The sin of pride has no tie to Pride

I’VE BEEN openly gay for nearly 30 years — legally married for more than 10 of them — and it has been my experience that few scriptures delight the far right more this time of year than Proverbs 16:18: Pride comes before a fall.

- LZ GRANDERSON

I mostly blame inertia.

Pride month started in 1970. The Old Testament is, well ... older than Jesus.

Theological debates are fine any month. It’s just that the "pride" being warned against had nothing to do with the protest in 1969 or the rainbow-glitter celebrations of love and civil rights that followed.

According to the Bible, God appeared in a dream early in King Solomon's reign and asked the young ruler what he wanted. The king did not ask for silver or gold. Instead, he asked the Lord for “lev shomea,” a listening heart in Hebrew. Proverbs 16 is primarily a meditation on power and its use. However, because rainbows and scriptures are often pitted against one another in the public square — be it the pulpit, a podcast or a parade — the wisdom of Solomon’s words tends to be overshadowed by the desire some have to weaponize them.

The LGBTQ+ community didn’t start using the word “pride” broadly until the 1968 release of “Say It Loud — I'm Black and I’m Proud” by James Brown. The Godfather of Soul released the song four months after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. It became a Billboard Top 10 hit and a civil rights anthem. Rolling Stone recently named it the fifth greatest protest song of all time.