Churches bring messages of openness to Indy's Pride festivalSmiling parade-goers of the 2016 Cadillac Barbie IN Pride Parade filled the streets of Downtown Indianapolis on Saturday. Cars honked, rainbow-beads-wearing marchers skipped, and members of various organizations waved rainbow flags and signs as Circle City IN Pride festival-goers shouted their support.
Businesses and local residents have shown support for the LGBTQ community at Pride events in Indianapolis since 1988. Churches have been there, too.
"There's an enormous array of diversity here, and we want to be like Jesus and reach out to people who have been shunned. Like he did." said Rev. Michael Montgomery, leader of Indianapolis’ First Congregational United Church of Christ and a first-time Pride-goer.
There was diversity in religion on the parade route.
“Quakers support the LGBTQ!” read one of the signs, held high and waved to cheers from the crowd. Smiling members of religious organizations such as St. Peter’s Church, Christian Theological Seminary and Unity of Indianapolis followed. “Jesus doesn’t discriminate” and “Jesus Loves ALL people” were yelled in response to the members’ raised messages, Jesus’ name in rainbow colors.
The experience was “very impressive,” for Montgomery.
“People don’t believe there are churches open for them if they’re curious -- and I want them to know that Jesus didn’t teach hatred,” he said.
The United Church of Christ has been coming to Pride for 12 years. But Montgomery has only been in Indianapolis since July, so Pride was a novel but important event for him to attend.
The United Church of Christ congregation voted to be “openly affirming” in 1994 and had a booth set up with information about their congregations. Montgomery said he was encouraged to see corporations here “making bold steps” toward helping the LGBTQ community in Indiana.
“No matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here,” read the message on the church's pamphlets.
Haley Dillon, with a unicorn horn on her head, wanted to experience the feeling of welcome at her second Pride festival. She was encouraged to represent the bisexual community and diffuse assumptions that LGBTQ only covered homosexual orientations.
“A lot of the times, people want to exclude the outer edges of the LGBTQ community,” she said. “There’s a lot of people that say ‘bi people are like unicorns, they don’t exist,’ so I dressed like one to show that, yes, we do exist. I wanted to be here for a reason.”
Dillon marched in the 2015 parade with Planned Parenthood but took a break this year to watch with her friend, Zachary “Hedwig” Allen. Allen wanted to bring awareness to the trans community and cross-dressed with a blonde wig, bustier and fishnet tights.
“Pride is something I’ve always wanted to do, and I finally got around to it,” Allen said. “A lot of people are anti-trans right now, and I want to make it clear that we are not going to be silenced! I’m not dressing the way my government says.”
Protections for transgender individuals were left out of state legislation designed to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation, but that measure failed earlier this year. That result left festival-goer Tyler Moore uncomfortable.
“I’m here because things like Pride are even more important, given the issues in our state,” he said. “We have to convey to people in our community that’s not how everyone in Indianapolis thinks. Not everyone is a bigot here. We need to move forward.”
Moore says he is gay and loves seeing people bond together in “such a red state!”
City ordinances in Indianapolis currently protect against anti-gay discrimination in the workplace, but not for transgendered individuals.
http://www.indystar.com/story/news/2016/06/11/churches-bring-messages-openness-indys-pride-festival/85768050/