Dear Editor:
RE: Pride “privilege,” June 20.
I am happy to sit down and have a discussion with Claudette Stevens without a table. I believe that Pride isn’t about debate.
I have lots of hopes and dreams for my LGBTQ friends and family. The biggest is just simple acknowledgement. This isn’t a choice, or an agenda, or an ideology. This is who they are. This is how they were born.
There is, however, a clear anti-Pride and anti-LGBTQ agenda. I would be happy to talk about my LGBTQ friends and how they are amazing contributors to society, amazing friends, and amazing parents. I am sad to have to talk to about higher rates of mental health challenges and suicide. I am sad to talk about the hate and abuse that has gone on for years and still happens today. That’s what Pride is about and we can do that in a simple conversation if she is willing to have that.
But these might not always be easy discussions. You don’t have to like Pride but you don’t have the right to stop it, regardless of your religious or other beliefs. We are righting a historical wrong like we do with Black History Month and Indigenous Peoples Day. We should do more.
Now let’s say it isn’t about a religious aversion to celebrating Pride. Let’s accept that the real concern of recent objectors is about tax dollars and “mandatory celebration” and extend that logic to other areas. Churches don’t pay any municipal taxes, are exempt from most capital gains taxes, don’t pay (or are credited) most sales taxes. Because of charitable status, gifts to churches are tax deductible. If someone sends their children to a private religious school a portion of the fees may be deducted from income tax. This is not the case for those that send their children to secular private schools. In a very real way, my taxes are subsidizing their children’s religious education (my children were educated in the public school system).
Christmas is a “mandatory celebration” as is Good Friday. They are not only mandatory days off but employers are required to pay staff for the day. Why not just let them have a table to talk about their organization, perhaps provide some informational material and maybe a raffle to raise some money?
To be clear, I am not advocating for a change to all of that (although I’d love to have that conversation with some of my religious friends who decry high taxes). I am highlighting the hypocrisy around complaints of money spent on rainbow crosswalks and flags.
Let’s just have Pride for those of us who want it and the others can survive the month unscathed. I’ll tolerate your intolerance if you will tolerate my acceptance, acknowledgement and celebration of the LGBTQ community.
Looking forward to the conversation.
Michael von Massow,
Elora