06/29/2004 - 5:05 PM

Not

Yet another first in the life of John. As we marched down Colfax Avenue, truly caught up in the joy of the day and the enthusiasm of so many people out for Pridefest, Matt said, "Get ready." There were two people standing in front of the Catholic cathedral on the right, holding signs quoting Leviticus and shouting out that God hates fags. Matt was prepared, responding "God bless you, too". I was in shock...it hadn't even dawned on me that this would happen. Further down, in front of the Capitol on the left side, another man appearing to be in the crowd of well-wishers simply said, "go to Hell", and started to walk away. My response..."we love you, too." Not quite what I expected, but the message got across that we wouldn't stoop to their level.

That was only three people out of thousands, though. So many people saw that we were a church that was accepting and caring, and a lot of people cheered and applauded. By some fluke of luck, we ended up second in the parade, after the grand marshals and the sponsors, so people were not quite warmed up yet. We didn't exactly give them anything to be excited about, but we weren't there to party and throw beads, either. Our purpose was to show our diversity, and I believe we did that. ...gays, lesbians, straights, and a big ol' transgendered person in the back seat of the convertible, waving to the crowd as if she was the homecoming queen or winner of the Miss State Fair pageant.

We looked GOOD...at least to me, anyway.

What I'm Listening To: Stroke 9 - Little Black Backpack

First Word That Comes To Mind: Proud

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