For the first time in its history, the official Cookeville Christmas Parade approved an LGBTQ float in its lineup. The decision was years in the making, as queer groups advocated to become an official part of the celebration.
Parade organizers had drawn criticism for the exclusion of queer groups this year and last. The Chamber of Commerce, which had long planned the city’s parades, faced backlash when the parade board denied a float to Upper Cumberland Pride in 2023.
This year, two churches became the new subjects of outrage for including a statement of faith on the float applications. Among other things, the statement said that life begins at “conception” and that marriage is “between one genetic male and one genetic female.”
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Soon after, the City of Cookeville issued a statement clarifying that they were not affiliated with the parade and had no part in the handoff from the Chamber of Commerce to Life Church and The River. The local PBS station, WCTE, said that it would not be broadcasting from the parade like in years past, instead pursuing holiday coverage “that upholds the values of being welcoming and engaging for all viewers.”
The applications also inspired a Facebook group and a GoFundMe to organize a more inclusive Christmas parade.
“When the non-marginalized are suddenly marginalized, that’s when you can effect change,” said Sam Raper, the founder of the Facebook page, nee “Inclusive Cookeville Holiday Parade Interest Group,” now shortened to “Inclusive Cookeville.” The group amassed more than 1,000 members, and the GoFundMe started by local small business owner Montana Chambers raised more than eight times its original goal.
Raper said that momentum was possible because, unlike in years past, the exclusion extended beyond the LGBTQ community to members of the churches’ own congregations.
Pastor Steve Tiebout from The River apologized for the incident at the start of a Sunday service, telling the congregation that his intention with the statement had been misinterpreted.
“You’re not saying you believe the statement of faith. You’re going to honor the statement of faith, meaning you’re not going to drive through the crowd (saying) ‘Allah is the founder of Christmas,’ right?” Tiebout said. “But I’ve even had people in our church call me and say, ‘I read that, and that’s not how I read it.’ … So, I failed there. It wasn’t clear … Now let me tell you what I won’t own. I won’t own the lies that any of this was done out of hatred. I won’t own the lies that any of this was done to exclude people.”
Schools that traditionally participate in the parade wouldn’t have been able to this year, because of laws surrounding the separation of church and state. In a meeting with city leaders, Tiebout said he asked how he could bring schools back into the fold.
“They called their lawyer and said the only way they can come is if you don’t block anybody from the parade. I said, ‘We can’t do that. I just, I can’t in good faith do that. I’m sorry,’” Tiebout said. “If we do this, there will be groups excluded if they have a non-family friendly float, or something that opposes Christianity.”
After Life Church and The River passed on holding the parade, the Cookeville City Council voted unanimously in favor of making a city-official parade.
“We know that there has, to be honest, been some controversy of how it was going to move forward. And at the end of the day, I think this council, we wanted a Christmas parade,” Cookeville Mayor Laurin Wheaton said during a cit council meeting. “We want something for the community. And so, we have come together and we are going to try this for this year.”
The mayor asked Raper to help organize the parade, alongside Cookeville First United Methodist and First Presbyterian Church.
“What I know of Jesus, I think that he would have been fairly mortified to find out that people were told in his name that they couldn’t walk with him on his birthday,” Raper told WPLN News in a November interview.
In the end, Raper didn’t get to walk with her float, which she had decorated with a stack of books and Mother Goose. The parade was rained out on both its scheduled date and its raincheck date.
Next year’s parade, if it can hold up to the rain, is still uncertain. Mayor Wheaton has stressed that the city only committed to holding the parade for this year.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen in 2025, but we are hopeful that we can come together as a community,” Wheaton said.
The mayor’s office did not respond to WPLN’s calls and emails requesting an interview.
Raper said the money from the GoFundMe will instead go towards resources for the local LGBTQ community, including help with name changes, alterations to wills and naming spouses.
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