PRIDE in ???

"Well, July is almost upon us. Then Pride Month will be over for another year. In July we can get onto celebrations which most all of us can agree on - like our Independence Day."

This is Pride Month. You did not notice? Living around this large metropolitan city, not to notice Pride Month, or Pride Festival, means you must be living under a rock. It is a chance for the 2% of the population who identify themselves with some kind of letter, can march in a parade and be, well, sometimes offensive and mostly noticed.

But don't worry. The Minnesota Methodists, who recently have thrown in with the ELCA, had a HUGE add in the paper this morning. It told all the participants in Pride Fest that God had pride in them. And by the way, any gay person who identifies with any of the alphabet letters would be welcome to worship at anyone of the Methodist churches in the area. 

Is this going to be some kind of homophobic rant Bird? Not a bit. I have absolutely nothing against any gay person, no matter what letter of the alphabet they identify with. But what about this church thing Bird? Do you go to a church which is unwelcoming to gays? Nope. In fact, I have not only never been to a church like that, I have never heard of one either in this neck of the woods. It is true many churches may not condone marrying gay people in the church or ordaining gay clergy, but gays are always welcomed to worship in any church I have gone to. It is that whole hating the sin but loving the sinner thing. 

I guess this does need to be said however. I will speak for some (maybe many) of the 98% of the folks who are not gay - you might want to tone it down. There is a HUGE playing field which exists between living in the shadows and flaunting your lifestyle for an entire month in Minneapolis. My gosh, they have even painted the crosswalks to look like rainbows! Sure glad that city, with a huge homeless problem, has money to burn doing that kind of foolishness. 

Here is my vision of reality. I accept the fact that 2% of the population are gay (or some version thereof). I get it. I do not hate them. I do not dislike them. I have had gay friends. I have worked with gay people. No big shakes. BUT - I do get tired of having this shoved down my throat. I DO get tired of having this politicized. I DO get tired of government schools allowing our kids to become sexualized, to find out if they are "gender fluid" or some nonsense such as that. It seems that community, along with the PC police, has taken the system of "live and let live", and pushed a few light years further down the road.

Well, July is almost upon us. Then Pride Month will be over for another year. In July we can get onto celebrations which most all of us can agree on - like our Independence Day. And celebrating 50 years since Armstrong set foot on the Moon. Should be a good month.