Republican-led states rename June with conservative family labels
11 reported
A half dozen Republican governors have issued proclamations or signed resolutions designating June with alternative labels that emphasize a family structure of one man, one woman and children, according to a single-source report from Stateline. The proclamations do not carry the force of law but serve as public statements about the type of families leadership in those states wants to promote. Tennessee and Indiana declared June “Nuclear Family Month,” while Alabama called it “Strong Families Month,” Nebraska designated “Marriage and Family Month,” and Arkansas and Utah declared “Fidelity Month.” The report notes that Utah Gov. Spencer Cox had declared June as Pride Month during his first three years in office, marking a departure from his previous stance. LGBTQ+ advocates described the rebranding efforts as “disappointing” and a deliberate attempt to erase vulnerable communities.
What’s reported
Republican governors in Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Nebraska, Tennessee and Utah have issued proclamations or resolutions renaming June with conservative-friendly labels.
Tennessee’s resolution, signed by Gov. Bill Lee, designates June as “Nuclear Family Month” and defines a nuclear family as “one husband, one wife, and any biological, adopted or fostered children,” calling it “God’s design for familial structure.”
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun also declared June “nuclear family month” with similar wording and told reporters the proclamation was not intended to send a message to other types of families.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey declared June “Strong Families Month,” highlighting the role of fathers as “head of the household.”
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen designated June “Marriage and Family Month,” with a proclamation saying “God’s design” for marriage is a family with one husband, one wife and children; Pillen called it “the most important proclamation I’ve ever had the privilege to sign.”
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox declared June “Fidelity Month,” defining fidelity as dedication to faith, family and country, without explicitly describing family composition.
The idea of “Fidelity Month” was first proposed by a conservative Christian legal scholar a few years ago.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox had declared June as Pride Month during his first three years in office and previously expressed remorse about his attitude toward gay people.
Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles posted from his official X account, “Homosexuality has no place in America. Happy Nuclear Family Month” on June 1 but later deleted it.
Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith shared an illustrated version of the proclamation titled “Take back the Rainbow!” depicting a heterosexual white couple with children.
In 2023, the CDC found that more than 3 in 5 LGBTQ+ high school students experienced “persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness” in the previous year, and 1 in 5 LGBTQ+ participants in the Youth Risk Behavior Survey said they had attempted suicide.
Key figures
Gov. Bill Lee (Tennessee, Republican)
Gov. Mike Braun (Indiana, Republican)
Gov. Kay Ivey (Alabama, Republican)
Gov. Jim Pillen (Nebraska, Republican)
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (Arkansas, Republican)
Gov. Spencer Cox (Utah, Republican)
Rep. Andy Ogles (Tennessee, Republican)
Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith (Indiana, Republican)
Project Rainbow (Utah-based organization)
Sources: stateline.org
