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Loading ...In Rio, Catholics reverent, gays proud, athletes run
10.13.2008 1:48pm EDT
(Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) Only in Rio.
Where else would it be possible for millions of people to march for gay pride, worship Brazil’s patron saint, compete in a half-marathon and celebrate Children’s Day activities – all on the same Sunday?
The proposition initially raised a few hackles – with both church officials and gay activists insisting the other postpone their event – but ultimately went off without a hitch at the city’s famed Copacabana beach.The celebrations began with hundreds of the faithful marching through the streets to honor Our Lady of Aparecida, the country’s patron saint.
By midmorning, participants in the World Half Marathon Championship zipped along the beachfront, while at noontime parents took their young ones to Children’s Day events by the sea.
As evening arrived, the raucous gay pride parade had taken control, with go-go boys gyrating in time to electronic dance music atop 20 semi-trucks.
Few seemed to mind the confluence of such different events.
“I think there is space for everyone,” Sandra Cannone, who participated in the religious procession, told the O Globo newspaper.
Guilherme Cruz, 20, attending the gay pride parade, said he didn’t mind sharing Copacabana’s space.
“I don’t have any problems with the church procession,” he said. “But we have to fight for our rights as homosexuals. We also have the right to be here.”
It will be good for all in the end as people learn to respect other people’s rights to the gay parade, to be whatever it is they are, to their own faith, to the Children’s Day, etc. There is no reason why everyone can’t just get along and just do their thing. Not everyone wants to be gay, not everyone wants to be Catholic, etc. I respect everyone’s right to be whatever they are called to be, their right to be there to support others of whatever like mind…That is the way any democracy works, whether Brazil, US or any other democracy.
Not everything pleases everyone else, so we just have to agree to disagree and just learn to keep out of each other’s way. Very simple, just stop the hatred and efforts to kill each other’s rights and just everyone mind their own business and it can be like in Brazil learn to live and let live and let everyone have their day and just let it be.
What we are seeing there is the beginning of the end of injustice against gay people. Argentina recently passed a law giving gay people some partial legal rights found in civil marriage.
And ultimately those who perpetuated the injustice in the name of their God will have to publically repent, or preach to empty pews.
What is so very important is that gay people come out of the closet. And when the populace discovers that they know and respect so many gay people, the walls of isolation, religious hatred, etc will come tumbling down.