Drag queens versus the Bible in a Texas clash over holiday parades - The Washington Post

Now metropolis officials were successful a bind.

In Texas and different reddish states, Republican legislators who clasp bulk power person progressively targeted the cheery community, peculiarly resistance performances. Last month, a Texas lawmaker introduced authorities to criminally complaint those who big resistance shows that let minors, portion of a slate of projected laws targeting LGBTQ Texans up of the legislative league successful January.

Yet Taylor, a suburb of 16,800 and a Texas barbecue way fixture astir 35 miles northeast of Austin, has supported a assortment of events arsenic it has grown much diverse: a Martin Luther King Jr. Day march, Juneteenth and Taylor Pride Day, alongside accepted vacation celebrations. The Christmas parade, arsenic officials saw it, was a clip to travel unneurotic successful the historical downtown quadrate for a Hallmark-style interval contention and Christmas histrion lighting.

“We couldn’t co-sponsor an lawsuit that wasn’t unfastened to everybody successful the city,” said Stacey Osborne, a metropolis spokeswoman. “Not lone did we not privation to unfastened up the metropolis to immoderate benignant of ineligible action, but much importantly we person worked hard to marque the metropolis a welcoming place.”

But erstwhile it came to the ministers, she said, “We didn’t privation to needfully permission them successful the lurch.”

City officials settled connected a compromise: Pastors could inactive person their Christmas Parade of Lights connected Saturday, but alternatively of co-sponsoring it, the metropolis would clasp a 2nd parade instantly afterward on the aforesaid Main Street route, the Very Merry Holiday Parade. It would beryllium unfastened to all.

Instead of quelling debate, the dueling parades divided Taylor, sparking a warfare connected words online that grew adjacent much pointed successful the aftermath of the November onslaught connected an LGBTQ nine successful Colorado Springs. As Saturday’s parade time approached, unit grew to take sides implicit however to specify inclusivity, Christianity and the tone of Christmas.

“Very bittersweet that you bring shame connected the Christian assemblage successful this way. I’ve seen their interval and determination is thing raunchy astir it, my kids loved it,” Loren Williams Gasaway wrote connected the ministers group’s Facebook page. “You don’t get to determine who celebrates Christmas. You are creating an situation of hatred and fear, that is what leads men to perpetrate wide murders.”

A pastor organizing the archetypal parade, the Rev. Shane Allen, responded that helium was “glad to spot a radical of Christians really basal for what the Bible says alternatively of bowing down to culture.”

“It’s voices similar yours that gets churches firebombed and changeable up,” helium wrote.

Critics applied to articulation the city-sponsored 2nd parade retired of spite. One said helium planned to decorate his interval with Confederate flags, which helium insisted met the city’s criteria of being holiday-themed due to the fact that they represented “a Southern Christmas.” In the tone of inclusivity, Osborne said, helium was approved to participate.

City Council subordinate Robert Garcia — a U.S. Army seasoned who attends Our Lady of Guadalupe Church and volunteers with the Knights of Columbus — met Ripple and Allen for meal successful municipality astatine Mariachis De Jalisco. He figured Ripple, who volunteers arsenic a constabulary chaplain and had prayed with him successful the past, would perceive and unify the parades “for the tone of Christmas.”

“Christmas is simply a clip for each of america to enactment our differences speech and to travel person unneurotic arsenic a state and a community,” Garcia said.

The ministers vented astir seeing resistance queens successful past year’s parade and, Garcia said, “told maine I was ‘misinterpreting’ the scriptures and I was not taught the Bible correctly.”

“The speech got heated.”

Garcia said the pastors agreed to assistance him “calm the frustrations and part successful the Taylor community.” Instead, Ripple wrote an editorial past period astir the parades astatine the petition of the Taylor Press, restating his objection to including Taylor Pride.

Ripple said successful an interrogation that helium supported Taylor Pride’s close to exist. But, helium added, “We bash not consciousness similar resistance queens dancing successful the Christmas parade, that these are the values we privation to pass to our children.”

“I don’t hatred LGBTQ individuals. I don’t hatred adulterers. There’s tons of misdeed retired there. I judge the astir loving happening I tin bash is archer radical the truth,” helium said. “That if they don’t repent of their misdeed — and that’s immoderate sinner — they volition walk an eternity separated from God.”

Taylor’s enclosure of commerce and schoolhouse territory chose not to articulation either parade. The schoolhouse territory besides barred pupil groups from participating. Few section businesses posted signs for either parade. But the contention spurred others to instrumentality a stand, Ripple said.

“People person thanked maine for conscionable lasting up for my beliefs. I’m definite the radical successful Taylor Pride person received the aforesaid enactment connected their end,” helium said.

Denise Rodgers, president of Taylor Pride, said that portion the radical has received section support, she wished the metropolis had pulled the ministers’ parade permit.

“Just the information that they are allowed to person this exclusive parade connected nationalist spot is already breaking the rules,” Rodgers said of the ministers’ group. “They person to take a side. Because this has go a hatred group. And we saw what happened with that … successful Colorado.”

Protesters person frequented Taylor Pride events since the radical formed 2 years ago, Rodgers said, usually astir a twelve radical from section churches.

Taylor’s City Council was scheduled to code the parade contention astatine its gathering Nov. 10, until it was removed from the agenda. Regina Baker, 37, whose lad identifies arsenic LGBTQ, nevertheless spoke astir it during the nationalist remark period, calling connected the metropolis to propulsion the pastors’ parade permit.

“This radical has shown up to harass radical immoderate clip LGBTQIA celebrations are being held, and they bash truthful successful a mode that has a imaginable to traumatize our younker and susceptible populations,” Baker said.

About fractional the assemblage applauded. The different fractional grimaced oregon looked distressed.

“That’s a testament to however it’s changing,” Baker said afterward of the city. “Five years ago, it would person been each arms crossed, blank-faced.”

Baker said that aft the meeting, “it was radical coming retired of the woodwork to accidental I was close oregon I was wrong. There was nary communal ground.”

Accusations flew connected Facebook among neighbors: of grooming, homophobia and ignorance. Some praised the city’s inclusivity, portion others condemned its “anti-Christmas parade” arsenic “intended to bargain the joyousness distant from Christmas.”

A transportation driver, Baker had moved to Taylor from Austin a fewer years agone with her present 18-year-old lad for the aforesaid crushed galore have: little lodging costs and the committedness of bucolic small-town life. As vitriol dispersed online, she became acrophobic to travel the Taylor Pride float.

She contacted Rodgers, the pridefulness group’s president, who reassured her determination would beryllium a constabulary beingness and equipped allies marching with their interval — a radical called Veterans for Equality.

Baker besides started receiving backstage messages of enactment from residents who had ne'er discussed LGBTQ issues with her earlier — “quiet allies” — and decided to instrumentality part.

The 2 resistance queens astatine past year’s parade, Sedonya Face and Felicia Enspire, made plans to instrumentality with a third, Alexandria Van Cartier.

Felicia Enspire would lip-sync to Christmas carols successful the aforesaid outfit she wore past year: a humble Mrs. Claus-meets-Mariah-Carey formal with three-quarter-length sleeves and achromatic leggings, which she considered “very family-friendly.” Her hubby disquieted astir her safety, but she had assurance section constabulary would support the peace.

By Saturday, 33 floats, trucks and different parade entries had registered with the ministers, 27 with the city. Most critics of the metropolis parade withdrew, including the Confederate emblem float.

As floats for the archetypal parade assembled for judging down the metropolis shot stadium astatine 6 p.m., the temper was festive. No protesters appeared. St. Mary’s won champion idiosyncratic interval and led the archetypal parade with shot players and a walking doorbell choir from the backstage school.

Carolers sang “Gloria successful excelsis Deo.” On Primera Iglesia Bautista Hispana Church’s float, Ociel Carrillo, 65, straightened the bluish striped robe helium wore to play the relation of Joseph portion his woman stood adjacent to him portraying Mary.

The mates said they joined the ministers’ parade to “stick to God’s truth.”

“I interest much astir the children,” said Diane Carrillo, 65. “As it is, immoderate of them travel from homes that are not stable, and past they spot each of these things, and they’re adjacent much confused.”

Hundreds of revelers lined the one-mile parade route, galore bundled successful jackets, hats and scarves, cheering and exchanging Christmas wishes.

About 20 minutes aft the archetypal parade began, the past of its floats turned disconnected Main Street, followed by Santa successful a tractor-drawn sleigh and radical carrying signs speechmaking “Jesus Is Lord” and “Merry Christmas convey you for coming.”

Then the 2nd parade started, led by the constabulary main successful a patrol car and the politician aboard a firetruck. Most radical who had watched the archetypal parade stayed for the second, cheering and applauding passing floats.

Felicia Enspire waved to the crowd, lip-syncing to her favourite vacation song, Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” nether the lighted rainbow arch. A fewer protesters successful “Prayer Works” shirts prayed and shouted “Jesus loves you, repent now!”

Among them was Christy Ballard, 54, who said she wasn’t definite resistance queens belonged astatine an lawsuit that attracted children.

“I commune that they volition find retired the truth,” she said.

Others disagreed. Lidia Salvatierra, 44, watched passing floats with her wife, having traveled from a municipality astir 20 miles distant to enactment a niece successful the city’s parade.

“I commend Taylor for lasting up for equality and inclusiveness. It’s conscionable the rule of the matter,” Salvatierra said.

From her perch atop Taylor Pride’s float, Felicia Enspire said, she couldn’t perceive opponents’ prayers, conscionable cheers.

“After each the rumors that person been dispersed and each the play successful the past month, it was truly bully to spot that the bulk of the assemblage was determination to enactment us,” she said.

Baker marched alongside the interval holding a “Taylor Pride” banner and saw protesters, but she wasn’t afraid. Instead, she thought: “There is simply a request for this.”

Rev. Ripple was pleased, too, noting the ministers’ parade “upheld the values that we sought to guard.”

Following the parades, St. Mary’s hosted a cookies and cocoa gathering successful its gym, portion Taylor Pride adjourned to a adjacent antique store for an after-party. Spectators crowded Heritage Square, wherever Mayor Brandt Rydell — wearing a greenish sequined blazer, a Santa chapeau and a drawstring of lights astir his cervix — led a countdown to airy the tree.

Children squealed with joy. Adults cheered “Merry Christmas!” A honky-tonk set played Christmas tunes, and the politician relaxed.

“I recognize radical person differences of opinions connected things,” Rydell said, and “social media stokes a batch of division. But successful the end, things worked out.”

Rydell said helium hopes that adjacent year, the parades tin unite. In the meantime, metropolis officials volition beryllium moving connected a argumentation for co-sponsoring aboriginal events.

Moravec reported from Taylor and Hennessy-Fiske from Houston.