Pride Sunday morning - Facebook Reflections

 

Good Pride Sunday Morning, rainbow people of the universe!

It's a guh-or-GEE-yus morning here on the Delmarva Peninsula. The current temperature is 66 and sunny with highs predicted in the 90s.

Air quality is good at 29, UV index is low at Zero, and the wind is coming from the WSW at a delightfully slow pace of 4 mph.

It's important for me to start with a bit of history for context.

This is a "Purple-Letter Day" on the Queer Calendar of Saints for two monumental decisions made by the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), 12 years apart.

On this day in 2003, in Lawrence v Texas, the Supreme Court ruled that sodomy laws in the US are unconstitutional.

On this day, June 26, 2015, in Obergefell v Hodges, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples by both the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Claude of the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution.

Five days later, on July 1, 2015, The Episcopal Church voted to allow its clergy to bless the civil marriages of same-sex couples.

It should also be noted that V. Gene Robinson was elected Bishop of NH on June 7, 2003.

June is a GREAT month for God's Rainbow Tribe.

Not so much anymore for women - all women: straight women, lesbian women, trans women (and trans men), immigrant women, pregnant women, infertile women, and especially women of color who live in poverty.

History was again made on Friday when in a 6-3 vote, the Supreme Court of the United States of America overturned 50 years of settled law by striking down Roe v Wade.

Which, if you didn't know, guaranteed the 4th Amendment Right which protects people from unreasonable searches and seizures by the government. This was understood to extend a "right to privacy" for women and what they can decide about their bodies, their families, and their future.

The present SCOTUS (six of whom are Roman Catholic, five of whom were appointed by GOP Presidents) overturned Roe because the constitutional "originalists" (read: "fundamentalists") on The Bench said that "abortion" was not in the Constitution.

As Ruth Bader Ginsburg noted when she successfully argued against gender discrimination before the SCOTUS, neither is the word "woman".

Its authors never imagined women as part of "We the people".

It should also be noted that neither do the words "separation of church and state," or "the right to travel" or for that matter, "the right to privacy". It also does not protect: Obscenity (Like the flags that say "F**K Biden"). Fighting words. Defamation (including libel and slander). Child pornography.

Yes, the door is now open for the erosion of other rights, but before I go on I have to say this and get it off my chest: I swear to God if I hear one more gay man clutch his pearls on social media and lament, "They're coming for us, next," without first saying, "OMG, I'm so sorry, sisters. I am here for you," I'm going to have to slap somebody.

There, I feel better. You can put on your purple tennies and go out and march in the PRIDE Parade now. Say hi for me to the wonderful folks who hand out water at the First Presbyterian Church and sneer and boo at the crabby Catholics with their hateful signs in front of St. Patrick's.

No, the SCOTUS does not have the power to nullify marriages. And, from what I understand that Alito and Kavanaugh, in response to Thomas, have said that Marriage Equality is not in jeopardy because it involves prior cases that protect consenting sexual adult behavior - it does not with "children".

So, we're back to the question of "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?" Or, "When does 'life' begin?" Or, more specifically, "What is 'personhood'?"

Newsflash to Alito: A fetus is NOT a person so there are no "children" to protect - just "the potential for life."

Oh wait. I forgot. In order for him to hear that, he has to have an open mind - one that is not filled with Religious Dogma and Political Ideology.

I understand that a group of our Jewish sisters and brothers have already filed suit on the basis of "consenting adults". It's the same argument as that which forms the argument for Marriage Equality.

It will take years, of course, but it has already begun. Which is hopeful and good.

And, contrary to what Thomas has said (again), contraception, is a different story - albeit a more difficult accomplishment - because it is enshrined in Federal Law.

Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye: The way to reverse this nightmare is to enshrine Roe in Federal Law. The way to do that is to make Roe a center issue from now until November 2024.

The way to do that is to commit to voting and bringing at least two other people to the polls with you this November and in 2024.

The only remedy to this national mental illness is a Great Big Beautiful Blue Wave to sweep the polls.

Oh, sure, if we could get Joe and Kristen to change their minds and change the terms of the Filibuster Rule so that we could enshrine Roe in Federal Law and, while we're at it, pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Bill, it could happen this fall, but, you know, we'll do what we gotta do.

And, there's a whole lot we gotta do. So, c'mon kids. Wipe your eyes, blow your nose, pick up your socks and let's get on with it.

Meanwhile, over at the Lectionary Page, the word is 'determination'. In the First Reading from Hebrew Scripture, we witness Elisha’s determined, steadfast loyalty to Elijah.

The Psalmist sings of God’s determination to stay with us always, and not abandon us to the grave.

Paul tells the ancient church in Galatia to “Stand firm”.

And, in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus encounters three different would-be disciples, all of whom express half-hearted responses to His call. Jesus sets his face to Jerusalem and his destiny.

The preacher has titled her sermon "Burn the Boats". She was reminded by a clergy colleague of a story she first heard from a Hospice patient several years ago. It’s the history of Julius Caesar who set out over 2,000 years ago to conquer England by boat.

Upon landing at the coast, his soldiers soon realized the Celts had way more men, which caused Caesar's men to panic with fear and start preparing their boats for a quick retreat. Caesar burnt all the boats, forcing the men to fight with 100% commitment, which also sent a powerful message to his enemies that they meant business.

The preacher does what she does and tells a story about a 95-year-old Hospice patient who "confessed" to having had an (illegal) abortion when she was 15 years old. She talks about the determination it took to absolve herself after 80 years of holding on to secrets and guilt.

You can hear the preacher at 10 AM over at Sirach 26:10 if you've a mind to. Especially if you think your preacher is NOT going to talk about the effects of the SCOTUS decision. And, I will say that if your preacher doesn't offer some word - some reference - at least some vague illusion to the SCOTUS decision, well, if there ever was a case for a charge of malpractice, I don't know what else would constitute it.

I know, I know. There isn't a charge of malpractice in the Title IV canon. Every other profession has that standard. The church has 'Conduct unbecoming' but not 'malpractice'. And, doesn't that say something about the standards of the institutional church?

But that's another conversation for another day.

BOTTOM LINE: We're going to have to burn the boats if we want to overturn what the SCOTUS just did. As Jesus set his face toward Jerusalem, we're going to need to set our faces toward DC.

As we'll hear Madonna sing from lots of PRIDE Floats on Fifth, NYC today: Don't just stand there, let's get to it / Strike a pose, there's nothing to it.

The COVID positivity rate is creeping back up again here in Sussex County. It's Vacation Season here at The Ocean - The Nation's Vacation Spot. All those lovely people from PA, NJ, NY, DC and VA bring their wallets and purses as well as COVID.

So, please, wash your hands. Keep a safe distance. And, when in crowds, please wear a mask. Thank you.

And, as will be heard up and down Fifth Avenue, NYC, all day today, "Happy PRIDE!"

Know that having joy and confidence in who you are inspires others to do the same.