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Frank Answers About Gay Pride

June is Gay Pride month. June was chosen for what has now become a global observance because the Stonewall Inn riots occurred in New York City’s Greenwich Village on June 29, 1969. When gays pushed back on police harassment, this was considered the beginning of the gay liberation movement. The riots lasted several days.

In addition to the parade and carnival-like festivities, Gay Pride celebrations have had a political edge. They were about gaining legal rights, for example, ending sodomy laws , recognizing same-sex marriages, gaining transgender rights. In today’s political atmosphere in the U.S., there’s been a reactionary push back in some (red) states to gain political advantage among conservative voting constituencies. An argument against teaching about homosexuality in school classrooms (e.g., in Florida’s “Don’t say gay” laws) is that this is leftist “grooming” of children. The very word “grooming” raises fears of child sexual abuse. Society-wide support of LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, queer) rights needs to be demonstrated in the 2022 post-pandemic turn out for Gay Pride parades. This year there are more than 300 proposal laws in state legislatures that would impact LGBTQ rights. There are many places in the world where lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, and queer people and organizations are suppressed. Gay Pride must be more than a party. And the support of straight people is needed.

Gay Pride festivals resume in 2022 after two years hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Here’s my report on marching in the 2016 Gay Pride Parade

The last Sunday in June 2016, I marched in the Chicago Gay Pride Parade for the first time. It was the first time I even attended one, although my wife and I have two gay sons. The oldest son married his partner the previous year and the second son would be married later in 2016. Since same-sex marriage was legalized in all fifty states by the U.S. Supreme Court the previous July, there would be a mood of celebration.

But on June 12, 2016, Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old man from an Afghan American family, and a Muslin, killed 49 people and wounded 53 in a mass shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub, in Orlando, Florida. It was the largest mass shooting in the U.S. up to that point. At the time it wasn’t clear whether Mateen targeted a gay nightclub because he was secretly gay or because he was homophobic or because it was a convenient venue for mass killing that he had previously scoped out. (Since he was a recognized visitor at the Pulse, it may be speculated that Mateen was all three.) But whatever his motivation, it was devastating to the gay community in the U.S. Along with many other church members, I marched to support the LGBTQ community.

mourners outside Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, FL

As a student of ritual, I should have attended Gay Pride parade years ago. Gay pride festivals and parades are mounted around the world today, especially in North America and Western Europe, but also in Australia and some far eastern Asian cities. Gay pride restores the word “gay” to its original meaning as “festive.” Gay Pride activities have become a new form of carnival or festival. And, like all carnivals and festivals (think Mardi Gras) it is, as anthropologist Edward Muir says, about “the lower body” (see his Rituals in Early Modern Europe). This means that there will be a strong element of blatant displays of sexuality.  In pride festivals around the world you see a lot of men and older youth parading in or attending parades in briefs or wearing outlandish costumes.

(my photo)

There is also bound to be some gender-bending on display. It has long been a feature of gay life. Drag is performative and shows how gender roles can be reversed and separated from sexuality.

I marched with a contingent of Episcopalians (although I’m Lutheran) and, as advised by the Episcopal organizers, I wore a clergy shirt and collar (black, of course). There were several church or religious groups among the parade contingents. The only clergy identifiable by “uniform” that I saw were about six of us in the Episcopal contingent of about 60 persons.

Me with the Rev. Kristin White and members of St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church in Wilmette, IL (my camera)

As we marched along, I started getting into the spirit of the parade by slapping or grasping the hands of those attending (an estimated million along the parade route). Parade goers like interaction with those parading. Sometimes it was just for fun, but a few along the route held my hand a little longer and said things like “thank you, Father.” There were a few huggers along the route, and as I accepted their hugs I started getting behind. I found myself marching with Catholic Dignity contingent. There was no Catholic priest with them, which I thought was too bad since Pope Francis has encouraged the posture of “accompanying” gay brothers and sisters in the faith.

Around a bend toward the end of the parade route there was a group of “Christian” anti-gay protesters exercising their right of free speech. Some of our group countered their shouts of “God hates fags” with counter shouts of “God is love.”

(my photo)

There were also those along the parade route who held signs that expressed sorrow for Christian hate. Some of these anti-anti-gay protesters received hugs from marchers.

Some of the marchers expressed their appreciation in return by hugging the anti-anti-gay Christians. (my photo)

(my photo)

As I completed the parade and made my way back along the crowded sidewalks I came upon those anti-gay Christians. They were shouting accusations against marchers and their floats. One that struck me as especially hurtful was when FLLAG marched by (Parents, Family, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays). They called out through their bullhorn, “You haven’t raised your children right. You’re sending them to hell.” I can attest that parents of gay children have searched their souls about why their children are gay. We don’t know why some people have same-sex attractions. We do know that it is our God-given responsibility to love and support the children God has given to us.

A large sign above the anti-gay protesters’ stand quoted 1 Corinthians 6:9. I don’t know which version of the Bible they were using. Among those who will not inherit the kingdom of God in their version were “the effeminate” and “homosexuals.” When I got home, I checked eight versions and none of them used both of these terms, although the Living Bible is the worst by joining St. Paul’s two Greek words together as “homosexuals.” 

The Greek New Testament doesn’t use the word “homosexual” because it is a modern term developed in the social sciences in the late 19th century to contrast with heterosexual. Paul’s use of the words malakoi (which suggests someone taking the submissive role in sex) and arsenokoitai (which suggests someone taking the dominant role, usually referred to as “sodomy”) are to be interpreted within the framework of idolatry. Arsenokoitai is a neologism, which means a made-up word. By it Paul could have been referring back to Leviticus 18 and to behavior which is called an abomination. “Abomination” usually refers to the activities of pagan cults in the Old Testament, and cult prostitution continued to flourish in the land of Israel.

Older man (bearded) bargaining for sex with a young male prostitute on a Greek urn

It is quite likely that in 1 Corinthians 6:9 the apostle was referring to cult prostitution. In 1 Corinthians 6:16-19 he refers to prostitutes (porneia) who may have plied their trade in legal house of prostitution in the port city of Corinth or as cult prostitutes in the Temple of Aphrodite.  Male-on-male sex in ancient Greece and Rome does not imply that the participants were gay. The term that comes closest to our understanding of gay or queer is kinaidos.  But Paul never used this term. In any event, 1 Corinthians 6:9 does not translate into saying that “all homosexuals are going to hell.”

Kinaidoi at a banquet.

I’m glad I went. I’m glad I made a witness to the God of love made know to us in Jesus Christ, at least by my presence as a Christian pastor accompanying gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, transgendered, and queer brothers and sisters. The next step is to figure out how to provide appropriate pastoral care in churches that don’t publicly welcome gays as well as those that do.

Pastor Frank Senn

Frank Senn

I’m a retired Lutheran pastor. I was in parish ministry for forty years and taught at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago for three years. I've been an adjunct professor at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL. Since my retirement in 2013 I've also taught courses at Trinity Theological College in Singapore, Satya Wacana Christian University in Salatiga, Central Java, Indonesia, and Carey Theological College in Vancouver. I have a Ph.D. in theology (liturgical studies) from the University of Notre Dame.