There have been a couple of stories circulating regarding Pride Month and religious institutions lately. In the Ontario town of Norwich the council has decided not to fly the Pride flag, likely because of concerted pressure from an influential anti-LGBTQ2S congregation. Elsewhere, the York Catholic District Schoolboard has made the decision not to raise the Pride flag during the month, ignoring the concerns raised by the two youth members.
While the provincial government has made top-down decisions in many jurisdictions including with the York schoolboard the premier and education minister Stephen Lecce are skirting this issue. According to a Global News piece Lecce commented:
“I’ve set an expectation, I do believe the Pride flag is something that brings people together, it’s an inclusive message,” he said, sidestepping questions about why he would not compel the board to fly the flag.
So much for his expectation. You may have noticed the growing incidence of anti-LGBTQ2S legislation in the United States, in some circumstances making support of one's own children a criminal offence. I saw a horrific video clip of a pastor in the States who Christian pastor Jason Graber just called for the execution of all LGBTQ people as well as the parents of transgender people. He says that “They just need to be shot in the back of the head and then we can string them up above a bridge.” How can he not be charged with hate speech?
It's hard to imagine this happening in Canada, yet there are plenty of vocal and cruel people out there, often supposed Christians who decry the "gay agenda" while being organized and aggressive themselves -- isn't that a coercive agenda? They are downright hysterical about events such as Drag Time Story Hour.
We spoke with a young teacher friend on the weekend who told us the Pride flag at her school has been stolen or defaced several times and she was upbraided by a parent for "teaching gay" in her classroom.
Two of our grandchildren attended a French Roman Catholic School which is inclusive and supportive of LGBTQ2S students. This is an encouraging reminder that there is a spectrum of outlooks and interpretation of the Gospel message. There are lots of Catholic schools and various Christian churches which uphold inclusion. I know our congregation, Trenton United, will be flying the Pride flag this month.
Once again I'm reminded of the observation that Jesus scandalized religious authorities by the people he included rather than those he excluded. I hope we can all have the courage to follow his example, except for the crucifixion part. His loving choice was once for all!
Here's the link to a worthwhile article by Rev. Michael Coren who is being "crucified" online for writing it.
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