With the festivities, decorations, and celebrations underway, it's beginning to look and feel like Christmas.
Along with the spirit of Christmas come the nay-sayers.
Again this year, the LGBTQ people have elbowed their way into a local annual Christmas parade under the pretense that Jesus would have welcomed them in His parade.
A judge has agreed.
Be informed, not misled.
Prattville is a small town of about 40 thousand a few miles north of the capital city of Montgomery.
Back in November, the LGBTQ activists of Prattville, Alabama, learned that a radical group of LGBTQ activists were attempting to take over their beloved annual Christmas parade.
They said, "Nobody wants to see a bunch of drag queens in gay apparel doing unmentionable things to Santa’s elves in the middle of Main Street."
However, Prattville Pride was granted permission to participate in this year’s Christmas parade – over the objections of most residents.
Prattville Pride said in a social media post they intended to make the small town’s Christmas parade “merry and gay.” The activist group went on to say they wanted to “show our beautiful community that Pride isn’t just in JUNE—we’re here to shine bright and support one another all year round.”
President Adam Hunt, “We do not want to disrupt the parade … we’re not trying to turn the kids gay,” he told the news organization. “We’re just here as citizens that want to be involved in the community. Whether people like it or not, we are part of this community and we shouldn’t have to hide … A lot of people who came up said they are Christians; well maybe they should love more like God. Jesus would be walking in that parade with us 100 percent.”
However, the good church-going people of Prattville decided that decking the halls was one thing, but donning gay apparel was a bit too far. A Catholic church announced their congregation would not be participating in the parade.
They also distanced themselves from any persons who had made any threats against the LGBT group.
Clean Up Alabama, the group that discovered the Prattville library controversy has spearheaded efforts to remove their float from the parade. After Gillespie’s announcement, the group released the following statement:
“We’ve been vocal about our concerns with Prattville Pride being allowed to sexualize the Prattville Christmas Parade, but threats and violence are unacceptable,” they said in a statement to the Todd Starnes Show. “Clean Up Alabama does not condone threats or violence. We continue to pray for those we disagree with and hope the authorities will deal with this situation appropriately.”
Local residents have been posting about their outrage on social media, saying a parade float filled with drag queens and gay pride flags is not appropriate during the Yuletide season.
“This is a Christmas parade and small children do not need to be forced to look at provocative Drag Queens dancing in front of them,” one concerned resident wrote on social media. “If we can’t get this stopped, please don’t take your small children.”
“Conservative folks with kids may want to skip the horror show,” wrote another. “The city has to let them participate due to lawsuits and civil rights. Sad news that this agenda has invaded our city.”
The community said "No" to the LGBTQ activists.
The controversy then spilled over into the national news cycle as other communities grappled with whether to make every holiday a gay pride celebration.
Then-Mayor Bill Gillespie announced that the LGBTQ group would not be allowed to participate due to safety and security concerns and issued this statement:.
“This morning, it was brought to the City’s attention from Prattville Pride that there are serious safety concerns regarding Prattville Pride’s participation in the Christmas parade,” Gillespie said. “Until today, there has only been conjecture and speculation regarding potential safety concerns that Prattville Pride’s participation in the parade may cause. The City will not put the rights of parade participants ahead of the safety of its citizens. Because of the safety concerns for Prattville Pride, other parade participants, as well as parade bystanders, the City has made the decision to remove Prattville Pride from the Christmas parade. This decision was made with careful thought and consideration while balancing the rights of parade participants against the overall safety of everyone involved at the parade. The City will always respect freedoms and rights of expression. However, as in this instance, it must put the overall safety of its citizens first.”
A judge has now said yes to the LGBTQ activists.
Friday, a federal judge ruled that the City of Prattville "cannot deny the right of a local LGBTQ+ group to participate in tonight’s Christmas parade downtown."
U.S. District Judge Austin Huffaker Jr. ruled Friday afternoon following an emergency hearing on a motion filed Thursday night by Prattville Pride claiming the city had violated their First and Fourteenth Amendment rights.
“The decision in this case aligns with our values and beliefs in the rule of law and constitutional rights. We believe the ruling promotes unity within our community, especially during Christmas, a season meant to bring people together,” said attorney Julia Collins, counsel for Prattville Pride. “This case is not about politics but rather about ensuring that all community members have equal access to public events, as guaranteed under the law. We will have no further comments on the pending litigation.”
Takeaway
There will be more comments on whether Judge Julia wants to turn the page or not on the matter.
The town is very upset.
Peter Sprigg has written a 19-page piece for Family Research Council titled "How to Respond to the LGBTQ Movement." It's biblical and informative.
There can be no doubt that Christianity represents the greatest obstacle to the normalization of homosexual behavior. It cannot be otherwise because of the clear biblical teachings concerning the inherent sinfulness of homosexuality in all forms and the normativity of heterosexual marriage. To counter this obstacle, Kirk and Madsen advised gays to “use talk to muddy the moral waters, that is, to undercut the rationalizations that ‘justify’ religious bigotry and to jam some of its psychic rewards.” How can this be done? “This entails publicizing support by moderate churches and raising serious theological objections to conservative biblical teachings."
A quick review of the last two decades demonstrates the incredible effectiveness of this public relations advice. The agenda set out by Marshall Kirk and Hunter Madsen in their book After The Ball led to nothing less than social transformation. By portraying themselves as mainstream Americans seeking nothing but liberty and self-fulfillment, homosexuals redefined the moral equation. Issues of right and wrong were isolated as outdated, repressive, and culturally embarrassing. Instead, the assertion of “rights” became the hallmark of the public relations strategy.
I'll be talking more about this on our radio program this morning. Please join me.
Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be vigilant. Be Bold. Be Prayerful.