By Andre Bagoo
The position taken by the head of the Mt St Benedict Catholic monastery in St Augustine banning PrideTT’s flag raising event from its public premises is little different from the position taken by the priest who tells sinners not to come to church. It is little different from the position taken by the Port of Spain priest who, many years ago, told gang members in his community to stay away from mass.
“The LGBT community is always claiming that religious people are insensitive and are the ones who force beliefs on them,” the outraged moral objectors say https://newsday.co.tt/…/abbot-says-no-gay-pride-event-at-m…/. “But here we have an organised event irrespective of Catholic beliefs that was due to transpire at 7 am, which as far as I know is the time Catholics would worship in the church only metres away. It is quite disturbing and disrespectful. Yet I love all of the LGBT people and pray for them daily.”
In other words, don’t be gay near us at 7am in the morning — that’s imposing your lifestyle.
Don’t be gay when you go jogging in the park, or walking in the street — that’s pushing an agenda.
Don’t be gay at the grocery, or the barbershop, or the library, or the coffeehouse, or the cinema, or the restaurant, or the police station, or the townhall, or the art gallery, or the parliament, or the school, or the hotel, or the resort, or the worksite, or the hospital, or the poetry reading, or the book launch, or the reception, or the gas station, or the State-owned nature trail, or the roti shop, or the parlour, or the rum shop, or the cooler fete — don’t, that’s being insensitive. To straight people.
They are all right. The car park, which is traversed by members of the public who go jogging up and down the hill regardless of their race, class, gender, or sexual orientation, is not the right place for a pride flag. The flag should be on the church itself. Instead of calling the PrideTT organisers and saying no, the powers that be in the church should have come together to find ways to end discrimination. They should have shown the charity they preach, which they expect others to practice.
Catholic beliefs offended? The canon law affronted? It was Pope Francis who said homosexual tendencies are not a sin, who said, “Who am I to judge?” It was Jesus who said love one another as I have loved you. It is the Bible that says whoever is without sin should cast the first stone.
Churches get tax exemption and support from the State. Taxpayers should demand the withdrawal of such support, since churches so gleefully throw out gay people from their car-parks. Supporting discrimination is as bad as discriminating.
Pray for the church, not us.
#PrideTT #PrideTT19 #queertt #transtt #equall #standwithus19
