How Internet Trolls Helped This Detroit Couple Amplify Their Message for LGBTQ+ Rights
Meet the Army vets using their online platform to fight for inclusivity and fairness for all
In Detroit's historic Indian Village neighborhood, Kris Cravens-Hutton and her husband Dave Hutton are known for their ambitious restoration of a century-old Craftsman-style home and their vibrant Pride decorations. But their Instagram account, 1910.craftsman.on.burns, has become something much more significant: a platform often focused on LGBTQ+ advocacy that reaches nearly a half million followers. The account is peppered with Kris’s acerbic wit and her love of maximalist decor, spot-on commentary about issues of the day and occasional glimpses into the couple’s daily life in Detroit, including fun with fan-favorite Remington, their agreeable yellow Labrador retriever.
The couple, who met in the U.S. Army, purchased their sprawling home on Burns Street in 2019 as a major work in progress. What began as documentation of an extensive renovation project has evolved into a space where the couple (especially the more vocal Kris) fearlessly stands up for the LGBTQ+ community against online harassment and political attacks.
"We live in a little historic village over here in Detroit," Kris told Pride Source. "And from all over, there's people in my neighborhood who are original Detroiters, but so many of us have come here from different places... some of us are married, some of us are single, some people are in long-term commitments, some are gay, some are straight. We are everything. And that’s part of why I started speaking out more.”
Another, perhaps larger part of the couples’ increased advocacy, was the influx of internet trolls who flocked to the comments section of their Instagram account to rail against hopeful, uplifting messages in support of progressive causes — especially on posts where Kris, a staunch ally, has dared to defend LGBTQ+ community members.
Finding their voice
Kris says she became more cemented in her decision to focus on calling out harassment after a confrontation in front of the couple’s home during a neighborhood home and garden tour. A man approached the house and told them they should take down their Pride flag, citing religious reasons.
"I was like, 'Sir, that's not going to happen,'" Kris recalled. The next morning, still angry about the encounter, she recorded a response and posted it without much thought. Then, the internet did its thing.
"All of a sudden, we had 13,000 followers," she said. "I was like, 'David, what is happening?'"
The uncomfortable incident marked the beginning of Kris's more vocal stance on LGBTQ+ issues. Instead of simply ignoring trolls, she began using their comments as teaching moments while protecting her followers from seeing the original hateful messages.
"I screenshot, block and delete them," she explained. "I'm not interested in any troll account using our account to 'feed their ugly,' as my mama would say, and our follower friends don't need to see them. I'll cherry pick the troll comments that light my fire and use it — the rest go into the garbage where they belong."
While the trolls might be poofed out of existence when it comes to the channel, their "inspiration," if you will, is what built the couple's Instagram following. Kris explains that she will sometimes post a troll comment in a reel and then black out their names or Instagram handle and then process her feelings or make a point in response. "Building our Instagram account off that process has been a lovely side effect that I have embraced," she said. "It has brought more of the folks I want to sit down and have a cup of coffee with to our account and comments section."
One particularly significant response came after a comment about LGBTQ+ individuals in the military. Kris fired back, emphasizing that "the Pride community [has] always been in our military and [has] always been serving forever in the military."
In a post responding to a troll who told her she should be using her time to support veterans, Kris posted a reel where she spoke to the camera. “I had to respond to this one because it’s just too juicy not to,” she begins, in her trademark Southern drawl. “She accuses me of being a middle-aged liberal. Girl, I’m delighted to have lived this long in this life, and I’m happy to be called a liberal. That’s a badge or honor to me, sister. And you say I should be doing something more worthwhile in my time, like supporting the veterans.”
“I just want to show you something,” she continues, before Dave shows viewers her Army cap. “This is the hat I wore for four years on active duty in the United States Army through three deployments. Let me show you something else. This is one of the many hats my husband Dave wore in his 20-plus years on active duty. Girl, we support the veterans. We are veterans. We also support our LGBTQIA-plus community. And if you can’t see intrinsically how those two overlap and come together, there ain’t nothing I’m going to say that’s going to help you get that.”
“But I will say one more thing to you,” she adds. “And it’s the thing I sway to all trolls: You go on and you have the day you deserve now.”
Did you hear that mic drop? Because we did.
In another post, she writes: "Most trolls I just block and delete but yesterday's was personal and today's was just a bridge too far. That kind of underhanded, low grade, revisionist history sleight of hand just pisses me off. He's been blocked and deleted and I'm moving on to my normal content of Dave and me putzing around the house..."
While Kris’s fiery missives are cathartic and generate viral moments, the account is also a place where the community finds plenty of hope and joy.
Pride house plans
As Pride Month 2025 approaches, the couple is planning their most ambitious decoration project yet — trolls, be damned. Previous years have featured a Pride flag and a colorful flowing arbor created from craft paper and silk flowers that drew visitors from across the region, but this year, Kris promises the creation will be even more spectacular.
"I wish I could show you what my dining room table is," Kris said, describing the approximately 1,700 foam sheets waiting to be cut into petals for flowers. Lucky for her, the expansive project has become a community endeavor. "I've contacted some of my friends and neighbors and I said, 'I'm gonna need help.' And they're like, 'Yeah, you tell us when. We'll help cut these flowers out and we'll help with the arbor.'"
The design will incorporate the colors of the progressive Pride flag, including traditional rainbow colors, plus black, white, brown and the trans flag colors of light pink, light blue and white.
The Pride decorations have become more than just visual statements. They've created opportunities for connection in their neighborhood and beyond.
"One of the things that Dave and I love about doing the Pride arbor is we meet so many people," Kris said. "People will stop by and talk to us about the house." These connections have led to meaningful relationships, including with a young professional from Arkansas (Kris's home state) who was new to the area.
"I work from home a lot and I'll peek out the second floor window and I'll see people out front of the house taking photos," she said. "It makes my heart happy."
As political tensions rise during the second Trump administration, which has seen intense focus on anti-LGBTQ+ efforts, Kris feels an increasing responsibility to speak out. In one Instagram post, she declares: "The time for subtlety is over. I will not be silent or subtle or complacent."
She credits her neighbors and community with helping her find her voice. Not long ago in the comments section on a post about her Pride display, two gay neighbors defended her from hateful comments without her knowledge. "They woke up every morning and watched the comments come in on our Pride arbor and then engaged the people who were being shitty," she said.
Mostly, responses to Kris’s pro-LGBTQ+ posts are positive, such as “Thank you for this post — it means a lot to me” and “Absolutely adore you guys. Thanks for being allies.” “Honestly, those comments keep us going,” Kris said.
The couple sees their platform as particularly important because of who they are: a straight, middle-aged couple who "look like people's parents or grandparents." Their appearance gives them a unique position to reach people who might not listen to other advocates.
"Dave and I naturally look like right-wing nut jobs," Kris joked. "We have an opening in a way to have these kinds of conversations with people."
For Kris, supporting the LGBTQ+ community "just feels normal." She explained, "It's just taking care of people who've taken care of us. We try to be careful about overstepping, too." While she’s a “little uncomfortable” about being the focus of this article or when she hears praise from fans of the account, the couple plans to keep using the platform in ways that feel helpful toward batting down bigotry and ignorance — and for providing comedic relief at a time when it feels vital to take a breather now and then.
As they continue renovating their historic home and planning for this year's Pride display, Kris and Dave have created something unexpected but deeply valuable: a community platform where advocacy meets authenticity, and where restoration extends beyond a historic house — all the way to strengthening the foundations of a more inclusive society.
"I think one of the things that is going to be really important in the years ahead is finding and building a community where you feel safe," Kris said, "and where you can flourish and grow and you can work together to fight back against some of the garbage that's coming out. That’s really the goal here, and we’re just so grateful to have a small part in that.”
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