Terms-and-conditions of Belfast pride parade 2022 explictly prohibit critics of transgenderism

The formal terms-and-conditions of Saturday’s parade state that any group which does not “affirm” transgender people will not be allowed to participate.

There has been a growing schism in recent years between those who take an “affirming” view of transgender and non-binary ideology, and those who question or reject it.

In short, the “affirming” view is that anyone who says they are a woman (or a man) must be accepted as such without question, regardless of their legal status, anatomy, genes, or appearance.

It also means that people who declare themselves to be non-binary (that is, neither male nor female) must likewise be accepted unconditionally (there are dozens of such new genders).

“Gender-critical” voices meanwhile are those which question this stance.

For example, many feminists reject it on the grounds that womanhood is a concrete, real thing, not just a feeling, and some gay people say it detracts from the long campaign for acceptance of homosexuality.

The terms-and-conditions say that the parade “is for all of the LGBT+ family, and any group that seeks to deny the rights of any group in the parade will not be allowed to take part”.

They go on: “Belfast Pride is a signatory of the European Pride Organisers Association’s #PrideWithTheT declaration – we affirm the place of trans people at

the heart of Pride, and we state that those who oppose equality and respect for any section of our community including trans people are as unwelcome at

Pride as those who oppose equality and respect for every section of our community.”

The parade begins at 2pm at Custom House Square.

It is set to draw some 30,000 spectators on the streets, according to the information lodged with the Parades Commission.