Countdown to Taiwan! And on Tolerance

There are 6 days left until I leave for Taiwan. Suddenly it feels like there is so much I have to do!!

Today was the last day of summer school, so I am FREEEEE!!!

My very last meetup with the MN Rufflebutts is going to be tomorrow. I am going to miss everybody!!

We are meeting at the local Gay Pride festival, where some controversy has been going down these last few weeks. At an event where tolerance is maxed out, there comes one man who wishes to pass out Bibles and tell the GLBTQ community that they are sinners and will go to hell. Wait, what?

Personally, I do not believe that this man is going about this the right way... We all have a right to our opinions, yes. Loring Park where Pride is held is a public place, yes. He has every right to be there and to exercise his right of free speech, however, is going to PRIDE really a good place to preach anti-gay scriptures?

The judge has already approved Brian Johnson's Bible-distributing goodness because of First Amendment rights. Do I agree with this? YES, I ACTUALLY DO

I believe that he has every right to say what he wants and to offer free Bibles to passerby as long as he is not disruptive. Pride is about tolerance. If we want people to tolerate our sexual orientation choices, we should be able to tolerate one man saying what he wants and giving out free Bibles so long as he is not spouting fighting words. He may not be going about expressing his opinion in the ideal circumstances, but I would like to think that he is not intentionally trying to start a fight, and is instead truly trying to help those of us whom he feels are "damned".

I truly hope that we as a community will be able to remain civil to this man, despite his opposing viewpoints. Actually, I think it would be quite fun if every single person just ignored him so he can soapbox to nobody. Of course, many people are pretty outraged, but if we could all grow thicker skin and not let the words cut us, I believe that this world will be a lot more peaceful :)

How many times have you, as a lolita, had someone make rude remarks at you? Did you go bat guano crazy and try to take out the offender with your parasol? No, you hold your head high and ignore them. Vermin are not worth your time. If one is able to have a civil conversation with opposing viewpoints, then an intellectual debate may be in order. However, if you feel your blood pressure rising, perhaps both parties should just agree to disagree ;D

The general public will always shun that which is different. Fear of the unknown is common, but that does not make it right. By proving that all of us "freaks" are still human, we can hopefully bring understanding and lessen the fear.

Hopefully Pride will still be a fun festival this year, and I will be back with an Event Report this weekend!

Here is a sneak peek at what I will be wearing: