My Sunday papers on June 4, 2023, included an article from the San Jose Mercury News. I am linking the article, as it appeared elsewhere. Here's the headline on that article I am talking about: "Taylor Swift delivers heartfelt Pride speech to fans, slams ‘harmful’ anti-LGBTQ legislation."
In other and related news, yesterday's edition of the San Francisco Chronicle had an "Insight" column, by Ash Zemenick, that also spoke to issues of diversity. Zemenick backed up, with biology, what Rabbi Elliot Kukla said in an article featured in one of my recent blog postings. Zemenick's column was headlined, "Biological sex, no matter definition, is not binary."
LIFE (in all of its manifestations) is not "binary." It's not "we" versus "them." It's not "You" versus "Me." We are all in this together, despite all the differences. It is "diversity," not "division," that best explains our human situation. That's true in "politics," as in every other case. Take it from Hannah Arendt, the great political theorist, who spent most of her life explaining that the origins of totalitarianism spring from an effort to suppress this truth, and from our inability to recogize (and tolerate) and celebrate "plurality."
Plurality and diversity, let it be said, do call for a celebration - and a celebration of our diversity is exactly what happened yesterday, in my hometown of Santa Cruz, California. Celebration was the name of the day!
I am pretty sure that the first official "Pride" celebration in Santa Cruz County was held in 1975. I remember voting, as a brand-new County Supervisor, to have our Board issue a proclamation recognizing "Gay Pride." My recollection is that the vote was 3-2, so there was not, really, unanimous agreement.
It's great to see some progress on the diversity/plurality front - and that truly is a "heartfelt" observation. I'm with Taylor Swift on that.
Image Credits:
(1) - https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/stefficao/taylor-swift-eras-tour-first-show-glendale(2) - http://santacruzpride.org
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