Episode 6 - Pride Edition!

NOTES FROM THE NORTH IF _ PRIDE EDITION!!!

Notes From the North - Pride March Edition

First the background. Idaho Falls is located along a Mormon-settled corridor from Salt Lake City to parts of Colorado. A local politico described IF as ". . .one of the most Mormon places on Earth". On 2 or 3 prior occasions non-discrimination ordinances were defeated.

After considerable debate and lots of community input, the Idaho Falls City Council passed 2/3s of a non-discrimination ordinance. It provides for equality in employment and housing. The third part of the ordinance, which was struck out of the final law provided for non-discrimination in the arena of "public accomodations". Public accommodations include hotels, restaurants, parks, etc.

What does that mean? It means that gay persons can be refused the use of "public accommodations" - or charged a different rate than others. Picture a crowded lunch counter where some people would be waved out the door because they are lesbian or gay; a hotel refusing a room or charging double, a permit not granted for a picnic in a park, etc.

As anyone can see - this is flagrantly discriminatory and gives rise to all sorts of potential absurdity. How will gay/lesbian/bisexual or other non-protected persons be identified? Will they borrow from an older system and have us wear pink triangles? Will there be established a registry of non-straight persons? What will count as criteria for non-protected status? Will hotel, restaurant, and city employees be given crash courses in "gaydar" so that they can identify and this discriminate against these undesirables?

If a person is married and in the closet - which will determine their status? Will "one drop" of gay blood make you gay? As anyone who takes the time to examine this issue can see there is enormous scope for mistakes - for people who are NOT gay to also suffer from this discriminatory policy. Will we elect a Supreme Sexuality Arbiter whose word will be final in determining a persons sexual orientation for the purposes of legal protection or discrimination?

Nevertheless, this represents an enormous and almost inconceivable step forward for Idaho Falls. Forgetting for a moment the inherently ridiculous aspects of the missing "public accommodations" protection, a person can no longer be fired from their job or denied housing solely on the basis of their sexual orientation. My belief is that in time the hopelessness of enforcing a policy of discrimination when the criteria for it are so completely arbitrary means that the missing third part of the ordinance will also be enacted. The alternative is somehow organizing a system for recognizing a persons sexuality, which by the way is an element which can evolve over time. Again - if you used to be straight will you lose legal protection by slipping into the "gay" category? Can a gay or lesbian person advance to protected status by some psychological or legal maneuver - get a 'note' from their minister or analyst?

On to the pride celebration itself - enough of the murky preliminaries.

Saturday, September 14, 2013 dawned bright and sunny. I contacted the gay friends I made online to find out how many were going. One after another they declined, mostly for work, less often because they need to keep a low profile for work or family. At last a gay couple allowed that they wanted to "see how it went" as they had never been to a pride march before. They graciously picked up Dustin and me and we chatted gaily (sorry) until we reached the start of the march at the Unitarian Universalist church. Our pals let us out and promised to position themselves at some point along the parade route. They asked if we would march and we told them we would march if they let us join - otherwise we would cheer from the sides too.

Dustin and I had debated what to wear - having been told by other IF gays that they hoped everyone would be "well-behaved", and refrain from being outrageous, obscene or otherwise too much for the community to tolerate at this first historic Pride.

An opposing pundit scoffed that "there won't be 10 people there altogether - at the most 50". She remembered with fond nostalgia when "you didn't have to put up with diversity", and she lamented the use of public parks and the "waste of taxpayer money".

The group assembled for this Pride celebration included everyone from babes in arms and strollers to seniors in wheelchairs. Married couples with their entire array of children, the children excitedly waving rainbow flags, hair colored in rainbows, faces painted - kids and adults carrying signs and noise makers. My sign read - "Don't Panic" which served to restrain and amuse everyone who saw it. I reflected that these were also tax-payers, enjoying the use of their tax dollars - not wasting them.

The parade organizers during their introductory and organizational remarks exulted at the large and actuarially complete group who had gathered, as gorgeously flamboyant and colorful and spirited a group as I have seen at any of my other Pride events. They cautioned us to decline confrontation and sing, dance, and make some noise. Why else do we call it gay?!?

We set out, music playing, slogans ringing into the air, traffic stopping politely when we crossed the street. The original parade permit had been withdrawn so we simply used a different route (public accommodations indeed)!

At every point along the way more people joined us, people with booths cheered us on. The shoppers at the weekly farmers market made a joyful noise when they saw us coming. Everyone was surprised at how many people participated - the 300-400 at the beginning became 1200-1300 along the way. We saw our friends watching as they said they would, and tried to entice them into joining the parade, but soon passed them as they drew back and continued watching. I did notice several of the friends who said they would not be there actually attended after all.

There were no hecklers, no counter-demonstrators, no opposition at all. A number of Mormons openly attended including a family who gave out "free hugs" and a sticker reading "I was hugged by a Mormon". There were political action groups such as Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), the League of Women Voters, reproductive rights groups, petition gathering groups, food vendors and so on.

The day was beautiful, the people were wonderful, the event was unexpectedly well attended, violence and hatred free and stayed within the tolerance level of a conservative town in its splendor and assertiveness.

Afterwards, our long-time resident friends remarked over and over their surprise at the large group, the total lack of counter-demonstration, and the (relative) respectability of the entire affair.

In conclusion, next year will see even more people - because they saw and heard that this years event was such a success. Beneath the roil of online debate and the heated discussions over the Non-discrimination ordinance - what is that sound I hear? Is it the chime of inevitability?

Thanks for your persistence and stay tuned for the next NFTN!