Red State Ramblings

It’s been revitalizing to live in a state where killing babies is illegal, big government is frowned upon, everyone owns a gun, and helmets are optional (Okay, that one is weird – sharing the road with a bare-headed motorcyclist freaks me out – but, hey, FREEEDOM)! But that’s not to say that everyone in the entire state agrees on everything. In fact, there’s been a LOT of tension brewing among all the politicians and last weekend was no different. Let me tell you a bit of what went down in case you are curious about the political climate in Idaho.

Here’s a quick breakdown of what happened:

• The Boise Pride Festival was scheduled for 9/9-9/11
• A “Drag Kids” show was discovered to be part of the event
• Major community pushback and outrage ensued
• Democrat Mayor of Boise, Lauren McClean doubled-down on support for the Festival on social media
• A few major festival sponsors backed out their sponsorship from the event (Idaho Power, Zions Bank, Idaho Central Credit Union)
• The “Drag Kids” show was officially canceled by the Festival

Here are my thoughts on this. First of all, it is horribly sad that anyone would think it’s a good idea to bring children into the world of modern-day “drag.” This is not the drag of Shakespere where male actors played female characters, nor the silly and playful depictions of Bugs Bunny dressing up as a girl bunny to play a trick on Elmer Fudd. No, this type of drag is meant to be sexual and sensual, includes pole dancing and exposure of plenty of booty and booby skin, and sex and drugs frequenting backstage. Does that sound like a good environment to bring in a minor? And yet these people say we are abusing children by not letting them “express themselves” in this way. It’s absurd.

In spite of all this darkness, a light did shine in Idaho this day. The people of the community took a stand – not by violently burning down the city or loading their guns to threaten the groomers (and trust me, they’ve got the guns!) – but through peaceful and democratic means, making their voice be heard. You can’t call Idahoans intolerant of gay people: for 33 years now, they have held their gay “Pride Festival” in the capital of our great red state. So why is there so much commotion this year? Because they took it too far when they decided to sexually exploit our children. 

Thousands of concerned citizens wrote emails and made phone calls. We called the politicians, the sheriff, and as many “sponsors” of the event as we could. Even a large group of local pastors organized themselves and held a day of prayer just feet away from the event. While I would have loved to attend the prayer protest and be more involved, I was only able to write one email to my bank. Here is that letter:

And early the next morning, much to my surprise, here was the response:

The pressure that Boise Pride faced at that point was so great that they actually canceled the Kids Drag show, just one day before the Pride Festival was to begin. 

Friends, this is great news! It shows that we really aren’t powerless in this fight. We can take a stand, just like the great leaders before us like Martin Luther, Theodore Roosevelt, Rosa Parks, and countless others, and make a difference. We can change the course of history and get ourselves on a better path – starting with our own families, our small communities, our states and hopefully one day, our country. By the grace of God, we can be instruments of change and bring glory and honor to our Creator.

So if you are feeling hopeless in the fight and depressed at the news, take heart. The liberal extremists are just people after all and our God is so much greater. You are not alone in this battle and there is much strength when we all come together and take action.

If you are looking to move to a red state and expect the “fight” to be over, be warned. The fight is all around us and it is the same battle everywhere you go. Be prepared to take a stand, to stay informed and do your part. We can’t all organize big protests or run for office, but just taking a few minutes to write a little email can help. 

Comment below any of your success stories in fighting evil in your community!