Seems like you can't have a Pride celebration these days without some bigots showing up to protest!
Such was the case at Brooklyn Pride this past weekend, where HuffPost Live Associate Producer Alex Berg and her girlfriend encountered a group of protesters. One sign held by the anti-queer individuals read "Jesus Can Forgive Sin What About Yours?" Berg and her girlfriend had the perfect response to this declaration of anti-gay sentiment:
Berg told HuffPost Gay Voices:
Sometimes I'm dismissive of pride parades -- I feel they're contrived or focus too much on partying, and instead we should use that time and energy to directly fight the violence and poverty faced by the LGBTQ community.
Yet, I noticed the sign at the very moment after Mayor Bill de Blasio and First Lady Chirlane McCray marched by in the parade. My skeptic heart swelled when I saw them because the presence of a political institution like the mayor of New York City affirms that the world is listening to us -- and, for that, we don't have to tolerate small-minded detractors.
We stopped to kiss in front of the sign to show that homophobia doesn't have to have power over us anymore; to show that we will not cower in fear when people sling terms like "sinner" at us; and most importantly, to show that the act of LGBT affection is normal and even worthy of celebration.
To me, there are fewer things that are more Jesus-like than a celebration our capacity to love.
This isn't the first time Pride celebrations this month have been met with protests. The Westboro Baptist Church experienced a similar reaction when the group showed up at the Pride celebration in Washington D.C. In this instance a brave cop kissed his boyfriend in front of the group while holding a Pride flag.
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