`It’s not about teaching him to be gay;’ LGBTQ+ Salida event was about love | Opinion
Before Thursday’s Rainbow Story Time at the Salida library, I sent a link about it to my two adult daughters with a simple question: “Would you bring a child to this event?”
It was billed as a celebration of “all types of love, rainbows, and LGBTQ+ pride.” People opposed held signs outside. A quick internet search showed that a story about the event generated more than 400 comments and counting by Friday afternoon.
My daughters, Shea and Brenly, were raised just down the road from the library, attending church and public schools, and both moved away years ago.
At the risk of readers recognizing that my kids are better writers than their old man, here is a mashup of their responses to my question, lightly edited.
I would absolutely bring my child to it, and have already decided that drag story time at the library will be a regular part of our rotation of activities. No one is there to force children into being gay, or brainwash them into joining their agenda. They’re simply spreading love and joy through reading and crafts.
Nobody would protest if it was `Hetero Story Time’ that only featured books about Christian, traditionally married folks. Every person has a right to exist, a right to love who they love, and a right to not feel silenced or threatened by the communities they serve. How would some feel if gay people were showing up outside their weddings or church services with signs?
I wouldn’t want my kid to read about sex, between heterosexual couples or not. These stories are about families. I’m glad (most of) the world has come to its senses: love is love, and a family built on a foundation of two loving, respectful partners — white or mixed, straight or gay — is going to be a family that raises children who do good in the world.
Teach them to be kind
I want to take my kid to drag story time because I want to raise him with an expanded worldview. That’s how he’ll come to be compassionate, educated, and comfortable with himself. He will inevitably encounter people whose life experiences differ from his — I’m counting on it, even. If he knows how to treat them with kindness and an open heart, he will be able to make new friends, learn from them, and build a life full of pleasant memories. If he shrinks away from them in the fear that usually accompanies a lack of exposure to differences, he’ll gain nothing. I want my baby to have a life full to the brim of love and respect, and I want him to be the type of person who can bless others’ lives. It’s not about teaching him to be gay; it’s about teaching him to be kind.
Could my baby end up gay or trans? Yeah. And I really don’t think Rainbow Story Time is what will have caused it. In fact, all kids have an equal chance of finding they belong to the LGBTQ+ community, whether their parents are Berkeley Marxists or whether they stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6. The difference between the kids who went to Rainbow Story Time and those who didn’t could later be the difference between whether they’ll hate themselves or not.
If you wanna talk God, I’ll talk God. He put us here with the agency to choose our own paths. He asked us to love and respect one another. You may not get the point of Rainbow Story Time. You may find it repulsive. But nobody is forcing anybody to go. One of the easiest ways to love and respect our neighbors is to just let them be when you don’t understand them.
To those who silently prayed throughout much of Thursday’s delightful Rainbow Story Time, on the front row and on a bench outside: Thank you for not being disruptive. Multicolored signs on the wall said, “Everyone is welcome here” and “Everyone belongs.” Including you.
To my girls: Amen.
