CAVEAT:

One can be against discrimination and bullying plus favor love, freedom, equality, respect for all,
and – at the same time – not agree with the celebration of LGBTQ as an ideology (set of ideas
and ideals about sexuality and its expression). Disagreement doesn’t equal hate. Nor is
disagreement always phobic or bigoted.

PROS:

Gay pride parades attempt to show love and respect to persons who identify as LGBTQ as well
as draw attention to unfair discrimination and bullying.

For many LGBT individuals, such parades provide a sense of community and
belongingness. It allows people who otherwise thought it wrong or even dangerous to come out
about being gay to have a community of people who they can relate to in that way. It's a very
good thing for allowing people to come to terms with who they are and realizing that they're
normal even if they're different to other people. We're all different to one another in some way,
and differences should be celebrated.

We should celebrate and affirm the (assumed/alleged) truth and goodness of the various gender
identities and expressions thereof.

CONS:

Many persons hold moral/ religious beliefs that limit the appropriate expression of sexual
intimacy to one man and one woman in marriage. These persons (e.g., many Christians, Jews,
Muslims, Sikhs, etc.) hold such beliefs to be true. These people count, too. And they aren’t all
bigots or phobic.

Such beliefs are legitimate to hold. So, in so far as pride parades celebrate behaviors or
identities one thinks are wrong or mistaken, to that extent the moral/ religious belief – whether
opponents agree or not – is a legitimate reason for one to view such parades as a mistake.

Such parades are a medium for espousing extreme views on sex, marriage and ideology, and
are thus not family-friendly or for general audience.

- These parades are overly sexualized. There are reasonable concerns about the wisdom
of celebrating and encouraging sexual expression outside the one-man-one-woman-
united-in-marriage paradigm for sexual intimacy.

Psychiatrist-physician Miriam Grossman: Compared to the general heterosexual

population, persons who identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual report “more high risk
sexual behaviors, higher rates of infection with HIV, syphilis, and gonorrhea, and more
mental health problems [anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts].”
 Significantly, Grossman adds, these disparities also occur in more accepting, gay-
friendly societies (e.g., The Netherlands), so can’t be blamed wholly on cultural
attitudes/phobias.

- Gay pride proponents typically encourage redefining marriage from (a) the union of a
man and woman who can (at least in principle) reproduce sexually via their union and
nurture their biological children to (b) a union of, say, two adults regardless of sexual
non-complementarity.

But, according to researcher Ryan T. Anderson, reliable studies from social sciences
strongly suggest parenting by married biological parents – i.e., biological mother AND
biological father – is ideal for well-being of children. The redefinition of marriage (along
with divorce and single parenting) takes society another step away from this ideal.

- These parades generally espouse an anti-religious tone. Recent history shows that
LGBTQ ideologues tend to be extremely intolerant toward dissenters.

For example, a U.S. baker is facing a fine of $135,000.00 merely for not baking a same-
sex wedding cake. Also, Canada’s Trinity Western University’s proposed law school (a
Christian school) has been facing years of legal difficulties for holding traditional views
on marriage, recently culminating with Canada’s Supreme Court ruling against TWU.
Also, two years ago a Steinbach parade spokesperson said those who disagree don’t
have a right to their opinion (a threat to free speech, surely).

Moreover, local LGBTQ activists are attempting to use the force of law to promote
LGBTQ ideology in public schools (in the academic curriculum of young children), in
spite of what dissenting parents think.

Cloaked in rainbow flags and chanting slogans of “diversity,” “tolerance,” and “love is
love,” some gay pride paraders promote intolerance.

Arguments in favour of LGBTQ matters tend to be seriously flawed from the point of view of
truth and logic. Space doesn’t permit me to discuss those arguments here, so please see my
relevant articles. For starters, see Untangling LGBTQ arguments (plus see below, especially my
replies to critics).
Surely, truth-seeking responsible citizens are justified in refusing to support an ideology that is
often based on (and even promotes) faulty reasoning.

Rather than creating understanding for those that struggle the most to see the queer community
as anything other than sexual deviants who despise religion, it reinforces those stereotypes. It
ignores the opportunity to gain allies and create bridges of understanding, and instead widens
the gap of separation, resentment and misunderstanding that already exist.

 Pride celebrations could take a lesson from the Civil Rights marches of the 1960s that did so
much more to create the needed changes in society.