Pride and Prejudice

Well this post is a little late but thought I would post anyway. Went to Pride last weekend and had a blast. The parade was a little more political this year. Damn, float after float of candidates. But I guess we need that if we are to get dumb ass and his cronies out of office. Still it was a good time. Monday we spent at the local amusement park. Traditionally the day after Pride, everyone hits the park the next day. The place is really cool in welcoming everyone, but occasionally you get those unsuspecting folks that are taken totally by surprise. Usually this is just a cause for some humor at seeing their faces as boy and boy or girl and girl walk by holding hands. But this year I had my first run in with a fundamentalist bigot. I know, that shouldn't be surprising but damn the guy got me pissed.

I was simply sitting in the eating area holding a table for our group when this guy from the next table walks up and sits down. He ask if I am married, which I guess he ascertained from my ring. I simply nodded. He went on to ask what was going on with all the gays in the park. I told him that it was gay day since pride was the weekend. He went on to say how disappointed he was and how it really demeans family values especially at a family park. I looked over to his table and there was his wife and two kids. The kids were totally enjoying themselves and bouncing all over like kids do.

I asked him why he was so upset. Did seeing these people make him feel insecure in his relationship to his wife at which point he starts quoting scripture. Now some people are really good at this kind of banter and have great responses to these arguments. For me though, I was suddenly transported back to my youth feeling like I was getting lectured again in church. I actually felt myself tense up and it took everything I had not to reach across the table, grab the dude and slam his head into the table. My feelings escalated as he started saying how everyone was going to be thrown into the lake of fire and burn in hell for this abomination. "Abomination"? I told him that maybe if he could learn to move away from hate and learn to love like Jesus did, that perhaps this world would not be such a bad place. He went on quoting to me. The only thing I could think to ask him was if he felt that his marriage and love for his family was threatened by the show of affection. He said "Of course not!". "Then what is the problem? Are you having feelings that you are insecure with?". Now he is getting mad. I just stood up and said that the conversation was over and that I hoped he learned how to let some love into his heart.

I was so pissed I was trembling. I walked up to K and Triskal to tell them the trauma I had just been through. Triskal had just been asking K about the guy that was hitting on me! LOL! I wish it was that rather that than some Holier than thou freak. Just wish I was better at arguing with them. But sometimes people are just going to be stupid. Oh well, still had a good time. Happy Pride to all. Peace.