Letter: Offensive slogan at Pride parade was inappropriate for a so-called family occasion, yet ignored by the media

A letter from Mr WJ Craig:
The slogan on a T shirt at the Belfast pride parade on July 29 2023The slogan on a T shirt at the Belfast pride parade on July 29 2023
The slogan on a T shirt at the Belfast pride parade on July 29 2023
By Letters
Published 3rd Aug 2023, 06:13 BST
Updated 3rd Aug 2023, 06:18 BST

Attention has been rightly drawn to the incident between the street preacher and a member of the LGBT Community on Royal Avenue on Saturday July 29. The comments made by the preacher which he now can’t stand over were not helpful and neither was the tearing up of a bible and the alleged assault on the preacher by those who would preach about tolerance and respect for all views. I am in no doubt that this argument will rumble on for some time.

There is also another issue I want to raise and that is the standards of dress exhibited by some participants and supporters of the Pride parade which is being described now as a family day out. Social media has been awash with comments about all sorts relating to the day but the one that stuck out most to me was the photograph of the gentleman engaging with the Christian protestors outside Belfast City Hall. This was just a photograph so I’ve no idea what was said and I’m not going to speculate but what did concern me was the shirt in which he was wearing.

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The slogan on the shirt read “wake up sluts, it’s time to sin”. This to me is vastly inappropriate for a so-called family occasion. We saw the incident last year in Londonderry where a man was photographed wearing a shirt that referenced the Parachute Regiment and Soldier F. This was treated by the PSNI as a potential breach of the peace. SDLP leader Colum Eastwood at the time was quoted as saying “This nonsense is deliberately offensive and has no place in our city.”

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I would say the same about this incident in Belfast which has been ignored by most of the media perhaps as it doesn’t suit their agenda. Perhaps it is time that the Parades Commission imposed restrictions on future parades regarding the conduct of dress of those on parade but again I’m not sure that it would suit the agenda there either. This standard of dress and the other instances of sexualised behaviour on the day would not be tolerated on any other day of the year so I’m at a loss as to why it should be accepted on Pride Day.

Mr. W. J. Craig, Belfast BT5

Related topics:Social mediaColum Eastwood