On June 1, a day that marks the beginning of Pride Month, Indiana Governor Mike Braun issued a declaration stating that in Indiana, June will officially be known as "Nuclear Family Month." In his announcement, he wrote:
Today, I proclaimed June as Nuclear Family Month in Indiana.
As a father of four and grandfather of seven, I have seen firsthand the impact that loving, committed families can have across multiple generations. As we approach America's 250th anniversary, this proclamation recognizes the important role families play in shaping the future of our state and our country.
Indiana will continue supporting policies that strengthen families and help the next generation thrive.
The actual declaration begins with a clear nod to the Christian nationalist ideologies that, to anyone with even a modicum of critical thinking skills, are clearly underlying such proposals. It starts by defining a "nuclear family" as consisting of "one husband, one wife, and any biological adopted, or fostered children." The declaration also calls the nuclear family "God's design for the family structure" and claims that it has been "the foundation of society since the creation of the world." The rest of the declaration contains dubious claims and fearmongering statements like:
"Research reports that children living with their married, biological parents have better physical and emotional well-being."
"When families weaken, society must compensate with expensive, inferior approaches such as welfare systems, schools as surrogate parents, and police as surrogate discipline."
It ends by tying the declaration to the 250th anniversary of the United States: "As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the USA, we recognize that growing and strengthening families is critical to the next 250 years," thus strongly aligning "Nuclear Family Month" with the Trump administration's Christian nationalist vision for the US.
Make no mistake this is, specifically, white Christian nationalism. Lest someone thinking I'm overstating the case, check out this illustrated version of the declaration that Lt. Governor Micah Beckwith shared on his social media, along with the text:
"And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth." Genesis 9:12-13
Thank you Governor Braun for defending Heaven's Truth!
The illustrated poster of the declaration features the words "TAKE BACK the Rainbow!" in very large, rainbow-colored font at the top, with the text "CELEBRATING NUCLEAR FAMILY MONTH, JUNE 2026" just below. The body of the poster includes rainbow-colored heart-shaped bullet points with the text of each statement of the declaration. At the bottom is a photo of a white family — mom, dad, son, daughter — standing arm-in-arm, with their backs toward the viewer, as they peer over a large swath of land with a rainbow in the background, symbolically admiring their happy future.
Indiana joins a few other Republican-led states and cities — including Tennessee, Alabama, and Fate, Texas — that celebrate "Nuclear Family Month" (or, as Alabama Governor Kay Ivey calls it, "Strong Families Month") in June, which, according to Newsweek, "elevates a traditional, heterosexual family model at the exact moment Pride events highlight LGBTQ+ identity, rights, and visibility."
LGBTQ+ advocate Anna Goodman Herrick told Newsweek that such proclamations are "working hard to destroy the safety of LGBTQ+ people" and they endanger LGBTQIA+ parents and families, "opening them up to be harassed or worse." Herrick further stated that the Trump administration has issued clear statements "that they are trying to cause dire harm to trans people."
The timing is far from accidental, as Chris Sanders of the Tennessee Equality Project told Newsweek: "When the government comes in and says June…is Nuclear Family Month, yes, there's a bit of petty insulting going on there."
Furthermore, declarations like those from Fate, Texas, that link Christian theology to heteronormative families, echo German Nazi-era rhetoric, according to LGBTQ+ advocate Anna Goodman Herrick. Consider the declaration from Fate, Texas Mayor Andrew Greenberg, which states that husband-and-wife households are "God-ordained" and reads, in part:
"As one of the fastest-growing communities in Texas, Fate seeks to preserve the family-oriented values and strong sense of Christian community that continue to attract families seeking a safe and welcoming place to live, worship, and raise children."
Herrick explained to Newsweek that the language in such current declarations are reminiscent of Nazi-era Germany, when "state authorities began treating gender non‑conformity as a breach of public morality, stripping trans people of their legal status and livelihood." They further explained that the Nazi slogan "Kinder, Küche, Kirche" (Children, Kitchen, Church) also forwarded a particular kind of Christian, heteronormative family ideal as state-endorsed.
That's a huge nope from me! I'll definitely be skipping "Nuclear Family Month." Happy Pride, everyone!
Previously:
• Survey reveals the numbers of Christian Nationalists
• The 'Straight White American Jesus' podcast covers the history, philosophy, theology, and politics of Christian nationalism
• US Military Leaders justify attacks on Iran using extremist Christian rhetoric about Armageddon and the 'End Times'
• A primer on the 'dangerous reality of white Christian nationalism'
• A harrowing look inside the apocalyptic Evangelical cult around Donald Trump
