Father's Day with the SD Family Policy Council

Today I had a wonderful Father's Day experience. We went to the South Dakota Family Policy Council's (SDFPC) Celebrate Families Day at The Ranch in Rapid City. My wife Bethany and I my two daughters had a great time cavorting around on a lovely day in the hills, celebrating families with a really nice crowd. The Ranch provided a few free tickets (we bought more), free soda and popcorn, and had a Father's Day discount deal. We even won a door prize!

Because it was Father's Day, my wonderful daughters humored me and helped me quietly share that our family values all families, by wearing our our LGBT-inclusive T-shirts, including one of our Amendment C shirts, a Gay RALLY youth group shirt from the Center West, and an Equality South Dakota T-shirt created especially for the occasion. I have to say some of my friends in EqSD thought this was a little over the top, but we didn't make any big deal about it. To the SDFPC's credit, no-one hassled us at all.




My Equality South Dakota T-Shirt design






Me with Rev Dale Bartscher (right)


All the usual suspects were there, including pastoral coordinator Dale Bartcher, President Chris Hupke, true-believer and former South Dakota legislator Elizabeth Kraus Munro, and even Dakota Voice's Bob Ellis, who I was told was there but I didn't cross paths with him. My only question: where was Elli Schwiesow? Maybe this event wasn't political enough for her? (It was very low-key, they had some information tables on the way in but that was about it.)

Beth said she saw a "Straight Pride" T-shirt, I wish I had seen it too so we could have taken a picture together of our two shirts! Maybe that was Ellis??

I had a nice conversation with Hupke; I thanked him for having us there (we did call ahead, this wasn't an "ambush", we just wanted to come have fun), I said that although we may disagree strongly about many things, we love our families and love God.

I have to admit it was a little fun to get a few funny looks from the folks there. Maybe we gave some of these parents a little to talk about when they get home tonight, which is all to the good!

My point in showing up for this thing was not a confrontation, but to have fun, and take the opportunity to quietly share a broader (they might say "extra-Biblical" but I disagree) view of what is a legitimate family, and of course continue to develop personal connections with SDFPC folks, as we just may find ourselves on the same side of an issue in 2009!



Playing God's favorite game, (Skee Ball).




Happy Father's Day all!