This column represents the thoughts and opinions of Jason Hennington. This is NOT the opinion of the Taylor Press.
I grew up in Taylor, and for the first time – at least that I can remember – the city is hosting two parades for the Christmas holiday season on Saturday, Dec. 3.
The city is sponsoring one parade; the other and older parade is run by a religious organization.
The word that has caused so much controversy is “inclusive”, and it is the description for the city’s secular parade, which launches for the first time this year. That’s in contrast to the language of the application for the Christmas Parade of Lights, which has been hosted by the Taylor Area Ministerial Alliance for the past few years. The TAMA application said floats had to be consistent with traditional biblical and family values.
Some TAMA participants were upset last year when a Taylor Pride float with a drag queen and a man in a cutoff shirt was included in the Christmas-themed procession. The second parade hosted by the city does not include the word “Christmas” to ensure it is open to everyone, or inclusive.
Unfortunately, any decision regarding the two parades is a lose-lose situation for TAMA and the city.
However, this is not an issue of TAMA versus Pride, the city versus TAMA or the left versus the right. It’s also not an issue of intentionally dividing the community.
However, I do believe it brings light to the fact that the community is already divided.
It’s an issue that nobody wants to talk about, but it does lurk right below the surface. When catastrophic situations occur, the community comes together. However, at any other time, the community splits into its cliques and groups.
Some people are considered “woke” or progressive, while other are labeled “old school” or conservative.
Either way, a schism exists in Taylor. Having grown up here and having a historical perspective on the issue, to me the situation surrounding the parades seems to be old Taylor versus new Taylor. There are people who do not want to accept this, but there is no denying that is what has happened.
While some believe the local Pride organization is trying to “California our Taylor,” others believe the LGBTQ-plus community is standing up for what they believe.
So, what is acceptable: Being traditional or being progressive?
Someone told me last week, “The left are losing their minds” regarding gay pride. Later in the same day, I had someone tell me, “The right just will not accept change” in regards to the same topic.
Most everyone – left, right, gay, straight, young and old – believes it’s best to love everyone, or as many know the phrase, “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” However, when there is a topic folks strongly disagree with, love quickly becomes disdain.
I won’t say hate, because I don’t believe this situation will turn tragic. I pray that it doesn’t.
When that disdain is present, it becomes what looks like intolerance. Do I think TAMA hates Pride? No, but I believe they have a different set of values and beliefs. The same for Pride.
The latter’s core values and beliefs may be different, but I’m sure they don’t hate TAMA.
Overall, I think the divide due to the parade is an underlying issue in the community that no one wants to address. The city chose to add a parade, probably knowing there would be backlash. Again, it was a lose-lose situation for both sides that has only created ill will.
If the council chose to eliminate its funding from the TAMA parade, only weeks before the procession rolled down the street, it would have caused a riff.
Although city leaders probably had the best intentions, creating that second parade to make sure everyone can participate has only added fuel to the fire.
The gap in the community is there, but the only way to fix it is to address it. During this time of goodwill toward men, all sides must come together and begin talking about the divisive issue. This situation is not unique to Taylor. It is happening across the country.
But the issue isn’t going away here in Taylor. Unless both sides are willing to communicate and compromise, the split in the community will turn into a fissure that gets deeper and deeper until neither side sees the other as human.
Both sides tout love and acceptance of all, and those words need to be the starting point to build a dialogue, the common denominator or foundation for both sides.
Everyone doesn’t have to agree on the values or beliefs, but everyone does need to understand they are all part of Taylor.
I’m going to get off my soapbox now, but before I do, I just want to say, and this is not directed at anyone in particular, unless you are attending a closed-off parade for 21 and older, there should never be anything sexy about a Christmas parade.
“United we stand, divided we fall.”
--John Dickerson
