While browsing through Ben Shapiro’s Twitter feed, I came across his supposedly brilliant and insightful commentary that Pride aims to destroy the traditional family and Western Civilization’s norms.
Let me state unequivocally that Pride has absolutely nothing to do with dismantling the traditional family or any remotely related desire. It’s an absurd claim.
Pride represents LGBTQ individuals standing together in unity, fighting for equality. It also includes all the straight people standing in solidarity with the LGBTQ community. It serves as a recognition and celebration of the progress we have made, while also reminding us that the struggle against inequality and those who oppose progress continues.
Ben is correct about one thing: Pride emerged with the intention of challenging societal norms. For the majority of recorded history, the norm has been homophobia, resulting in bullying, relentless harassment of gay youth, assaults, murders, job discrimination, incarceration of consenting adults due to their same-sex partners, and institutionalization. This norm needed to be dismantled, just like the norm of misogyny and the subjugation of women had to go. Slavery, one of the most despicable and abhorrent institutions in human history, was also the norm in societies across the globe for countless generations. The arguments Ben presents in this tweet resemble those used by proponents of slavery, even with their biblical justifications. Just because something is the norm does not make it acceptable. Sometimes, in the name of decency and morality, we must establish new norms that replace those rooted in bigotry. I have no doubt that Ben would have found himself on the wrong side of history regarding all the norms I mentioned earlier.
What Ben truly believes is that Pride serves as a form of brainwashing, attempting to convert heterosexual individuals into being gay, thereby posing a threat to the traditional family. Perhaps Ben missed the memo, but conversion therapy does not work, even on straight people. Years of exposure to the commentary promoting “straight pride,” suggesting that being straight was righteous and being gay was sinful, did not make me straight. The straight community is safe and secure, and no amount of tolerance and acceptance will change their sexual orientation.
Ben views being gay as inherently sinful and repugnant on its own, with or without a public pride celebration. So, of course, he perceives Pride as a sinister attempt to corrupt the world. An LGBT person in the privacy of their own home watching TV is considered a dangerous threat to people like him. I’m sure his puritanical eyes are especially drawn to some of the more risqué elements that are seen at some Pride events, and I’m sure he is appalled. It’s important to remember that the raunchier Pride events are almost always 18 and up. I can’t help but wonder if people like Ben are equally concerned about straight pride, aka Spring Break. Entire DVDs were made because Spring Break events are so highly sexualized. Let’s not forget about the seedier side of Mardi Gras and all the breast flashing while straight guys cheer. The philosophical hallmark of any moral precept is universality so few things annoy me more than selective outrage.
I view PRIDE as a movement that continues to strive for progress—a celebration of hard-won battles and, most importantly, a glimmer of hope for LGBTQ kids living in abusive households, facing bullying from family and peers to the point of suicide. Just maybe, they see a Pride flag in a store or watch a parade on TV, and they realize that there is a world out there filled with accepting people from all walks of life if only they can hold on.
Generally speaking, Religious conservatives are challenging to debate when it comes to certain issues because their concerns extend beyond earthly matters. Many believe in eradicating ‘sin’ in order to protect themselves and their children from choices that could have eternal consequences. To them, the mere existence of a gay person, let alone a pride celebration, poses a threat to their spiritual well-being. Fortunately, I haven’t sacrificed rationality in the hopes of getting into a celestial dictatorship far worse than North Korea. Funny how those ‘don’t tread on me’ flags disappear when it comes to the ultimate tyrannical government and its leader, who demands total compliance. Without any religious hang-ups, it’s easy for me to see that PRIDE and its participants pose no threat to anyone.
Thankfully, I know firsthand that not all deeply religious conservatives have completely forsaken rationality and decency, making these conversations valuable.
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