Quantcast
Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 119

Bigots Say the Darndest Things: Why we need Gay Pride

June is Pride month. Where gay and straight alike celebrate sexuality in its many forms, and pursue the right to live without harassment because of the way sexuality expresses itself in the individual. Around the world June begins a series of festivals, celebrations, and parties, all culminating in a parade. It’s a time of parties, reverie, binge drinking, and hangovers. It’s a time of debauchery, pea-cocking, and ostentatious displays of individuality. It’s indecent, licentious, immoral, and iniquitous. In short, it’s the antithesis of morality and decency as defined by Evangelicals of all stripes.

Pride is so offensive to Evangelicals that they will stand in the heat or the rain along the parade route with fierce and violent signs, death threats (yes, threatening hell is a death threat), and visuals of their utter disgust for the way sexuality plays out in humanity. But we also have social media, for those who simply can’t get away from their Bibles to harass in person.  Such is the story of Bishop Thomas Tobin who unironically tweeted:

A reminder that Catholics should not support or attend LGBTQ “Pride Month” events held in June. They promote a culture and encourage activities that are contrary to Catholic faith and morals. They are especially harmful for children.

I say unironically, because the most dangerous place in America is either in school, or in church. And there were those who pointed that out, such as actor Wilson Cruz:

“You know what’s proven to be actually harmful to children…? The Catholic Church.”

So the bishop walked back some of the comment with a non-apology, which then drew the ire of a plethora of Evangelical bigots. Including Fr. John Zuhlsdorf who writes Fr. Z's Blog. To be fair, nothing he said isn’t something we’ve already heard before, more times than we’ve heard the song Amazing Grace played on the bagpipes. He reminded his followers—again, unironically:

Our Blessed Mother told Lucia (as communicated to the late Card. Caffarra) that the Devil’s last battlefront is the family. From the beginning the “father of lies” has deceived people into thinking that God hasn’t told the truth and that we can be the arbiters of our own “right” and our own “wrong”. This is why the growth of the homosexualist agenda is so deadly. It overturns the very order of creation and promotes a violation of God’s image manifest in each and every human being. Homosexual acts tear at the very fabric of society.

Did I mention the biggest threat to families is the Church—and when it comes to destroying children, Satan has free run in the Church and he takes full advantage of all the latitude given to him by Church leaders.

Fr. Z then goes on to—unironically—call upon the early church father, St. Augustine—a man who abandoned his own family—to somehow make the point that they must save families.

However, it’s when he reveals the true nature of the Evangelical and what they intend to do to the gay community where the article becomes somewhat terrifying:

In the time before modern medicine, doctors had to keep cutting even though the patient screamed for him to stop.  The shepherd has to beat sheep who are going the wrong way and even loose the dogs to stop them.

In other words, “if ‘those gays’ won’t listen to what we say, we’ll use violence.” And that’s exactly what he’s advocating.

Yet, believe it or not, it gets worse. There are comments. And none of these commenters would survive ten minutes on the show “Are you Smarter than a Fifth Grader.” In fact, they’re an embarrassment to fifth graders everywhere. I’ve changed all their names, but the comments are real. Let’s start with one of the dumbest comments I think I’ve ever read in any setting:

Mick Stupp says:

In my vocabulary a homophobic is a woman who fears that part of a man that organically compliments her womaness. homo= manly parts, Phobic= fear of. Thats how I see it. [sic]

When it comes to a response to this, “I got nothing.” Dictionaries are online now. She could simply look up the meaning of the word. Or Wikipedia (although Evangelicals tend to hate it because of its fact-based approach). Still, even Conservapedia has a definition that’s almost correct.

Another commenter says:

Iman Dignant says:  

Remember when the homosexual movement wanted only tolerance? That was a lie. They demand affirmation – and they will tolerate nothing less.

Blanche Dividian responds to Iman Dignant:

We are long past affirmation. Now the movement wants your children.

Again, said unironically, from a member of an organization that is actively going after children with a vengeance. As to affirmation, “it’s science bitches”. All we’re asking is that you somehow accept and embrace biology. You don’t have to like it, just acknowledge that it’s how the human body/human sexuality works.

I think the most frightening comment I’ve seen in many years was this one:

Eva Destruction says:      

Seriously, the only reason they go after Catholics is because they know we will not behead them.

We know that this is exactly what they want to do to us, and we know they wouldn’t think twice if they could. Which makes this comment so chilling. Which is why we need Gay Pride in the first place.

And the winner, for the most incongruous, ignorant, oblivious comment ever:

Snow White Trash says:    

The final blow on the family is likely to be legalized pedophilia. They’re working on that. God have mercy on us all if this is achieved.

There is absolutely nothing I can say that you’re probably not already thinking regarding this comment.

So that Gay Pride happens in the presence of these types of people is significant. One might even call it a miracle. It’s more than an outlandish display of sexuality, more than a carnival, more than a parade. It’s more than a balls-out (literally), no-holds-barred, unadulterated display of human sexuality. Gay Pride is just that—an expression of being. In essence, you could say Gay Pride is a spiritual celebration: like Christmas, Easter, Passover, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, and of course, Halloween.

  • It represents the birth of hope in the midst of oppression (though one would be hard-pressed to find a virgin nowadays).
  • It means that gay people aren’t “sinners,” but, like Jesus, “sons and daughters of God.”
  • It represents a community’s Exodus from hatred, oppression, and slavery from those who wish to deny them the right to live.
  • It’s a time to give thanks: for sexuality in the first place, and the way sexuality and express itself.
  • It’s also a time to be thankful for how far we’ve come in the midst of how far we still have to go.
  • It’s a time for costumes and ostentatious displays.
  • And of course, Gay Pride is a time where the ghosts of those who have gone before can walk among us as we celebrate their sacrifices, while wearing outlandish costumes.
  • It’s a time to look at our brothers and sisters around the world still suffering and reach out in an effort to help them out of persecution as well.

Regardless of the bigots, Gay Pride is Holy Day, a sacred remembrance that the Universe is vast and expansive and is itself the author of diversity. I am who I am, and I don’t have to apologize to anyone for that.


Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 119

Trending Articles



<script src="https://jsc.adskeeper.com/r/s/rssing.com.1596347.js" async> </script>