An all-female country line dance squad was booted out of a Seattle dance convention after their star-spangled outfits made some attendees feel “triggered and unsafe.”
Borderline Dance crew was supposed to perform at the Emerald City Hoedown in Seattle; however, an organizer of the event, Rain Country Dance Association, an LGBTQ+ dance group, essentially told them they could stay if they changed their attire or they could leave the venue.
“Unfortunately, what our team was met with upon arrival was that our flag tops were offensive to some of the convention goers,” the dance crew posted on Facebook.
“There was a small group that felt ‘triggered and unsafe.’”
The dance group’s co-captain Lindsay Stamp shared their experience with Rantz for The Jason Rantz Show and said that a “small percentage” of attendees raised the Israel-Hamas war and transgender issues.
“At first, we were told we would just be booed and yelled at, and likely many of them would walk out.”
The group added, “This did not deter us. But then we were given an ultimatum. Remove the flag tops and perform in either street clothes (which most didn’t bring as they traveled there in their uniforms) or they would supply us with ECH shirts from years past. Or, don’t perform at all, which effectively was asking us to leave.”
“We don’t speak for our team; we speak on behalf of them, so the choice was theirs,” the Borderline dance group added.
“As we knew would happen because there really was no choice in our minds, it was a unanimous NO.”
Stamp commented that it had only been 30 minutes since they arrived at the venue before the attendees began complaining.
She added that her team is patriotic but they do not make political statements.
“My team doesn’t take a political stance. We came to dance,” she said.
“We’re a patriotic group. We support our military, our veterans, our first responders. We’re a group of patriots.”
The Borderline dance group added that this also happened with a fellow dance group, West Coast Country Heat.
“Our friends, West Coast Country Heat, who were also scheduled to dance for the convention that evening also did not perform as they too proudly don the colors of our country in the same spirit of patriotism that we do,” the post said.
“Both of our teams stood in solidarity and put actions to words.”
The group, however, despite the experience, emphasized that watching their teams unite was “the greatest performance.”
“These people are strong, resolute, and unwavering in their patriotism,” the dance crew said.
“They are the families and friends of people who have suffered the unimaginable so that we may all have our own opinions and sleep soundly in our beds at night. That is why we wear the colors. Because although we may not always agree with the current state of things, we recognize that being an American means true freedom.”
IF the USA Flag or representations of the flag cause people mental issues that are of the sexually preverted alphabet groups or other groups that show hatred to our flag then those people should be invited to get the H out of the USA . They are a disgusting embarrassment to our American way of life our morals and values. Sexual PERVERSIONS is NOT the American way.
I’m so sick of people trying to change OUR country beliefs morals everything we believe in and love. IF YOU DONT LIKE OUR BELIEFS MORALS GOD & COUNTRY put ur but on that firing line lose parts of your body then talk to us the real AMERICANS keep ur crap to urself STOP trying to change our world & remember we all have to answer to the same god
If you don’t love America and EVERYTHING patriotic about it, go to Palestine and help out the Hamas. You’re a terrorist anyway!!!
If you feel unsafe seeing an American flag, you should leave this country and then tell us how unsafe you really are.
If there was nothing in the entry application about flag themed costumes the teams should sue the promoters! Let’s face it there is nothing more American than hoedowns and line dancing! There is nothing threatening about the flag of our nation! If you don’t like the flag of our country move to a country that has a flag you like, oh wait, I don’t believe there is a country with a rainbow flag!
Unbelievable this people that hate our Country should get the F… out to their Country the preferred no one is holding them back or our government should deport them immediately
the restaurant only response to the offended was to present them their check and ask if they need to go boxes.