GOP Congressman Gets Backlash for Pride Month Celebration Message
Rep. Mike Lawler, a Republican from New York, sparked criticism after posting on X that “June is Pride Month,” praising love, acceptance, and being oneself. Several conservatives attacked the message, including Megan Basham, who argued that supporting a “natural family” is fundamental to conservatism and called for Lawler to be “primaried and removed.” Basham also claimed it could be illegal for Lawler to block people who criticized his official Pride post, and she said she would “go to war” with what she described as GOP capitulation to progressivism-including from Trump or White House accounts. Another commentator,Jenna Ellis,said Lawler “deserved” to face a primary challenge and called the post “disgraceful pandering.” The article also references earlier comments about Lawler’s intentions from a past interview featuring Tucker Carlson and Marjorie Taylor Greene, who questioned his loyalty and motives.
Rep. Mike Lawler, a Republican from New York, received backlash this week after sharing a pro-LGBT message on X celebrating “Pride Month.”
“June is Pride Month, a time to celebrate love, acceptance, and the freedom to be yourself,” he wrote on Monday. “Happy Pride Month to all who are celebrating!”
June is Pride Month, a time to celebrate love, acceptance, and the freedom to be yourself. Happy Pride Month to all who are celebrating! pic.twitter.com/g3NLkR8WB7
— Congressman Mike Lawler (@RepMikeLawler) June 1, 2026
Several conservatives immediately pushed back, with New York Times bestselling author and Daily Wire reporter Megan Basham serving as his loudest critic.
“We are conservatives,” she wrote. “If you can’t even support conserving the natural family then you are not just useless, but actively destructive to our movement and need to be primaried and removed from office. We’re not doing this anymore.”
We are conservatives. If you can’t even support conserving the natural family then you are not just useless, but actively destructive to our movement and need to be primaried and removed from office.
We’re not doing this anymore.
— Megan Basham (@megbasham) June 2, 2026
Basham later d a screenshot of another X account that had been blocked by Lawler, adding that it was illegal for him to block those he disagrees with while using his official account.
“Also Congressman Lawler, it is my understanding that it is illegal for you to block people over their criticism of your Pride post,” she proclaimed. “You might want to rethink this.”
Also Congressman Lawler, it is my understanding that it is illegal for you to block people over their criticism of your Pride post. You might want to rethink this. https://t.co/uhp69Et3I3
— Megan Basham (@megbasham) June 2, 2026
Basham quote tweeted Lawler’s post as well, saying that she isn’t afraid to call out conservatives for capitulating to progressivism.
“Basically, here’s my position. I am done with the GOP coddling this,” she wrote. “And yes, that includes Trump. So everywhere I see it, including if I see it from our President or the White House account, I’m going to go to war with it.”
“We should never have tolerated it, but the best time to undo that cowardice and capitulation is now. It must stop.”
In addition, Jenna Ellis wrote that Lawler “deserved to be primaried just for this post,” calling it “disgraceful pandering.”
Back in May, Lawler was mentioned during an interview between Tucker Carlson and former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, another Republican, with the latter questioning his motives.
“There are Republican members of Congress that never had good intentions, ever, ever,” she said. “And they came into the House of Representatives already completely supported and propped up and funded by this nasty entanglement I’m talking about in Washington, and I watched it with my own eyes when I watched Mike Lawler get elected.”
“And I was like, ‘Wow, what is going on with this guy?’ And it turns out he did win his race,” Greene recalled. “It was a narrow victory, but he did win it. And of course, he instantly came into the House of Representatives, completely bought and paid for by all of the establishment donor class that had supported him.”
“He hated Donald Trump, made fun of him constantly, mimicked him, making fun of his voice,” she added. “He used to attack me, make fun of me, come and find me on the House floor, and make fun of me for supporting Donald Trump, and this was in the four years before Trump got elected as president again in 2024.”
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