How One Reaction to a Mural Tore a New England Town Apart

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

How One Reaction to a Mural Tore a New England Town Apart
The 6,000 residents of Littleton, N.H., had found a way to coexist despite their differences — until a town official’s words set off a conflagration.



Until that moment, it had not attracted much attention. Its subject matter — a blooming iris, dandelions, birch trees — did not seem controversial.

But for Ms. Gendreau, 62, who was also a state senator representing northern New Hampshire, the mural had set off alarms. She was certain there were subversive messages in its imagery, planted there by the nonprofit group that had planned and paid for it.

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“We need to be very careful,” Ms. Gendreau said at the meeting. She urged residents to “research” what the mural “really means,” and called for closer oversight of other public art.

“I don’t want that to be in our town,” she said.

Before she made the comments that plunged Littleton into tumult, Ms. Gendreau had occasionally injected her religious faith into municipal business. When the board hired Jim Gleason as town manager in 2021, he was startled by the words she used to offer him the job.

“God wants you in Littleton,” he recalled her saying. Not long after that, Ms. Gendreau began starting select board meetings with a prayer.

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In October, in an interview with The Boston Globe, Ms. Gendreau called homosexuality an “abomination” and warned of “twisted preferences” she saw “creeping into our community.” She also spoke out against a well-known musical about a gay couple, “La Cage Aux Folles,” that was being staged at the Littleton Opera House by a local theater group that had made the town-owned building its home for a decade.

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https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/28/us/littleton-new-hampshire-mural.html?unlocked_article_code=1.n00.4xJA.8Ookou3AdI-0&smid=url-share

[walkingman]

1. Mental illness in America is pervasive.

[paleotn]

4. And it seems to be centered in the Republican Party.

The mentally unbalanced are attracted to it like moths to porch light.

[NanaCat]

15. Well, if you're willing to call religiosity a mental illnesss...

Expect some serious poutrage over that.

[Brenda]

2. Sick religious fucks are what's tearing this country apart.

Not happy enough with banning books they're moving on to art. What an insane brain to see evil in a fucking dandelion.

Why not ask the artist what they represent? And if she does say the rainbow is about inclusiveness for all people, what's wrong with THAT?

America seems to be rolling back to Medieval times.

[Lonestarblue]

3. Such a shame that one bigoted woman could almost destroy a town.

I recently saw an article (don’t remember where now) saying that a new version of the Bible in 1976 first used the word homophobia and that it was a mistranslation of the Greek, ascribing different meanings to the Bible verses that were quickly picked up by evangelicals like Jerry Falwell and publicized to turn people against gay people. Given that the Bible started as an oral tradition before being written down, it is likely that stories and meanings changed over time, sort ofnlike the telephone game.

[Mariana]

14. Let's not pretend it's just one bigoted woman.

She has supporters who agree with her.

Also, homophobia in the Bible is not a new thing. The very earliest Englsh translations of the Bible say that male homosexual acts are an abomination and commands that partcipants must be executed. Female homosexuality is not addressed. That's probably because women were essentially property, and what they did among themselves was considered to be beneath notice. As long as their hymens remained intact until they were sold into marriage, no one cared.

[yardwork]

5. Reading the article - thanks for the gift! - it sounds like reason prevailed.

The only people complaining are the Republican meanies. It's a shame that they drove their town manager away, though.

[TheRickles]

6. What does she do when she sees a rainbow in the sky? Options include cursing at it, running inside to hide, and etc.

In a way, life is a Rorschach test to some degree, but this is extreme. As Freud said, "Sometimes an iris is just an iris". Good to know that her brand of distortion - projecting her unacknowledged inner shadow self into the outer world - has been rejected in Littleton.

[Fla Dem]

7. Interesting article, good read. Thanks for posting.

[young_at_heart]

8. I hope the people who elected her change their minds

I'd like to think that the people who elected this weird woman will see how destructive she is and vote her out!

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

13. She chose not to run for relection... she's gone

[DFW]

9. She thinks they've got trouble, right there in River City

Her name starts with "Gen," and that rhymes with "N," and that stands for Nuts!

Or maybe she just wants to be like "Dr. Jenna Jacobs:" (check out starting at 1:40)

[Buns_of_Fire]

10. After reading the article - thank you! - I know what her beef was:

Ms. Gendreau said she knew, when she first criticized the mural, that most people would not understand — that the iris was a dangerous symbol because Iris was the Greek goddess of the rainbow; that children needed protection from demonic forces threatening to lead them astray.

I had a feeling that the rainbow colors behind the iris might have had something to do with it. Next time it rains, she'd best not look up. But it's good to know that folks like Ms. Gendreau are on the job protecting our children from dangerous flowers.

[lpbk2713]

11. "We did our research Ms. Gendreau"

"The consensus is ... you're crazy as a loony bird."

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

12. lol

[republianmushroom]

16. Parents protect your children from the three "C".

[dembotoz]

17. you know the red stop sign is a symbol for STOP trump....we need to cut those down too