4th of July

Most people's 4th of July activities & involvements are full of red, white & blue...ours was full of red, orange, yellow, green, blue & violet. Again, this year, we put our energy into PFLAG - Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians And Gays - and walked as a family of allies in the parade. This year we decided not to do anything political or controversial, which was a nice feeling. In our country right now there's a lot of intensity around same-sex marriage, the intersection (or conflict) of homosexuality & Christianity... but we stepped beyond it to simply, happily, lovingly acknowledge our families.

The parade theme was "Grant County: Past, Present & Future," so our sign simply said "Families: Our Past, Present & Future." We all wore solid shirts of the colors in the rainbow, played with rainbow beach balls & blew bubbles, and handed out proud and allied buttons & rainbow bracelets. It was a "palatable" entry this time, and we experienced predominantly supportive, cheering responses. It was especially sweet when kids would jump up from their seats on the curb, watching, and play in the bubbles or throw back a beach ball blown astray. We truly seemed to bring joy to the festivities this year. I only saw one small group of 4 individuals turn their backs as we passed by, and personally I heard no negative jeers.

Even though it was minimal, it's still heart-wrenching to me when I experience this kind of judgment & discrimination for supporting & loving my gay, lesbian, bisexual & transgendered friends & family. I'm grateful for the opportunity to ally myself with such a loving LGBT family as I find here in Silver City. I'm grateful that family doesn't have to be limited to the people we were born sharing a gene pool with, and that our family of choice includes such a colorful array of people. :)