Pride in Pride

The Pride Parade was on today. An estimated half a million spectators invaded downtown Vancouver to watch the moving spectacle. I was considering going to see part of it, but a friend called me up and asked if I wanted to hang out, so I headed to another part of downtown instead.

I find the Pride parade quite an interesting phenomenon. I believe the Pride parades are birthed out of the Stonewall resisters (a group of gay and lesbians in a gay club in New York City who were being arrested, and resisted - the year was 1970).

Their actions essentially birthed the modern gay rights movement, and we began to see a concentrated effort to remove the stigma of homosexuality. Gays were coming out of the closet and moving next door.

As more and more rights were won, and mainstream acceptance was gaining ground, the Pride parades also went under a cultural shift. No longer seen as venues of protest, they are now sort of a celebration of the gay community. They are often accompanied by incredible costumes and a general carnival like atmosphere. In Vancouver, whole families will come to the parade to watch it go by.

In Vancouver, there is a lot of corporate sponsorship. Many local businesses will fly the rainbow flag in an effort to draw in gay and lesbian customers in. There is a lot of support by local politicians as well.

I think the best thing about the Parade is that there is often floats which recognize those who have passed away from AIDS and floats that also recognize homosexuals living in fear of violence and repression in countries that do not have the same tolerance and freedom as Canada does.

As the gay community in North America continues to enter the mainstream through the legalization of marriage and other steps, I hope and pray that they will hold on to this care that they show for those who struggle in the ways I described above.

It is easy once you reach a perceived state of comfort, freedom and security to forget those who are suffering. The middle class suburb we are moving to is so far removed from the homeless and the poor that I currently see every time I walk out my door. So, I hope that I too will not lose the visage of the poor and suffering.

Church was good today - several new families. I preached on love - love God and others. I was especially moved by a verse in 1 John 4 - "We love because he first loved us." What a profound verse! God's love pre-exists our own love. His love empowers us to love. Amazing stuff.