One Step Up, One Step Back

Slavery to Homosexuality.

What a perfect day.

From Gettysburg to The Kennedy Center.

With the Smithsonian in the middle.

If anybody ever tells you there’s not enough to do in Washington DC.

Call them a liar.

Thankfully we are with a tour group.

And I didn’t have to plan any of this itinerary.

But we haven’t stopped moving since we got here.

And I’m loving every second of it.

Our morning began with a 90-minute drive to Southern Pennsylvania.

That was followed by a 90-minute guided tour through one of the most famous battles of our civil war.

Driving through the battlegrounds of Gettysburg was incredible.

The stop at the museum was just as good.

As we left Gettysburg, we all knew that we had just experienced an incredible sense of history.

And we all had the same reaction.

T.G.W.W.

Thank God We Won.

And because the Union won Gettysburg.

The Union won the Civil War.

And because the Union won the Civil War.

Slaves were freed.

Three, maybe four million of them.

Became a part of us.

Eventually.

A moment in time that changed the world.

Thankfully.

The trip was absolutely incredible.

Amazing.

Emotional.

Historic.

And the kids liked it too.

Fast forward eight hours.

Back to DC.

Our group helped fill a small theatre at the Kennedy Center.

We were there to see a play called Shear Madness.

Very creative and entertaining show with HEAVY audience participation.

As a parent, I consider myself pretty liberal.

If you need examples, I’ve got plenty.

Well the show we saw had a handful of sketchy words.

And dicey gestures.

And messy jokes.

Not quite dirty.

Definitely not filthy.

Just a little messy.

But there was one interesting angle that caught the attention of the parents sitting in front of me.

How do I know?

I was eavesdropping.

The parents were apparently offended that there was a gay character in the play.

Not a happy character.

A homosexual one.

I heard them say it was highly inappropriate to expose their teenage child to a gay character.

Not an exact quote.

Just the cliff notes.

I guess they don’t watch Glee at their house.

Too bad.

For them.

I’m not sure what they were expecting from this play.

Or why they were there.

Or why they stayed.

But it made me sad.

Sad for the parents that they feel that way.

Sad for the kids that their parents feel that way.

Sad for me that a day that made me feel so good about how far we've come.

Ended with reminder of how far we still have to go.