Author: John Stonestreet
Recently, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee declared the month of June Nuclear Family Month. In doing so, he also declared that June is not “pride month.” The resolution stated that Tennessee will prioritize the nuclear family, which it described as “consisting of one husband, one wife, and any biological, adopted, or fostered children [as] God’s design for familial structure.” Even more, according to the resolution, “The nuclear family is under attack in our beloved State and nation, and it is our responsibility to uplift, protect, and support values that help Tennessee proper.”
Predictably, the Tennessee resolution engendered outrage from LGBTQ activists. After all, it is now expected that the nation will recognize pride month each June, and that the media, professional sports, local and national retailers, and federal and state governments participate. One might think that pride month is federally mandated but, as Tennessee has now demonstrated—it is not.
The first pride month marches took place in 1970 in response to a police raid on a gay bar in New York City. Activists date this as the beginning of the so-called “gay liberation movement.” In 1999, President Clinton issued a presidential proclamation that June be recognized as “Gay and Lesbian Pride Month.” In 2009, President Obama renamed it as “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Month.” Since then, the T’s have basically taken over.
Presidential proclamations are important but are ceremonial and not binding laws. The Tennessee resolution makes clear that the family has contributed far more to our nation than have sexual minorities. And yet, it faces attack from various angles in American society. Thinkers as far back as Aristotle have argued that the family is the most natural of associations and thus an essential pillar of civilization. In How Now Shall We Live?, Chuck Colson wrote,
nearly every civilization has protected the family both legally and socially, for it is the institution that propagates the human race and civilizes children…The [contemporary] systematic deconstruction of the oldest, most basic social institution is a prime cause of the social chaos in America in recent decades.
In recent years, organizations like the Institute for Family Studies have provided a treasure trove of data about the family, demonstrating the essential link between a healthy and flourishing society and healthy, flourishing families.
The Tennessee resolution is an example that, even at the state level, hopeful alternatives exist to so-called “pride.” An even better example is “Fidelity Month,” a grass-roots project imagined by Princeton University professor Robert George. As Professor George explains, Fidelity Month is “dedicated to the importance of fidelity to God, spouses and families, and our country and communities.”
The Fidelity Month initiative is not primarily a statement against, but is rather a proposal for. It is an attempt at “lighting a candle rather than merely cursing the darkness,” as their website says. The Fidelity Month website provides an array of resources for individuals, families, churches, communities, and local governments topromote and celebrate faithfulness through social media with friends and neighbors, public announcements, state legislative resolutions, and within the church.
New this year to Fidelity Month is a national essay contest for High School Juniors and Seniors. An effort to challenge students to recommit to God, family, and country, the essay prompt asks students to focus on areas of American history with a specific emphasis on faithfulness—even when it’s challenging and unpopular—to the basic values that unite Americans. Cash prizes will be awarded for the top three essays.
In fact, the 250th anniversary of America’s Founding is a wonderful opportunity to meaningfully reflect on what it means to be faithful to one’s country by first being faithful to God and family. After all, faithfulness is a virtue. Pride is a vice that only leads to destruction.