June 1 marks the beginning of Pride Month and, with that, 30 days of both celebration and protest in favor of LGBTQ+ rights.
Also beginning on June 1? The time of year in which those who value “personal freedom” go out of their way to make it clear that they will turn on their deeply held convictions — just as soon as they are face-to-face with the information that some people want to love or be people that they, personally, would not like to love or be.
As frustrating as this may be for many, there is a silver lining to the smog cloud. While many people go out of their way to make their dislike for Pride Month known, only one man is going the extra mile — locking himself in a dark room to avoid seeing colors of the rainbow as depicted on the pride flag.
Scott Larson stepped into the black, windowless room in his Big Bend, WI home just before midnight on May 31. The Slug Report caught up with him just before he entered his 30 days and 30 nights of complete boredom and utter uselessness.
“I know it won’t be easy, but I think it’s what I have to do. Even some of my friends think I’m being crazy, but that’s my decision to make, right?” said Larson.
It’s an interesting form of protest — with no possible spectators, no way to contact the outside world and no form of disruptive action taking place, it’s easy to wonder why Larson made such a large, likely psychologically damaging commitment.
“They’ve got boys kissing boys, girls kissing girls and who knows what else. They’re already trying to take straight love away, and now it’s the rainbow — it’s colors,” began Larson. “It’s not right to take away a lot of the beauty in my life just because I don’t want them to experience any love or beauty for themselves.”
There is no evidence to suggest that the LGBTQ+ community is actually stopping others from wearing whatever shade of whatever color they want. Yet, Larson believes there's a case to be made.
“Bright pink used to remind me of beautiful flowers. Now it reminds me of a tight tank top worn by a man with glistening pecs that are just to die for,” noted Larson. “Likewise, blue used to make me think of a sparkling ocean — fast forward and it just reminds me of how denim cutoffs can really hug muscular thighs just right.”
Though he claims to not be interested in men, Scott Larson is clearly in love with Roy G. Biv. Within 30 days’ time, they will be reunited and join with those who didn't take a self-imposed break in the first place.
Photo courtesy of carlosluz via CC BY 2.0
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