Sioux Falls Hosts Historic PRIDE Parade

(NO THIS DOESN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH SPORTS AND YOU WILL BE BETTER BECAUSE OF IT!)

I was so proud to be a member of this community last week when I was walking around downtown Sioux Falls and I saw the different businesses with their rainbow flags and PRIDE week info throughout the city.

Last week Sioux Falls held Pride week events and it was capped off by the cities first ever Pride Parade.

It is so encouraging to see a state that typically has been behind the eight ball in regards to inclusion have its cornerstone city embrace everyone as they did last week and on Saturday.

To see some of my friends and other members of the community feel so included when at times that clearly hasn't been the case was a very cool moment here in the Sioux Empire.

You can go to any news outlet's social media page and you can still see some of the ignorant comments from people who are simply insecure enough to feel the need to be mean and cruel for no reason at all.

People will also say "when do we get our straight parade?" and my answer is always simple, when straight folks start getting fired, discriminated against, shunned and beat up for who they are, then we can start holding "straight" parades.

This event wasn't and isn't about "throwing others beliefs" on people, it was and is about celebrating people. Celebrating humans who are finally being treated like people by more and more for being just as normal as anyone else.

That to me is one really cool thing.

I don't know if my 3 sons will be gay, straight, transgender or whatever, but I do feel so much more encouraged to be living in this area with the response I saw this last week, because it makes me fell no matter what the identity of my three sons turns out to be that for the most part, this community will be accepting no matter what.

Well done Sioux Falls, well done.

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