PETERS – My story is a good example of why Pride parades are still necessary
(Image: CFJC Today)
I GREW UP A HOMOPHOBE.
It’s not easy to say, but that doesn’t make it any less true.
It wasn’t so much that I hated gay people; it’s that “gay” was an abstract concept — an ideology.
There were no LGBTQ2S-plus people in our town of 10,000 to personify that abstract concept.
Well, of course there were, and I know that now.
But it’s understandable that no LGBTQ2S-plus person would have dared come out in a town like mine.
It was small, homogenous and, almost without exception, morally opposed to anything other than traditional heterosexual relationships.
James Peters is the radio anchor at CFJC, coming to Kamloops in 2006. He anchors the afternoon news on B-100 and 98.3 CIFM, and contributes weekly editorials to the CFJC Evening News. He tweets regularly @Jamloops.
ArmchairMayor.ca 
Yesterday morning, one of our members helped dismantle two tents that had been set up in front of the front entrance to our building. He then proceeded to pick up garbage and used needles that had been strewn around.
A wonderful woman who has sacrificed hundreds of hours learning to play piano came faithfully to play for all of us.
There were enough empty chairs for many more people to come; they would have been welcomed regardless of their age, gender or sexual orientation.
Afterwards, they would have been welcome to stay for coffee and something to eat.
There is always room for more to come.
These things weren’t etched in stone tablets but I guess it isn’t always the case.
Immanuel died a humiliating, painful death for the “whosoever”. That seemed to have been about as “inclusive” a thing as anyone could ever do.
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