My two cents
So, today is the Western Days parade, a local festival in which there are many floats, festivities, and sno-cones. There has never been, as far as anyone can remember, a float that was turned down because it was deemed politically/religiously unacceptable. This years celebration marks the first time the general rule was violated as one group was denied the privalage to join in the festivities. The southern Idaho GLBT Community Center was not allowed to enter in the parade due to the fact that they may be controversial. Lisa Cuellar, chairwoman of the Western Days Parade, said, " This is a very conservative region with strong religious values, it's nothing against the group itself but we felt that it was in everybody's best interest not to allow their float in the parade." To add insult to injury, Cuellar goes on to say, "I don't know what these people are going to look like in the parade or what they will have on the float. I agree that [the Twin Falls community is] changing. But I don't think that Twin Falls is ready for something like this - I mean, this isn't San Fransisco."
I may not be conservative but I do have strong religious values. I believe that our savior taught us to love and accept all of those around us by both his words recorded in the Holy Gospels as well as his actions towards those who resided in the "social margins" of his own time and place. Not only that, but I also believe it to be a disgrace to the spirit of our small town when community members who are more and more active in the political and educational realms are denied their rights as Americans, Idahoans, and tax-paying residents to join in a public celebration that has had a fantastic history of allowing many various social groups to gather together in the spirit of the west.
I honestly find this rather shameful.
I may not be conservative but I do have strong religious values. I believe that our savior taught us to love and accept all of those around us by both his words recorded in the Holy Gospels as well as his actions towards those who resided in the "social margins" of his own time and place. Not only that, but I also believe it to be a disgrace to the spirit of our small town when community members who are more and more active in the political and educational realms are denied their rights as Americans, Idahoans, and tax-paying residents to join in a public celebration that has had a fantastic history of allowing many various social groups to gather together in the spirit of the west.
I honestly find this rather shameful.
posted by -mike- at 3:50 PM
1 Comments:
Thanks for your support!
I found you in seeing what has been posted to the internet since the weekend and I let members of the GLBT know about your site and your kind words..
Thanks.
You are welcome to come and talk with us on Wednesday at the Depot Gril around 7:30 we'll be in the back room there.
Post a Comment
<< Home