By the title you might believe that Semmes, Alabama is a with-it town. After all, they invited The Prancing Elites to perform in their Christmas parade.
As you can see, the troupe is extremely talented, and many would – and have said they’re entertaining. They’re also gay and black. They’ve been booked in Mobile for New Years Eve and Mardi Gras…But back to our story. During the Semmes parade, members of the troupe heard lots of jeers and rude cat calls, rather than the applause or cheers one might expect of a Christmas themed dance routine.
Dancer Adrian Clemons said, “Some of them were saying stuff like Oh my God, what’s that?” “I would rather you pull us to the side and say, hey that’s probably not a good idea for you guy to march. Okay we can accept that,” dancer Jerel Maddox said.
It seems there was a failure to communicate. The group had every reason to believe they would be welcomed. After all, they were invited. The group captain told the organizer that they were over 21 and that they were guys. She was very excited, and said she didn’t know there were any groups like that in Mobile. I’ve got your understatement of 2013 nomination right here!
Some parade goers claimed to have been offended and outraged – at minimum. Stunned spectators are very much in evidence in the video. The group offered apologies to anyone who was offended. After all, it’s a terrible thing to see people who are highly skilled and high spirited perform. Bring on the fire trucks and the clowns!