Despite the controversy, the Taylor Area Ministerial Alliance and the city of Taylor are moving forward with their plans for two separate parades next Saturday.
TAMA’s Taylor Christmas Parade of Lights and the city’s Very Merry Holiday Parade are both slated for 7 p.m. Dec. 3 on Main Street.
“I think it will be a really nice, fun evening,” said city spokeswoman Stacey Osborne. “There are a few that are really wrapped up in the controversy, but I think the majority of the people just want to enjoy a parade. They are not going to care one way or another which parade they are watching.”
For years, TAMA has been in charge of the city’s traditional Parade of Lights, but this year, the nonprofit added language for participants that “all entries must be consistent with traditional, biblical and family values,” due to a float from Taylor Pride last year, which had two individuals dressed in drag in the procession.
In response, the city added a second parade, billed at the same time and place, but later clarified that it would be held immediately afterwards.
“It will just be immediately following theirs,” Osborne said. “We are working with them to figure out staging and lineup and all of that. It takes a while to coordinate all of that.”
City officials said they organized the second parade due to their commitment to inclusivity and
legal concerns.
“We were trying to decide whether we would be legally liable if we were included in another parade that was not open to everybody,” Osborne said.
TAMA organizer Jeff Ripple said this entry requirement for the Taylor Christmas Parade of Lights is not exclusionary.
“The city is painting us as if we are excluding people,” Ripple said in an earlier interview. “I just don’t think that’s accurate and fair.”
“I think it’s still pretty broad-based that your floats should not contradict traditional biblical and family values, and so that’s what we did,” Ripple said. “I fully support Taylor Pride’s right to exist, but this is the parade sponsored by TAMA, and I don’t think the parade is exclusive, we never have had to exclude anyone before.”
“We have had much positive feedback concerning our attempt to guard the traditional values that have characterized the Taylor Christmas Parade of Lights,” Ripple added in a written statement Nov. 22.
So far, Osborne said that a Very Merry Holiday Celebration had between 17 -18 floats signed up for the subsequent parade.
And Taylor Pride will be one of them.
Patrick Taylor, the organization’s treasurer, said they are working on a float with a greetingcard theme “From our family to yours.”
“We are going to have quite a few people on the float,” he said. “I think we are all looking forward to it. We do have some security concerns, but most of us feel like that is no different than any other time. So, we feel pretty good about it, and we are excited to be able to celebrate again this year in the parade.”
Still, Mr. Taylor said they feel added pressure to do something big this year.
“It has been such a big deal now that there is this new parade, and we have to be in that, we will have to showcase something,” he said. “We feel a little bit of added expectations for our float this year.”
For their part, TAMA is also proceeding as planned.
“We absolutely are going to continue with the parade,” Ripple said in the Nov. 16 edition of the Taylor Press. “It is just surprising that people are shocked that a Christian organization would hold to biblical Christian values. That’s who we are. And yes, we are going to do the parade, and go forward as normal.”
Ultimately, all parties say they are looking forward to an evening of festivities.
“Taylor is a great city, a really diverse mosaic of people, and it’s wonderful that everyone wants to celebrate,” Osborne said.
