What Pride celebrations are, what they should always be about, and what they should never allow themselves to become

Attendees of the 2014 SC Pride celebration enjoy the festivities.

In the LGBTQ community, there has been a huge discussion/debate about our Pride celebrations. Some folks think they have become stale and should be more controversial and in-your-face, so to speak. They feel that things are too corporate and too "family-friendly."

To me, Pride has nothing to do with being controversial simply for the sake of controversy. We don't need to worry about that because in spite of all we have achieved, the idea of same-gender loving people, transgender people, and folks who generally don't fit the paradigm of traditional roles in gender and sexual orientation ( non-binary folks, asexual folks, and pansexual folks) being open and unashamed about who they are is still a controversial concept to many.

In terms of corporate sponsorship of Pride, I see both the good and bad in the idea. But the one issue I simply cannot see both sides of is the complaint that maybe Pride is too "family-friendly." What's wrong with being family-friendly?  I understand that some people have a concept of being LGBTQ which puts them as some sort of a rebel against what they call a "heteronormative idea" of society. They frown on the idea of LGBTQ people having what they assume are traditional roles - i.e. a married life with a stereotypical white-picket fence and children with the only thing being different from the man/wife dynamic is that ours doesn't involve a man and a woman. And then don't even get me started with the "gay means sexual rebellion" folks. I will leave that alone for now and tell you what I know. 

Prides are different all over the country. Our individual Prides should reflect our individual communities, not one idea of a homogenized LGBTQ community and certainly not some false "in-your-face just to be in-your-face" idea. 

Down here in South Carolina, our Pride is family-friendly because we have a good number of LGBTQ people - couples and single parents -raising children. We are less in-your-face controversial and more of fellowshipping, educating, and meeting new friends. We love our swag which does from corporate booths and the petting zoos, bookmobiles, bouncy castles, and free prizes which come with our family-friendly, child-friendly ambience.

'Companies need to swap tokenism for authenticity if they want to celebrate Pride' & other Tue midday news briefs

 

Companies need to swap tokenism for authenticity if they want to celebrate Pride with us - Preach!! 

60 Minutes Story Focuses on Transition Regret, Gets Slammed - 60 Minutes should have done better and devoted more time to make the story right. 

Tennessee moves to the forefront with anti-transgender laws - State officials are simply thinking out of the air of new negative bills to make into laws. 

 Steven Crowder co-host says CNN's Don Lemon dresses like a “pedophile” - Accusing an openly gay man of "dressing like a pedophile." No dog whistle there. Particularly an absolutely stupid one.

Religious right meltdown/conspiracy theories about LGBTQ-themed LEGOs make for enjoyable reading

The anti-LGBTQ industry is having a hissyfit . . . over LEGOs?

Earlier, I was cynical about the upcoming LGBTQ-themed LEGO blocks, but I am now on the bandwagon for them because of how hysterical they are making members of the anti-LGBTQ industry. The American Family Association's false news source, One News Now, featured an article about them and I found it extremely amusing.

Here is a snippet:

With the pro-LGBTQ toy being recommended for ages 18+, many critics are concerned about the actual contents inside the new product’s box and its appropriateness for youth, but the designer of the Lego set, Matthew Ashton, insists it is for all. "[I] wanted to create a simple little set with a powerful message of love, inclusivity and acceptance… so here it is! #lego love to you all!" tweeted Ashton, who is also a Lego vice president of design. He made special mention one particular Lego figure. “[I designed the purple figure to be] a clear nod to all the fabulous drag queens out there," he said, according to WND. 

 As seen by the above excerpt, the article itself is rather tame. The fun stuff comes in when One News Now features a sidebar of two "concerned activists" simply having fits about these LEGOs: 

 "Like no other time in American history, parents have to be alert to what is going on around their children. This culture is at war with God, and the spiritual and moral rebellion has even infected toys. Christian parents had better prepare themselves to properly disciple their kids if they have not already done so, because thousands of precious souls are at stake."  - Ed Vitagliano, executive vice president American Family Association 

 "It's apparent that even toy manufacturers are attempting to indoctrinate children by exposing them to the LGBTQ lifestyle. Why can't LEGO let kids be kids instead of glamorizing a sinful lifestyle? "LEGO is confusing our innocent children by attempting to normalize this lifestyle choice, which is not only irresponsible but also dangerous to the well-being of our children. Toy manufacturers need to remain neutral and should avoid aiming to please a small percentage of customers while pushing away conservative customers." - Monica Cole, director OneMillionMoms.com

Oh the drama! When do they target Bugs Bunny for all of the times he appeared in drag?

'Two school employees busted for unfairly punishing lesbian student (and lying about it)' & other Mon midday news briefs

Two employees punished for banning student from the school bus for saying “I’m a lesbian” - BUSTED! And how you lied is on tape. 

Ted Cruz Uses Antigay Slur While Slamming LGBTQ-Inclusive Army Ad - Ted Cruz is also the same fool who let Trump disrespect his wife without doing anything about it. We KNOW that rascal. 

Pride 2021: Big cities ‘playing the safe card’ with small gatherings, virtual events - Pride is coming back. 

Federal agencies take aim at Trump's LGBTQ policies - Get rid of every anti-LGBTQ policy. Sweep them all out. 

Fox host invokes Rev. Martin Luther King during belligerent denunciation of LEGO and their new set celebrating diversity - It's just a set of LEGOs, you moron.

'Pride Month Song' sketch by SNL is wicked and hilarious, but never insulting to LGBTQ people

 Here is a frivolous Sunday post to ease us into the week before Memorial Day weekend. It could be a good week for LGBTQ people or not. Regardless, I hope this post puts a smile on your face and laughter in your heart as we do what we always need to do to take care of business. 

On Saturday night, SNL ran what I think was a groundbreaking sketch about the return of gay pride celebrations after last year's halt because of COVID. I found the sketch to be funny, so much so that I was still laughing minutes after it was over. Historically, it was also wonderful on two points. 

A sketch poking fun at an LGBTQ subject featuring three out cast members (Kate McKinnon, Punkie Johnson, and Bowen Yang) and the musical guest performer of the week who is also out (Lil Nas X) is something I never thought I would ever see. It's certainly a long way from Eddie Murphy's portrayal of  Richard Simmons in the 80s. Delightful, too. Most importantly, the sketch was funny without  portraying LGBTQ people as jokes. It's a big reason why diversity is so important. No offense, but I doubt this sketch could have been as astute if it were written solely by heterosexuals.

'A look at Tenn's anti-LGBTQ legislation provides a window into a world of bigotry' & other Fri midday news briefs

Tennessee’s anti-LGBTQ bills supported by national conservative groups - We need MORE articles like this. If any other group of Americans were this openly targeted, it wouldn't be tolerated. There would be articles and news videos about it all over the place. 

Tennessee Governor Approves Transgender Youth Treatment Ban - Speaking of which. 

SC State Senator takes aim at Columbia's conversion therapy ban, LGBTQ community reacts - Even though certain members of our community will not acknowledge down in the deep South, South Carolina's LGBTQ community do not take any slack. Nor are we the ones to come for.

Drag queen teaches kids how to ‘feel fabulous inside our own bodies’ on national TV - Anyone thinking that anything is wrong with this can go sit on a nail. 

SGT. BILL HUMMEL: LGBTQ officers need to be part of PrideFest and Black Lives Matter - Amen. Not every LGBTQ community in the country has a bad relationship with their police departments. Some of us have good relationships. We all need to handle our business in our own ways, but no one has the right to generalize and define issues for the entire LGBTQ community. And that goes for members of the LGBTQ community.

Video: GOP demanding that we believe them instead of our own eyes about the January 6th Insurrection

 

Not necessarily an LGBTQ issue per se . . . or maybe it is. Isn't it ironic that the party which works to undermine LGBTQ rights and safety supposedly in the name of values and God is the same party attempting to gaslight people that the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol didn't happen?

Related post - GOP Lies Fueled The Capitol Riot. Of Course They Don’t Want A Panel To Expose That.