Rice University’s marching band has earned some major respect from us.
The Rice University Marching Owls Band recently performed a fantastic halftime show during its school’s football game against Baylor University. The rival institution is a Baptist school that refused to recognize a student-led group for LGTBQ students. In response to that, the Rice University marching band performed a the Village People’s “YMCA” while students and alumni waved rainbow and trans flags. Over 70 flags were donated by students and alumni for the display.
“We just think that’s kind of ridiculous,” Chad Fisher, a spokesman for the band told the Houston Chronicle. “And so we all got to our show writing meeting Sunday, and we were like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is like exactly what our show needs to be about. We absolutely need to call Baylor out for this.’ From there, it just kind of happened.”
The Rice band (@ricemob) taking a shot at Baylor’s LGBTQ policies in its halftime performance vs. the Bears.
They spelled “Pride” at the end. pic.twitter.com/C34LxxyIdM
— Glynn Hill (@RiceChron) September 22, 2019
In reaction to the performance, a spokesperson for Baylor directed The Chronicle to a previous statement from the university’s president.
“Baylor is committed to providing a loving and caring community for all students — including our LGBTQ students,” read the statement.
That said, the statement also referred to the school’s policies, which state “the university affirms the biblical understanding of sexuality as a gift from God” and that “Christian churches across the ages and around the world have affirmed purity in singleness and fidelity in marriage between a man and a woman as the biblical norm.”
According to LGBTQNation, another policy states that “expected that Baylor students will not participate in advocacy groups which promote understandings of sexuality that are contrary to biblical teaching,” including “heterosexual sex outside of marriage and homosexual behavior.”
So it seems, Baylor deserved every bit of bad press directed its way. We can only hope more schools oppose Baylor at future games. That would surely make for an interesting football season.
Sources: The Houston Chronicle, LGBTQNation
Having lived in Dallas I can tell you a lot of stories about those “upstanding” Baptist boys coming into Dallas on the weekends. Some of the wildest sex ever. Oh and one of the former Presidents of the Dallas Southern Baptist Convention used to go across the street to the Fairmount Hotel every Wednesday. I’m sure it was for a prayer meeting. Someone was on their knees no doubt! 🙂