GREENBRIER, Tenn. As Tennessee’s politicians start attacking LGBTQ rights, including banning Gay school groups, banning books with LGBTQ themes from public libraries, and allowing prejudice against same-sex couples looking to adopt a child, there are some small but effective opposition gestures popping up all over the state, such as rainbow stickers on firm doors, bumper stickers on cars, and Love Wins posters in yards.
The food store chain Kroger, which has more than 115 areas in 56 cities across the state, is perhaps the most obvious and brave show of support.
At one Kroger shop in Greenbrier, a two-stoplight town in remote Robertson County situated about 30 miles northwest of Nashville on the Kentucky borders, Jaxon, who requested that their last name not be used, was seen restocking the store’s Pride Merch display.
“This stuff sells quite a bit, but it’s just a little expensive for most people. They look at it and see $18 T-shirts and walk away, but I’ve noticed kids my age buy it anyway,” said the 17-year-old grocery worker.
A store manager said, “I don’t know if these are out in every store or not, but I know we have a lot of customers who are gay and lesbian,” asking for anonymity. I see them here, and I want them to be content. He continued, “This is a little reminder that there is some love for them here. Things are hard enough here for them.”
“I’m Christian, you know,” he said, looking away briefly, “but I know God welcomes everybody.” When asked what he knew about Tennessee’s legislative actions against trans youth, drag, and LGBTQ+ people, he said, “I watch the news, usually with my jaw on the floor. They no longer represent this state because they have lost their minds.”
The likelihood of pushback will be difficult for Kroger, but it’s inevitable.
Alice T. lives in nearby Springfield said, “I am not a homophobic person, but I have 3 children who don’t need to see this stuff. I don’t want to explain it to them, either, and I shouldn’t have to,” she said as the Blade interviewed her by a stand in the store’s pharmacy area that displayed Magnum condoms and several lube options.
Another Greenbrier Kroger shopper, Marqus E. expressed a more neutral sentiment, saying he didn’t think the display should be removed. “I ain’t bothered by it. I don’t understand homo life, but they probably don’t understand rednecks either,” he laughed. “We ain’t botherin’ nobody, you know.”
He compared it to other ways that the store honors occasions. “Hell, I bought a Lily here a couple of weeks ago for Easter.”
“It’s not holiday,” said Lisa G. as she stood by eavesdropping. “It’s grooming. These people need to be stopped,” she said as she stormed out of the store, kids in tow.
It’s unlikely Kroger would remove the displays, however.
The Cincinnati-based grocery store chain has previously made a painful lesson about its relationship to Tennessee’s neighborhood LGBTQ+ community.
In 2007, Nashville’s LGBT newspaper, Out and About, was told by its distributor that Kroger would no longer allow the paper to be distributed in its 34 local Kroger stores and three of the company’s (now closed) Harris Teeter stores. The move dealt a major blow to the newspaper’s distribution, impacting advertising revenue and readership.
According to an executive who negotiated the distribution contract between the two grocery chains, “I believe there has been a call from some people in the religious community who have said take it out or they’re going to make waves.”
The newspaper was shocked by Kroger’s response.
Kroger’s Nashville spokeswoman Melissa Eads said at the time. We have a long-standing policy in place that forbids the third party from distributing publications that advance political, religious, or other particular agendas. We do ask the distributor to remove a publication that does not comply with the above-mentioned guidelines. That is what just happened when we recently put this article on our free rack.
The publisher of New York City’s Gay City News, the country’s then-largest gay newspaper, emailed Kroger representatives to object to the company’s policy that published publications that promoted a particular viewpoint on social issues. He cited articles that were in violation of store policies in several newspapers that were distributed, but those articles are still being distributed.
After receiving no response from Kroger, he contacted New York City’s comptroller’s office, which has a policy prohibiting the city from investing in any company that engages in discrimination.
The comptroller’s office contacted Kroger executives informing them that the New York City’s teacher’s union had a $90,000,000 stake in their company that they may be forced to sell unless distribution of the newspaper was allowed.
Within days, Kroger executives took a private jet from Cincinnati to Nashville to express their sincere condolences to Out and About’s publisher Jerry Jones and inform him that the publication was available at all Kroger locations.
Back at the Greenbrier Kroger, Laurence W. from Gallatin, said he was in town to help his best friend prepare for a drag show. “I value this a lot. You know, Tennessee is not such a bad place. What’s happening here is old people shit. They can’t stand our entire generation or newcomers. But soon they will find out we are the majority, I hope”.
A 2022 Vanderbilt graduate, he winced a little and clarified:” Well, it will take a while and there’s going to be a lot more shit to come down”.
When questioned about whether he thought the Kroger display was something to be proud of, he responded. It is, but it also surprises me. I value having strong allies during this storm so much.
