Parents Defend Splash Pad From Gay Pride March
Arlington parents take a stand against public displays of debauchery.
Dozens of local parents turned out to protest the Arlington WA Pride event this past Saturday. Branded as “Camp Pride,” these community members were concerned that the event was overtly targeting children. Due to the sensitive nature of the issue, activists on both sides had concerns about how their opposition would conduct themselves.
Camp Pride organizers voiced concerns at the July 17th City Council meeting about counter protesters wielding guns near their event. They even went so far as to appeal to Everett City Council. A strange move, since they have no real authority beyond their own city limits. That didn’t stop Liz Vogeli from attending the public comment portion of Arlington’s City Council meeting, personally delivering an unprecedented resolution Everett City Council unanimously passed at a special meeting that morning. “A resolution in support of the free and safe expression of First Amendment rights for the Arlington LGBTQIA+ community and pride events in Snohomish County.” Before the meeting, Liz Vogeli had her phone out, filming me and the group I was with while we were walking on the sidewalk.
Many local parents and grandparents had their own concerns, namely the risk of lewd behavior from visiting pride provocateurs. Arlington had already suffered one scandalous all-ages drag show, which garnered 1.8 million views on one Twitter account alone. A male performer, known as “Columbia Blue” dances on a stripper pole in front of an audience of children. I documented here in a previous article how Arlington Pride chose to work with the very same drag queens responsible for organizing that scandalous show. What’s more, Seattle pride recently had a “clothing optional fountain party.” This made Camp Pride’s announcement that their event would conclude with a march across town to the Haller Park splash pad all the more alarming.
In addition to public comments at city hall, several concerned parents emailed Mayor Tolbert and the City Council in general. They made their concerns about the potential provocative content of performances, and the worrisome march on the splash pad known. Some asked what the city planned to do to address these issues. This was the email response from City Administrator Paul Ellis:
I am following up to address the question from the June 20th, 2023, letter to City Council. Currently, the Pride event application for July 22 is limited to Legion Park, however, the City parks, trails, and the splash pad are all open public areas. The City reviewed the application submitted for the 2023 Pride event with the City’s insurance pool, and determined that the event is classified as a First Amendment event. Please be aware that citizens and organizations have the right to offer entertainment that is not breaking the law, and residents of our community have the right to attend or choose not to attend. Parents should use their best judgement on what is appropriate for their families to view.
If the City observes that any criminal laws are being broken at this event, then we will investigate and act swiftly.
If you would like to request a copy of the Pride Event Permit, you may do so by requesting it in a response to this E-Mail and I can provide that to you as a public record.
Sincerely,
Paul Ellis, ICMA-CM
City Administrator
City of Arlington
The city claimed police would act swiftly should any laws be broken. If so, it would have been an unprecedented move to hold pride accountable in the Pacific Northwest. Regardless, it seemed clear that nothing would be done to stop Arlington Pride from marching to the splash pad at Haller Park. Since the official permit was for Legion Park across town, and the permit did not describe any such march, there were no guarantees that police would even be present to witness any potential indecency at the splash pad. That meant community members would have to take responsibility to defend the innocence of unsuspecting families with young children.
On the day of the event, both sides seemed to be leery about pushing the envelope too much. Pride protesters consisted mostly of local church groups. They were honest, law-abiding citizens and did not want to come across as thuggish bullies. Being an organizer of the protest effort, I can personally vouch that bringing big guns to scare everyone with was never our plan.
Come Saturday, Police were the only people openly carrying firearms. According to the local Fox News report, Arlington had a “heavy police presence.” I was there, and definitely wouldn’t consider a handful of police “heavy.” Jordan Hansen reported a mere 10 police were present in his article for the Everett Herald. He also falsely reported that Pastor Jim Jacobson attended the Jericho March, so take his estimations with a grain of salt. One local parent named Chris estimated, “4-6 officers that I saw. You see more a day at your average Walmart.” All in all, the police force seemed appropriate to the size of event—neither “heavy” nor excessive. Don’t take my word for it. Search through event pictures yourself and see if you can spot any police at all.
That’s not all Fox News got wrong in their report. They claim that I was concerned the drag queens involved in the Mother’s Day drag scandal may make an appearance in this year’s show. That’s false. My concern was that it’s a certainty. Not only did Gina Touche attend Camp Pride, he was the Master of Ceremonies!
As for Arlington Pride, they made an effort to appear “family friendly,” not that gay pride is ever an acceptable thing to expose children to. With so many community members watching them, they were mindful not to be overly provocative or push too many boundaries. I absolutely believe that the increased scrutiny played a part in that—just as I believe that “Quintessa Touche,” Camp Pride’s “head counselor,” wouldn’t have apologized for his step-son’s salacious stripper-pole show had it not been exposed.
This makes it all the more scandalous that community members were discouraged from attending the protest. While it’s true that gay pride activists are hungry for attention (why else would they wear such hideously bright, gaudy colors?), what they truly want is a passive and permissive environment. That’s how they get away with abominable public acts. If the community doesn’t hold pride accountable, pride will push more and more boundaries. Before long, we’ll have men in bondage gear whipping each other down Olympic Avenue on their way to a clothing-optional splash pad party at Haller Park. You might say that’s hyperbole, but the more comfortable they get, the bolder they will be. Nobody dares to confront them in Seattle—that’s why they get away with naked bike rides and waving their genitals at kids in the public fountain.
Melissa, a local parent, says she saw firsthand how subversive and sneaky pride can be, apparently pushing boundaries at their Camp Pride event. According to her, “There was a young lady that had to perform with her theatre group at pride (they didn't tell her that). She was physically shaking and freaked out. I don't even know her but I asked if she needed a hug and she said, ‘yes.’ I hugged her for such a long time (I just let her cling until she was comforted). These people are sneaky and definitely after kids.”
Thankfully, a group of at least three dozen parents decided to eschew the cowardly advice and show their faces. They prayed diligently on the street corner and held signs with slogans such as, “make indecent exposure illegal again.” At noon, with the beating sun at its zenith, they joined me in a seven-lap Jericho March around City Hall and Legion Park.
One counter protester, a furry named “Sparkles”, followed us with a shoulder-rig mounted sign saying, “FUndamentally educate these guys.” He made corny jokes that nobody found amusing and fell away after only a couple laps. On our final lap, we broke our silence and prayed a litany of chastity. The march concluded around 1:40pm.
At this point, we headed straight for Haller Park. Several of us spoke with the parents of children in the park. We notified them of the recent “clothing optional fountain party” in Seattle and the Arlington Pride event’s plan to march down the Centennial Trail, finishing at the splash pad. Most parents had no idea. Many were mortified. Only one family said they “didn’t care” if their kids saw gay pride nudity. Several packed up and left right away. At 2:30pm we formed a ring around the splash pad—that was the time they were supposed to begin their march. Shortly thereafter we got word that Camp Pride cancelled their march on Haller Park. We rejoiced!
A parent informed us that it was a potential misdirection. I set off on foot to get first-hand intel. As I walked the Centennial Trail, which was their declared path, I saw only the usual foot traffic. At each cross walk I looked left and right. No cars, no people. Arlington was a ghost town, minus the ghosts. A friend picked me up to take me back. I delivered the news upon my arrival: no pride activists or performers in sight!
Everyone shouted for joy. I read a passage from the book of Joshua, then we headed back to Legion Park. We circled up under the gazebo and I read Psalm 118. Spirits were high. Such a small group, yet such a huge impact.
My final thoughts are this: you can make an impact on your community, but you have to get involved. If we had stayed home like everyone else, it’s an absolute certainty that the gay pride festival would have marched down centennial trail to the splash pad. If we had not kept them honest by attending City Council meeting after City Council meeting, their performances would undoubtedly have been more provocative.
You do not have to accept gay pride events in your community, whether they are “family friendly” or “clothing optional.” These rituals they perform have a real spiritual impact on the community. Don’t forget that it’s not merely a political struggle—this is spiritual warfare and that battle cannot be won if you don’t fight it!
Ephesians 6:12, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
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Great write up Tom!