Well, given the events of the past week and the defeat of the Defense Of Marriage Act, there was no question about going to PRIDE this year as it was an historic event. I guess the other 1.499 million people had the same idea! As I walking down Market Street in San Francisco on my way to the parade after church yesterday, I thought about the first time I attended PRIDE in San Francisco. The year was 2001. At the time I was doing a summer intensive course for my doctor of ministry degree. One of the other participants was a pastor from South Korea. We both ended up having our first experience of PRIDE that weekend. He went accidentally and I went intentionally. He had attended a church service in San Francisco and found himself caught in the parade route. He couldn’t move much so he watched instead. When we were back in class on Monday morning, he was profoundly disturbed by all he had seen. Ironically, I, too, had been quite shocked by what I had seen. Not disturbed, mind you, but shocked. Who knew people were brave enough to walk down Market Street naked, in drag, pantomiming S and M acts, blatantly sexual and erotic? My goodness. I really am a small town girl at heart! When the pastor from South Korea expressed his dismay in class the next day, I surprised myself by speaking up and sharing my experience. He was surprised to hear that I was shocked. Because of that, I think he was able to listen to me differently. I told him that PRIDE is like a day of freedom for LGBTQI people. For so many who have been closeted and oppressed for so long, PRIDE is the day when it seems safe to let loose the chains and live freely. For some, I explained, it means going to the opposite extreme. For others, it means having fun and expressing one’s sexuality in ways that are harmless. To his credit, the pastor seemed to understand the idea of a day of freedom.
Last evening while driving home after a very long day, one of our daughters and my wife and I were talking about the things we had seen at PRIDE. Once again the subject of people’s bodies came up because one see’s things at PRIDE that are not normally a part of everyday life. One of the things we were talking about is how many straight young people go to PRIDE wearing very little in the way of clothing! Our daughter summed it all up by saying, “All of it makes sense to me because PRIDE is a day to celebrate your body no matter what your body may look like. PRIDE is the one day where it seems safe for people to be themselves or to be someone else and they will be celebrated. Women can usually walk around and not be propositioned by men. People who are less attractive can wear whatever they want and they are appreciated for joining in the festivities. PRIDE is a day for judging to stop.” Her description of it moved me. Imagine a time when 1.5 million people can just accept each other! A day of freedom, indeed.
My only regret from yesterday was that I was not marching to show the crowds, once again, how true it is that God loves each and every one. Period. For those who have been so abused by the church (not God), that show of love is transformative. PRIDE is exactly the place for a pastor and a congregation to be!