Many demographic groups have celebratory events, and some even enjoy a holiday to commemorate their special day. In the spirit of diversity, these groups should be allowed to participate in their events without others seeking to crash them in the name of inclusivity.
It’s really a very simple principle. If those not associated with an event are allowed to hijack it—so as to draw attention to their own cause or group—they would effectively neuter its raison d’être.
A controversy emerged in 2021 in Taylor, Texas when drag queens jumped aboard a Pride float dancing and lip syncing to Christmas carols beneath a glittering rainbow arch. After a priest objected, making his case to the ministers who ran the Christmas parade, the Protestant clergy took his side, and changed their rules, saying all floats must “not conflict with traditional and biblical family values.”
The issue didn’t go away in 2022, tearing the residents apart.
A spokeswoman for the city defended the inclusion of the drag queens saying, “We couldn’t co-sponsor an event that wasn’t open to everybody in the city.” She obviously did not think this through.
The Christmas parade organizers never said that only some people can participate. The only caveat, which is necessitated by the very meaning of the parade, is that everyone respect “traditional and biblical family values.” Gay floats with drag queens are not there to honor these values—they are there to compete with, if not eviscerate, them.
Sometimes an analogy helps to understand what’s at stake.
New York City has a Salute to Israel parade each year. Would it make any sense, given the name of the parade, to allow Palestinian terrorists to march with a banner, “Death to Israel”?
Another supporter of the drag queens in the Christmas parade said she has a message for the ministers: “You don’t get to decide who celebrates Christmas. You are creating an environment of hate and fear, that is what leads men to commit mass murders.”
Leaving aside the deranged remark about mass murderers, the ministers do, in fact, get to decide who celebrates Christmas. It’s their parade.
Who gets to decide who celebrates Gay Pride parades? Those who sponsor them? Or everyone else, including those who want to ban them?
Martin Luther King Day excludes racists. President’s Day includes only presidents, past and present. St. Patrick’s Day honors the patron saint of one country, namely Ireland. At a minimum, Mother’s Day excludes fathers and Father’s Day excludes mothers. Memorial Day excludes the living, and those who did not die for their country.
Labor Day is for workers only. Yom Kippur excludes non-Jews. Columbus Day pays tribute to Columbus. Veterans Day excludes those who never served. Hanukkah is not for Christians. Christmas is not for non-Christians. The only two holidays that recognize everyone—without diluting their meaning—are the 4th of July and Thanksgiving (fortunately, America haters usually exclude themselves).
In other words, holidays, and other special days, acknowledge our diversity. That is why those who try to jam celebrations that are extrinsic to these events, in the name of inclusion, need to be defeated. Their intolerance should not be tolerated.
