We love our allies. But is mixing the pagan tradition of putting up festive lights during this time of year the way to go to show their support for our LGBT community? Why the hell not.
Washington state resident Lexi Magnusson saw this discrimination firsthand when her neighbor knocked on her door and told her why she moved to their town outside Seattle. She made that decision, she said, after finding out her kids' old school allowed same-sex couples at the prom and taught students to accept transgender people. She felt this went against her Mormon values.
At first, Magnusson didn't know how to react. "I walked inside [my house] and rage-ate a bowl of nachos," she told The Huffington Post. Then, she did something that made a bigger statement. She bought 10,000 Christmas lights of all different colors and arranged them in a rainbow on the bushes outside her house.
"Our new neighbors are bigots. Since regular aggression leads to assault charges, I went with passive aggression. 10,000 lights later," she captioned a photo of the decorations on Reddit.
She told The Huffington Post that the process of decorating her lawn was "cathartic" for her, but took on a greater meaning when a gay cousin who likes Christmas decorations gave it his backing. "His approval was everything," she said. "I wanted the rainbow to stand out so there was no question as to what it is." – refinery29.com
We want to thank all of our allies during this time of year. Not just the ones that show their love and support with bright displays of color and rainbowtastic decorations. We also would love to thank those that show their support in other ways, may it be an ear, a special nod, a meal when you feel you can't go home (Kentucky Man Helps LGBTQ Students Have Thanksgiving Dinner Away From Home) or that comforting hug when you need it the most.
And if we have any friends near the Magnusson house, she's going to need a refill on her nachos. Or you can go leave some love over on her Facebook post.
h/t: refinery29.com