Jerry Summers
The inclusion of the two above terms together in the same title of this article may once have been shocking to many as Pulaski, Tn., once again prepares to celebrate a Pride Festival (the fifth)..
The evolution of the controversy in sexual preferences is a topic that dominates the news and headlines in the media whether you are “straight, gay, bi-sexual, lesbian, transgender or queer, etc.”
As is well known, Pulaski, Tennessee is acknowledged as the birthplace of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) under the leadership of former Confederate General, Nathan Bedford Forrest, whose conduct at the massacre of black Union prisoners at Fort Pillow in West Tennessee in 1864 is another episode in history that likewise is filled with controversy by extremists on both the left and right that is part of the divisiveness that permeates America.
Self-appointed promoters often pour more gasoline on the division of the races and sexes that usually starts with the invoking of treatment of slaves before, during and after the 1861-1865 Civil War that will always provide hate fodder to whites, blacks, Latinos, etc. through all the sources of the ratings competition in all forms of the media.
Because of those and many other reasons the reporting of the earlier Pride Festivals in the progressive USA Today newspaper, in the small rural town on the southern border of Tennessee adjacent to Alabama, was newsworthy.
As expected, both the 2021 and 2022 events were not without controversial positions on both sides of the issue.
Cities and some politicians had made their opposition known and the publicity varied from an individual holding up a “REPENT” sign in reference to their interpretation of the King James version of the Bible banning forms of homosexuality.
On the other side a Jeep vehicle with the message “Rednecks 4 Rainbows” expressed a more tolerant attitude of support for the event.
Giles County sheriffs’ deputies were a visible presence to curtail any violence and a review of the media coverage of the event did not produce any activities that would have immediately spurred local, state, or national news coverage.
The production of a “for profit” drag queen performance was the cause of much of the opposition to the festival.
Although it was claimed that the event was “a family-friendly drag show” it did not preclude the opposition from being avid critics.
Two separate shows were conducted at the Giles County Agricultural Park with a $15 in advance and $20 at the door entrance fees. The reason for having two shows was advertised as being “because of the overwhelming crowd and the heat last year.”
It is easy to list all of the pro and con reasons for or against the Pride Festival being held in the birthplace of the organization that remains at the forefront of one of the singular issues that tends to divide our country and to hurt America’s image from both a domestic and international prospective.
If the news accounts are correct (and they are always suspect in this era of sensationalism) one lesson evolves from the Pulaski Pride Festival in 2021–2022. Also applicable to 2023-2024.
Peaceful protests and festivals under the position of the First Amendment of the federal and state equivalent of constitutions can be held in a rural Tennessee County of approximately 7,500 citizens but cannot be held in the nations capitol as painfully demonstrated by the events of Jan. 6, 2021!
The Pulaski City Council on Jan. 13, 2025 approved without controversy, June 3, 2025 as the date for the 5th annual celebration. Mark your calendar if you plan to attend!
(It is more newsworthy to watch a Tesla battleship gray war wagon burn than a transgender guy (or gal) with poorly applied makeup strut down the streets of Giles County in the alleged birthplace of the KKK!)