Will Laura Bush Walk the Walk at Dallas' Pride Parade?

by Abbie Kopf · 2010-05-19 07:47:00 UTC
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Laura Bush shocked the pants right off of everyone when she appeared on Larry King Live to confirm her support of gay marriage (not to mention abortion. Say wha?). Now that we’ve seen her talk the talk, one man wants to see if she’ll walk the walk, literally, by appearing in Dallas’ annual Pride parade. David Ethridge created a Facebook page in hopes of recruiting the former first lady to be the guest of honor at the Pride festivities.

Many gay rights supporters are peeved at Mrs. Bush for supporting our community only when she had nothing to lose and we had nothing to gain by her admission. But Ethridge decided to “extend an olive branch” to our latest gay advocate. “If Mrs. Bush is willing to stand up and be counted, late or not, I'm willing to stand next to her,” he said.

Though it seems unlikely that the former FLOTUS would stride down a Dallas street beside bears in buttless chaps, the whole episode has caused our community to rethink the notion of allies and enemies. Most of us assumed that Laura Bush was a bigot in school teacher's clothing, deferring to the homophobic policies of her husband's administration. Her timing on the issue aside, it might do us well to accept those (like President Obama) who are seemingly less than unyielding allies. They might just end up at your local pride parade.

And, for a moment at least, let’s savor the delicious mental picture of Laura Bush walking with those in her community who have been bashed, discriminated against and counted out. In a very public and important way, this woman could single-handedly become an icon of change and progressiveness, especially for those in her party.

As for Ethridge, he believes that “In the end, marriage equality isn't about politics, party or faith. It's about realizing equal protection under laws for all Americans.”

His page currently has around 400 followers, all of whom are willing to stand with a new friend to the cause. If you’d like to see the former first lady walk the walk at Dallas Pride, make sure to swing by Ethridge’s Facebook page and become a fan.

Photo credit: Cordey

Abbie Kopf is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Texas Tech, works as a communications manager for an arts and education nonprofit, and writes about gay rights.
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