Transgender or Devoutly Christian?

"Transgender or devoutly Christian? An Iowa teen refuses to choose." by Casey Parks Washington Post, December 23, 2022.

Theirs was a God steeped in love and acceptance, and in the months after they left church, Sid decided he wanted to help others find the same safe space he had at home. That June, he helped organize his town’s first-ever Pride celebration.

He was 15, so he planned what he considered a family-friendly event. He booked the library for a few hours late morning, and he arranged to have face-painting and button-making booths. He invited two speakers: a state lawmaker to give the opening address, and a drag queen to read a princess book to kids.

Comment

Elsewhere in the article it mentions that Sid volunteers at the library.  After the event, people in the community called the library to complain and threatened to boycott the library.  About 100 people attended the event, and a few stood outside to protest.

I Witnessed a Fatal Bike Crash. It Changed Me Forever.

Amelia Arvesen, "I  Witnessed a Fatal Bike Crash. It Changed Me Forever." Outside Online.  December 13, 2021. https://www.outsideonline.com/culture/essays-culture/fatal-bike-crash-flagstaff-bike-party-witness-trauma/

On May 28, 2021, I finally felt like I belonged somewhere. Ten months earlier, my husband, Steve, and I had relocated to Flagstaff, Arizona, in the middle of the pandemic so he could attend grad school at Northern Arizona University. We hardly knew anyone there and were growing lonely, so we were thrilled when a new friend invited us to an event one evening called the Flagstaff Bike Party, a monthly group ride in celebration of bikes and community. It was our first opportunity to gather with new people since our move. When we arrived at a park outside the city’s library, nearly 100 people were there, mounting fixies, mountain bikes, and commuters. A little blond girl giggled on the handlebars of her dad’s bike as he did figure eights in the grass. Some riders wore construction vests and strapped fluorescent orange traffic cones to their helmets to signify the night’s theme: safety.

COMMENT

The bike party meets in front of the city library? Why? Probably because everyone in town knows where that is.  I wonder if the library interacts with the bike party in any way?