Day 256: For the first time since the pandemic began, Mount Rainier National Park will be sending a contingent of rangers to march in Seattle's Pride Parade. I will be among them. Yes, I am concerned about covid. Moreso (and particularly in light of recent events), I am worried about potential violence. I am going nevertheless. Why? Of the people in my close acquaintance, roughly 50 percent are either LGBTQ+ or have an LGBTQ+ family member. These are people I care about, people whose rights as human beings may very well be in serious jeopardy. It is one way I can say, "I am an ally. I respect your choices." I am fed up to the back teeth with groups of people telling other groups of people that their way is the only way, that their religious beliefs supercede those of others, that their opinions are the only ones that matter. I am tired of hypocrisy and of divisiveness. I am sick of people being judged by the colour of their skins, by what private acts they engage in with a consenting partner. If their rights fall, what next? We cannot stand idly by when the lives of friends and their families are threatened. Be an ally.
