T minus 396 days

Four days closer to 40 and what's a girl to do? Go to a Gay Pride Parade, of course! My 16 year old daughter and I met my favorite all boy couple in Durham for the state's twenty-fifth annual Pride Parade. I can't believe in all my almost 40 years I have never been to a Pride Parade. It was a treat to see the costumes and the floats; it was especially enjoyable to see groups of people getting to be just who they are. The most difficult part of the day for me was the protestors. I can usually be a sort of low key person, but the amount of anger stirred by the anti gay activist forced me to say a few things out loud and right in their face. Carrying their signs and holding a Bible, they condemned all the homosexuals to hell. One dressed in a "Jesus Saves" orange shirt declared, "This is serious. You are going to burn in hell." Another overweight man who was managing a banner that stated "Aids is a homosexual's punishment", shouted a rather crude comment to man with an unruly German Shepherd, "No matter what you do that dog isn't going to take it up the ass." And this man calls himself a Christian. Don't sign me up for that church! After those negative Christian interactions, it was nice to see plenty of Christian representation in the parade. The parade director did have his/her fun...right in the middle of the churches marched the Triangle Athiest Meetup Group. A litle bit of forced irony never hurt anybody; it just might make you think. Can't we all just get along?!?