Naked cyclists at a Pride event do not reflect the values of all LGBTQ people | Column
In the effort to defend our children, we shouldn’t isolate our neighbors. Lately, I’ve heard one sweeping generalization after another lobbed at the LGBTQ+ community in response to events during Pride Month. We should call out boorish behavior, but doing so shouldn’t lead us down a hateful path.
When I saw the video of adults biking naked in front of children and families as part of Seattle Pride, I bristled. I can’t imagine my family being exposed to that in public. Such examples of public nudity and even sexual activity almost always make headlines. To put it mildly, they elicit strong emotions.
As a general rule, I don’t celebrate grown adults exposing their genitals in public. Nevertheless, expressive conduct, even that which some of us find inappropriate, may be protected by the First Amendment. The line isn’t as clear as most of us would like.
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The Supreme Court versus social media
In Barnes v. Glen Theater, Inc., the Supreme Court recognized the right of states to prohibit public nudity, holding that the state has an interest in “protecting societal order and morality,” and that public nudity is not inherently “free expression” protected by the First Amendment.
In most instances, it’s perfectly reasonable to restrict adults from pedaling naked down Mainstreet. Consenting adults may engage in “kinky” sexual behavior in the privacy of their homes, but we shouldn’t permit it at the same public parks where we play youth sports.
If we’re not careful, such a reasonable desire to protect our children and families can give way to damaging stereotypes. Social media gives us the impression that relatively rare behaviors in places far from our homes are somehow hurtling towards us.
For me to attribute the actions of naked cyclists in Seattle to my friends and neighbors who identify as LGBTQ+ is the height of stupidity.
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We are more than group affiliations
I wouldn’t appreciate people connecting me with the Westboro Baptists because I too am a Baptist. I’d be outraged if Americans in another part of the country simply assumed I would also turn the funeral of a fallen American soldier into a political stunt.
Individuals who identify as LGBTQ+ don’t share the same perspectives with each other any more than all Christians, Republicans, or Black Americans do within their respective demographics.
Human beings are so much more than group affiliations. Republicans and conservatives have consistently advocated that position. Such a view shouldn’t change when the topic turns to sexuality.
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Gross generalizations damage society
There are a great number of LGBTQ+ people who l love dearly. We disagree on points of theology and politics, but the depth and quality of my life would not be the same without them. I have yet to see any of them prancing about naked in our community. They would be equally as shocked and far more horrified if I embraced the same behavior.
I am in awe of the freedoms afforded to Americans by the Constitution. We’re blessed with a system capable of protecting individual liberty and basic standards of decency at the same time. Adults should not expose themselves to children. We shouldn’t rush to remove the innocence of youth by treating the next generation as sexual agents from the earliest stages of development.
That said, I’ll also defend my friends, family, and neighbors against those who speak in gross generalizations depicting LGBTQ+ Americans as predators. Such behavior damages the fabric of our society itself.
Our future is important, but our present demands far more thoughtful engagement.
USA TODAY Network Tennessee Columnist Cameron Smith is a Memphis-born, Brentwood-raised recovering political attorney raising four boys in Nolensville, Tenn., with his particularly patient wife, Justine. Direct outrage or agreement to smith.david.cameron@gmail.com or @DCameronSmith on Twitter. Agree or disagree? Send a letter to the editor to letters@tennessean.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Pride: Naked cyclists in Seattle do not represent all LGBTQ people
