroom Bill is a way to remind GOP voters that they hate liberals worse than they hate Trump. The Bathroom Bill is passed. President Barack Obama speaks out against it. Liberals in the media and on Facebook take up the issue. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are required to give a statement of support.
Thus, North Carolina Republicans are reminded the importance of voting for the GOP: vote for us or the liberals will force your children into unisex restrooms. On a national level, conservatives are reminded that they might not like Donald Trump, but at least Trump won’t force them to give up protections for their children.
Borgata’s Brave Stance
Under the circumstances, even Borgata’s Rainbow Carpet is seen as a reminder to vote Republican. In fact, anything which shows support for the LGBT community is seen as aggressive and offensive, instead of defending the rights of Americans who arent’ given equal treatment under the law.
Wedge issues are a double-edged sword. The Bathroom Bill might work in North Carolina, but the Democrats can trumpet the law as a way to win votes elsewhere. In states like Ohio and Pennsylvania, where voters might be economic conservatives and social liberals, the H2 Bill can be used as a wedge issue to keep voters from straying to Donald Trump from Hillary Clinton (or Bernie Sanders). Such issues divide the people and maintain party loyalties.
Blue and Red States, Blue and Orange Morality
There was a game once about the fairy folk. In this game, fairy beings were alien entities which gained meaning and power from being remembered. The so-called Kindly Ones needed stories to survive.
To maintain their status, two Kindly Ones would agree to war eternally. It didn’t matter what the war was about, so long as people on the mortal plane remembered them. These adversarial pacts were ironically considered “alliances”.
An Agreement to Fight
In a way, wedge issues like the Bathroom Bill between the Democrats and Republicans are like an alliance between the Kindly Ones. It gives both sides something to fight over, even if the issue largely goes away next year, when the elections are over.
Unlike those fictional wars, though, real lives are at stake when the H2 Bill is passed. And those who take a stand, like the Borgata Casino, stand to lose customers over their stance. So kudos to the Borgata for taking a stand.
