Cincinnati Pride

Yesterday was a wonderful day. I went to the Pride celebration in Cincinnati with a long time friend. I have been back here almost four years. I was hoping to see a familiar face. I was not disappointed. A friend from long ago recognized the person I was with. We were all connected back years ago by our participation in Dignity. I got to meet the partner of the friend of my friend .

I was impressed with the youth of the crowd. Many are probably decades younger. We happened upon a speaker at the main podium who was a trans person. I listened for awhile and could hear her struggles. Yet, yesterday was a moment the oppressed finally were lifted up beyond all the ignorant and the haters. 

Cincinnati was in the national spotlight when another trans person who was rejected by her parents committed suicide by walking in front of a semi on an interstate highway this past spring. Even the conservative Cincinnati Enquirer took up Leelah Alcorn's cause.

Cincinnati Enquirer's Story About Leelah Alcorn

I saw one man in a roman collar with another in a franciscan habit in a wheelchair. I did not recognized them. When they left, there was a gaggle of other men folk, I assumed priests in chivies, who left together. 

We walked by three protesters on the way to Sawyer Point who were from Fred Phelps' infamous so called church with their sign that God hates fags.Later there was a group of evangelicals trying to engage the crowd. Both the evangelicals and a small group from the crowd were yelling to each other that they loved one another. I've decided it is pretty hopeless to try and engage evangelicals like this in a serious discussion. I walked by them with my friend and raised my hand in a priestly blessing for them...and the only words that came with my hand raised as I made the sign of the cross were: "Bénedic, Dómine, nos et haectua dona quae..." It's the blessing before a meal.

We were on our way to buy a beer;  but in  conservative Cincinnati that is starting to grow up, you have to buy tickets to take to the beer place before you get a beer. As fate would have it I was in the slowest line to get the tickets. However there was a very handsome man distributing the tickets in my line. He seemed to be taking a long time as he was talking to all the patrons. I decided when I got there, I would engage him in conversation. I noticed on his tee shirt that there was the name of what looked like a law firm. So I asked if he was a lawyer. He said "no."  Then, he added he was one of the plaintiffs in the Supreme Court Obergefell law suit. He was working as a volunteer for the Pride event. I simply said that this must be a wonderful day for you and offered him my congratulations.

By the way....Jim Obergefell is from Cincinnati. Mr. Obergefell got a call from President Obama on the occasion of this victory for equal rights.

President Obama Calls Jim Obergefell