NASCAR was mocked and criticized on social media Wednesday for a Pride Month tweet that appeared to apologize for letting Texas Governor Greg Abbott wave the green flag ahead of the May 22 All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway.
Abbott told state health agencies in February that highly controversial “sex change” operations for children who claim to be transgender “constitute child abuse under existing Texas law.”
“Because the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) is responsible for protecting children from abuse, I hereby direct your agency to conduct a prompt and thorough investigation of any reported instances of these abusive procedures in the State of Texas,” Abbott wrote in a letter to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. “Texas law also imposes a duty on DFPS to investigate the parents of a child who is subjected to these abusive gender-transitioning procedures, and on other state agencies to investigate licensed facilities where such procedures may occur.”
NASCAR, which has become increasingly woke in recent years, published a tweet Wednesday, which was the start of Pride Month, appearing to apologize for letting Abbott wave the green flag.
“As we celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, we acknowledge that recent actions have not aligned with NASCAR’s mission to be a welcoming sport for all,” NASCAR tweeted. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to create a more inclusive environment — in our workplaces, at the race track & in the stands.”
NASCAR appears to acknowledge that having Texas Gov. Greg Abbott as the honorary starter at its all-star race last month had pretty bad optics. https://t.co/QWPKfrY1lA pic.twitter.com/dt95I58byC
— A.J. Perez (@byajperez) June 1, 2022
NASCAR faced a wide range of negative responses over their tweet, including:
- Dave Rubin, podcast host: “What freakin’ flag is that? You virtue signaling weirdos….”
- Dana Loesch, radio host: “Are people shooing gays away from the track or something?”
- Jesse Kelly, radio host: “NASCAR feels comfortable doing this because you’ll still sit down with your family and watch the races. They spit in your face constantly because you’re too weak to do anything about it. 90%+of NASCAR fans hate this. But they all watch and cheer anyway.”
- Caleb Hull, digital strategist: “Perfect example of wokeness invading a business to the point where they have completely lost touch with their customer base.”
- Curtis Houck, NewsBusters: “Apparently #NASCAR is super sorry to the LGBTQ woke mob that Greg Abbott was allowed to be at the All-Star Race and wave the green flag. … People on here triggered that a politician was allowed to be at a race in a red state and wave the green flag need fo grow up. People who don’t vote as you do shouldn’t be forced into either caving or be silenced.”
- Collin Pruett, former DHS official: “America needs a new racing circuit so badly. Identical cars, Bubba Wallace debacle, rebel flag bans… now this. Bring back moonshine and dirt tracks!”
- Harmeet K. Dhillon, attorney: “Woke NASCAR? WTH?! What next, woke MMA?”