Lots of interest in Black Hills Pride

The two most commented stories on the Rapid City Journal's Rapid Reply are:

* Black Hills Gay Pride event expands to four days (299)

* Rapid City woman likens gay activism to 1960s civil rights movement (117)

I'm torn between pride and disgust from the comments as many of them are packed with hate and bigotry. Many are so bad that I am dismayed the RCJ has allowed them to be posted-- violence against my LGBT friends comes from this kind of speech.

Religion seems to come up a lot in the negative comments, especially when used as a weapon to justify prejudice, for example, typical gems like:

God has already spoken for Himself in the Bible.

It's hard not to agree with the woman who posted:

I have never felt so dirty being from SD. I feel like I live in a twilight zone right now.... Shame on all of you who pull out your bible [sic] every time someone does something that makes you uncomfortable.... there are religious gays who have had to fight with their feeling their whole lives to get to a place where they feel like god [sic] loves them. Give them that since none of you know who god [sic] really loves.

But there are enough supportive posts for LGBT and their allies to take heart that we are turning a corner, even here in South Dakota.

May justice flow like a river!