I wrote this post in relation to a CMV about straight guys in gay bars, but I think it reflects a concept relevant here; ie, maybe help understand why that head-dress might be more important to a Native American than an equivalent symbol would be to someone in the Anglo majority:
Imagine that, instead of there being two bars around you, there were 50. And 49 of them were Boston sports bars, because the nightmare is real, and you've been transported to Beantown. Hey, there's nothing wrong with liking the Celtics or the Red Sox, I support the right of all sports fans to be free and equal. But every time you go to one of those 49 bars, you have to ask to turn on to the Nats, and some guy named Sully gives you a dirty look. You elbow the guy next to you to talk about the Dudley trade, and he shifts the convo to what a great year Chris Babb's gonna have in 2016. You hear more about the scene at Landsdowne St. than any man ever should.
And occasionally, definitely more than you like, if you walk into these bars some Celtics fans will talk shit to you. They'll harass your. One time they even swung at you for wearing a Redskins hat. It's not an everyday thing by any means, and it happens less every year, but it still happens pretty often. In fact, it happens enough that some people don't like to advertise their fandom -- they don't wear their Wizards gear in public, because they know it might hurt them professionally or socially, or even get them assaulted. A few years ago, a guy was even stabbed and killed for wearing a Nats jersey.
So you hang out at the DC sports bar. You're happy you found it -- before, it was hard to find other Wizards fans to talk to. At this bar, when the Wizards are playing, everyone in the room cheers for the right team. Nobody makes fun of you. Nobody's wearing green. Everyone's knowledgeable about the Skins, Wizards, Nats, Capitals. And people know about other DC issues too. Not every conversation swings back to Menino and Deval Patrick.
And then, one day, a couple Boston fans roll in wearing Rondo jerseys and Sox hats. That's cool, that's fine. But still -- can't they go to the other 49 bars? Space is limited here. This is the one place a DC fan can come and be themselves, but those Boston fans can go anywhere. And you know it's entirely possible that if they bring their friends, there will soon be 50 Boston bars and no DC bar.
It's pretty common on Reddit for people to sympathize, but not really empathize with minorities. Trust me -- the gay patrons in that bar are not all from within walking distance. There are a lot of people making an effort to come to one of the relatively few places they can be natural, and with their community. They're living in a world that presumes they are straight, it's a comfort to finally be in a space where the way you are is the default. And it's frustrating to see a tiny place that you have for yourself begin to be taken over by people who already have everything.
To you, it sucks to lose one of the two options in walking distance. But I imagine there are other places around if you had to be slightly more inconvenienced. Consider losing one of the only options you have, in a large radius.