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Pride Rainbow Jesus and Satan: When Satire Goes Too Far

Pride Rainbow Jesus and Satan: When Satire Goes Too Far

Last updated on: September 15, 2026 at 4:23 am by Rebecca Wallace Keene

Pride Rainbow Jesus and Satan: When Satire Goes Too Far 2026-09-15T04:23:11-04:00 Rebecca Wallace Keene

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Pride Rainbow Jesus and Satan: When Satire Goes Too Far made with chatgpt by Rebecca Keene

Pride Rainbow Jesus and Satan: When Satire Goes Too Far

Pikeville Pride this year drew a lot of negative attention from the community after having a man dressed as Jesus in rainbows and others dressed as Satanist pose for photos together. Homophobia is a real problem in much of the world and especially in the deep Bible Belt of the Appalachian Mountains, but we must ask ourselves at what point are we asking for more hate?

Pride Acceptance

For several years now Pride has happened in Pikeville with little backlash. There is, of course, the one protester who shows up to every Pikeville event with his bullhorn, and there has been some criticism of the drag show. However, for the most part the community was starting to accept it and even come to Pride. This year we had many Christians in attendance. Then everything changed.

Satire or Mockery at Pride

This year a man dressed as Jesus in Pride colors came to the celebration offering free hugs. Many Christians saw this as a mockery of their god. As a Jewish person, I have to appreciate the irony. Christians have spent 2,000 years turning Jesus into an idol, posting images of him everywhere, and putting words in his mouth and beliefs historical Jesus never expressed. So, in that sense the Rainbow Jesus was doing what Christianity always does to Jesus. He had every right to interpret Jesus through his own lens and show the world what his version of Jesus looked and acted like. However, what he did next went too far.

Satire is only satire if the audience gets the joke. The Rainbow Jesus took a photo with someone who claimed to be and was dressed as a satanist. Though Satanists may not worship or even believe in Satan themselves, Satan in Christianity is seen as the adversary of G-d. Depicting Jesus hugging a Satanist was more than most Christians were willing to forgive. While the Satanist appeared to be poking fun at Christian ideas about homosexuals going to hell, Christians did not see satire. They saw an LGBT person dressed as and claiming to be a Satanist. Christians saw confirmation. They didn’t leave that festival thinking, “How ironic.” They left thinking, “I knew homosexuals were Satanist.”

Love and Acceptance is a Two-Way Street

If we want equality, love, and acceptance, that means giving the same to everyone else. Christians were not given respect this Pride. Because of that, I fear the LGBT community in Pikeville is also going to lose some of the respect it had begun to earn with those Christians. I don’t want to live in a world where the town is at war and LGBTs are forced to look over their shoulder every moment. Let’s build peace and love instead. That is what the movement says it wants. Mocking Christianity will not make them love us any more than their preaching hate makes us love them.

Pikeville Pride this year did more to harm the community than to help it, and I pray this never happens again. Pride should lift our people up and encourage others to see us as equals and help us fight for LGBT rights. Pride should never be the thing that hurts the community.

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