There was amazing energy at the Cleveland Pride march on Saturday. We probably had twice the number of people as last year from UUCC, but the streets also had more enthusiastic supporters.

Everything about the day seemed more intentional than last year. The march seemed a little bit longer, and the way groups were organized was very clear. While there were some protesters on the outskirts of the mustering ground, the participants were largely shielded from that hostility, mostly due to thoughtful planning and celebratory music.

Almost every step of the march, there were crowds of people on the sidewalks cheering. Some people cheered louder than others. Some people seemed to really want an equally enthusiastic response from the marchers, which is understandable. At one point, I mused that I wouldn’t have much of a voice for Sunday’s worship service if I matched the volume of the people cheering on the sidewalk!

There was one supporter who was particularly energetic. And loud. Insistently, passionately cheering. I’ll admit that a part of me thought this person was a little bit over the top.

Then, I noticed the preacher pacing up and down the sidewalk behind this zealous supporter. The man had a megaphone as he strode back and forth behind the crowd that had gathered along the curb. No wonder so many people don’t like preachers! Showing up with a megaphone to spoil a festive protest.

Except that I couldn’t hear a word the man with the megaphone said. I assume he was expressing some unfavorable opinions about the Pride march. I’ve recently seen preachers using megaphones to say unsupportive things about the LGBTQ community. Some of them have been rather hateful. I would go so far as to say that some of them have been verbally and emotionally abusive.    

But just like the celebratory music that was playing at the lineup, this enthusiastic person was drowning out a message that may have been hurtful. Drowning out a megaphone! They had a little help from other folx nearby. And the marchers responded with some volume of their own, of course.

I know that many of us have live-and-let-live kinds of philosophies. If someone wants to spend their time walking up and down the street expressing their beliefs through a megaphone, who are we to tell them to find something better to do with themselves? But then what do we say to the people who struggle to feel a sense of belonging, wholeness, or safety? Being subjected to persistently derogatory or abusive messages must take a toll on a person’s psyche, right?

Maybe it’s alright sometimes for us to drown out the megaphones. Rather than trying to silence people with messages of hate or hostility, we might allow ourselves to be a bit loud and zealous with a message of love and welcome.

Or maybe we don’t even have to be loud. Maybe we just choose to be persistently visible as people who embrace and celebrate life in all its diverse expressions. Our lives might become a megaphone, demonstrating through our actions that we are the embodiment of welcome, offering people a message of hope and healing.