Last time we saw her, Teen Atheist was trying to go to an LGBT march but her mom was saying she couldn’t go.
You offered your honest advice (even if they suggested very different things).
So what happened?
It was the night before the parade, and I approached my mother in the kitchen to ask her again if I could attend the gay pride parade. She, again, refused.
“Please,” I whined, “my gay friends are counting on me to be there!”
After taking a while to think it over, she sighed, “Ask your father.”
So I did, and Dad was like, “It’s up to you,” and hey, a victory is still a victory, even if I didn’t get to use the “they’re being discriminated against, like meee!” speech I had prepared in my mind.
Yay! She went. And she managed to do it without going against her parents’ wishes. Good for her! I’m so proud 🙂
What did she learn after attending the event?
[Gays and atheists] don’t want to be thought of as evil or reprehensible or impaired just because of what we believe in (or don’t) or whom we choose to love. We’re all still struggling for acceptance, within our families, our workplace, our community, our world, and it’s an uphill battle but we’ll fight for it anyway, because it’s worth it.
And that’s why marching in this big, fabulous parade meant so much to me.
The feeling I got marching alongside everyone down the streets was indescribable… I felt slightly out of place, but still totally psyched to be there. I can’t wait until next year’s parade.
I was a part of history, and I have you all to thank…
…
Without your support, I probably would have wussed out at Mom’s first refusal, and I’d have subsequently missed out on this amazing event (which is probably the least selfish thing I’ve done this year, so yay me!). I made some great new friends, I looked fabulous, and in what little way I could, I helped the LGBT community fight the stigmas and discrimination they face on a daily basis.
That’s awesome.
(I still say that result would have been worth disobeying your parents over.)
Now we just need more young people following in TA’s footsteps.
[tags]atheist, atheism, gay, lesbian, pride[/tags]