As a "Christian lesbian", I don't understand why the LGBT community feels outraged that they cannot march under their own banner at the St. Patrick's Day Parade. With that being said, gays and lesbians are not
banned from the parade, they are just unable to obtain a permit under their own separate contingent. This is a parade to celebrate the Irish culture, not sexual orientation. NRA Catholics aren't even able to have their own banner, neither are pro-lifers. They're "groups" too. If you're gay and lesbian, go out there and celebrate the parade. Why is it always a huge "agenda" -- a persistent urge to demonstrate sexual orientation? You want equal rights, then how would you feel if straight people had their own banner? We have gay pride day in NYC -- a huge event that takes up many streets for the entire day. But that's not enough. We have rights now. We can marry the person we love here in NY and a few other states. It's getting more progressive. I think it's a shame that Mayor Bill de Blasio is boycotting the parade, but really not surprised. Last Sunday, he attended "St. Pat's for All" parade in Queens, NY. The parade urged the mayor to prohibit our bravest heroes, policemen, firefighters and city workers from wearing their uniforms if they attended. The mayor boycotts the law by not abiding by them after being so adamant about others to do so as he sped through a stop sign recklessly. He didn't even care for our own children by not closing the schools as a blizzard took hold of our city streets. His track record isn't the greatest and he's only been in office for a short while. He is a poor decision maker and sadly, way too 'left' for my taste. He. doesn't. make. any. sense.
Here's one major concern of mine regarding why I feel the LGBT community should not have their own banner in this parade: children. As you know, there are a select few people who make the LGBT community look like a bunch of promiscuous wildcats with no shame. We are NOT about being promiscuous, which sets up the stage for bigotry in many people's eyes, and for good reason. NOBODY wants to see you naked. NOBODY wants their kids to see you naked. Of course, a few bad eggs can definitely spoil the entire batch, but there is always a
small percentage of the LGBT community who have to literally show their sexuality in terms of PDA in front of everyone, even in front of children. Trying to make a sexual statement like that will only decrease your chances of acceptance. You want rights? Do it respectively like everyone else who has to go through the mill. Every single person who is in the LGBT community wants to be accepted, so why would you demonstrate your lifestyle in such a vile and detestable way? And please note, I only speak for those "select few" who want to destroy the image of what the LGBT community stands for: love, family and acceptance. It is not about sex. It is about people who love others of the same gender. Why aren't you pushing to march with a separate banner at the Puerto Rican Day Parade, or how about the Chinese New Year Parade? The St. Patty's Day Parade is the oldest parade in the world and mainly controlled by the Roman Catholic church, who deems homosexuality as an abomination to begin with.
Fight for your rights. We won the fight for the antigay bill they tried to pass in Arizona, which got vetoed. Those things are important. Equality is important. Gay or straight, if you want to march in the parade and hold up flags, hold up your signs or whatever you prefer and go out there and have a good time. Celebrate being YOU. Celebrate how far we have come throughout the years. Let's not make a mockery of ourselves by demanding to be apart of every single parade. We have tons of events for the LGBT community here in NYC. Let them deny us to march, because frankly, it's not a "valid" banner. We're pushing the bill too far here. We need to approach our liberties with self-respect and dignity.
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