The More Forward We Go the More Backwards We Get

Of course the South is known for its prejudices; chief among them in the past being those against our minority population. The city across the river has bent so far over to compensate for those failings that the minority in population has become the majority in consideration for all things from jobs to political appointments. This has proved fatal in so many cases. From a Senator who is now spending his years in a 8 X 10 cell instead of his ill gotten mansion on the hill to the city attorney who let her power go to her head thinking no one would ever fire her for fear of a lawsuit. She was right; they didn't fire her they "accepted her resignation" and gave her a very generous severance package to avoid the ACLU and the NAACP from making more of a mockery of that bunch of good old boys.
Now the city across the river has a new problem to face and it isn't the NAACP they are worried about this time. This time they are worried about the Bible thumpers, the ignorant, the ACLU and the homophobes. The gay and lesbian population of the city across the river want to hold a gay pride parade. They obtained signatures from all the departments necessary save one and that one would be the Mayor's office. The gutless wonder would not sign off until he checked with the attorneys trying to give the impression that he was being unbiased and fair when all he succeeded in doing was showing his ignorance of the law. He had no problem signing off on funeral for James Brown that froze downtown for an entire weekend and no problem signing off on any other event the black population wanted to hold but this one scared him to death. The Mayor received emails, voice mails, letters and rants in the paper from ignorant rednecks who think being gay is being a pedophile or any other type of sex offender. From the Bible thumpers who call their lifestyle an abomination and from idiots who think transvestites are dressing up for Halloween. Of Course he had no choice in the matter he had to sign off on it but his consultation with the attorney gave the impression to his redneck constituency that he was trying to find a way to stop it. To those with a bit more intelligence all it did was re enforce their belief that he is a weakling who wants nothing but good press.
The parade and party will happen and it is my hope that the citizens of the city across the river learn something about themselves in the process or at least realize they have nothing to fear from people who live a bit differently than they do. I also hope the rednecks and the Klan stay home and don't cause a scene that puts the South on the national news showing just how far we have not come.