LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Dear Editor:

Based on the letter to the editor published in the July 19th edition of the Citizen and penned by the esteemed Chris Christensen, I see that bigotry is still alive and well in Colorado County. Ordinarily this is where I would shred Mr. Christensen’s arguments with actual facts however his entire point seems to be this: God hates fags and therefore civil government shouldn’t recognize Pride month. Setting aside the fact that on one hand he says it’s nobody’s business what people do in their own homes, then proceeds to make it his business to denounce their behavior, I would like point out a few things to Mr. Christensen and his ilk.

Pride month began as a way to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan. The irony is that Mr. Christensen wants to keep people’s behavior private and government out of people’s lives yet it was the very nature of this policy that led to the modern Pride movement. The government DIDN’T stay out of people’s lives because of people like him who found their behavior, let me make sure I get this right, “immoral sexual” (whatever that is) and “abnormal behavior”.

All of these points are framed within a biblical context. Of course, in order to make any of that hang together he has to (wrongly) assume biblical univocality so he can pick and choose what is right and what is wrong in his worldview. Should we hold to the same standards, one should also assume that slavery, racial superiority, incest, bigamy, vigilante justice (the list goes on and on) should also be allowed. You know, because it’s allowed in the bible… It is exactly BECAUSE of people like Mr. Christensen that Pride Month is a thing. Recognizing people’s right to choose who they love, and who they want to be should not be a controversial topic. I’m certain that folks that agree with Mr. Christensen’s argument probably aren’t persuaded at this point so I’ll try something else.

Instead of LGBTQ+ substitute the word “black” or “woman” and say the quiet part out loud. They faced the same sort of discrimination, violence and hardships that non-cis gender people face every day. And THAT is why there is a Pride Month -to celebrate the progress these people have made and to help others step out of the shadow of fear cast by Mr. Christensen and people like him.

Mike Griffin Columbus