Does anybody else dislike Pride?

[coulditbeme2323]

Does anybody else dislike Pride?

We have one in our town for the second year running, and it's just really off.

Now before I get the "don't be homophobic comments" I am very much live and let live.

It's just that it can be very adult in the middle of the day.

Have you read about Stephen Ireland?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2kkrxdpndo

'Judge Lees said: "Stephen Ireland is a man who prided himself on being versed in and highly alive to the vulnerabilities of young people linked to the Surrey Pride organisation he was at the time pivotal to.'

Try having a search - I don’t want to look at any more. There’s some pretty grim stuff out there. There’s old threads on here too.

Are you suggesting that offending for a child predator is a one-off occurence? Do you understand why offenders are registered and monitored?

Who do you think organises pride events? There are pride organisations who organise more than just parades.

Stephen ireland ran the Surrey in pride organisation, his position gave him access to children. He went into schools to speak and run events. That gave him opportunities to offend. His position as a pride organiser also meant that people handwaved away the concerns about him. Do you think that attitude was helpful to his victims?

The convictions don’t span many years and I’m sure there isn’t a vast turnover of officers - the same people tend to do it year after year.

As I said, I’d be happy if you can prove me wrong - so maybe you could try? You could start by pointing out which part of what I said is untrue.

Pride organisations are institutions, deeply embedded in a community. This inspires reflexive antibody responses to shut down criticism.

There is really nothing new here or surprising.

"The Church is a group of people, and godly people at that. We mustn't allow the wicked accusations of outsiders to distract from its good works" -- Sister Anyahyacinth.

The convictions of the six officers (two trials pending) happened in a span of about two years. I haven't searched for more in other years. But that is either an awful lot (worth taking very seriously, given the nature of the offences) or a big statistical anomaly (worth taking seriously to make sure it's only that).

I included the link to my source in the post you read.

And I assume you can understand the maths. What do you mean by ‘sampling’? I haven’t ‘sampled’ anything?

The ‘analytical methodology’ was to look at the number of officers/organisers of the 270 Pride marches around the country and the number of them that are now convicted paedophiles, which is 8. Pretty straightforward stuff.

The case of Stephen Ireland illustrates the problems very clearly. His trusted position as a Pride founder position gave him additional access to children via Surrey Council - his activities were known but his ‘untouchable’ status meant that whistleblowers were shut down and ignored.

Prior to his arrest, Ireland successfully cultivated strong ties with local authorities, including giving talks in schools and appearing on panels with police. His close relationship with Surrey County Council and local police led to public scrutiny and an independent review into how these institutions handled prior complaints and safeguarding warnings raised by whistleblowers

From the BBC article:
A man accused of multiple child sex offences allegedly spoke of kidnapping schoolchildren, sexually abusing boys and visiting a swimming pool to "perv", a trial has heard.
Stephen Ireland, 40, who co-founded Pride in Surrey in 2018, is facing 35 charges while his flatmate David Sutton, 27, a volunteer with the organisation, is accused of 20 offences.
In WhatsApp messages from 2022, Mr Sutton and Mr Ireland spoke of "snatching" or "kidnapping" a schoolchild, Guildford Crown Court heard on Thursday.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3d5jkkp5zyo?app-referrer=deep-link

That's not what my reply relates to at all ..by saying the number of offenders relates to 270 events YOU are saying all the offending happened AT Pride and in the same year

No thats not true either ...how would a school ever let anyone be alone with a child..who wasn't enhanced DBS checked? Pride relates to the marches all these posters have declared make them uncomfortable...you are expanding the actions of 1 individual to represent Pride.

FYI a Pride organiser or volunteer doesn't have exempt status for safeguarding protections

So the offending happened in the community and NOT at Pride as you posited 🤦‍♀️

They are not institutional...at all

Are you really this stupid. Ireland had access to victims due to his position running Pride in Surrey. Whistleblowers raising concerns about him were called bigots because he ran Pride in Surrey

Or do you just like defending paedophile rapists?

Well I am saying that the turnover of Pride officers will not be huge so over the couple of years span that the previously mentioned offences, it is very likely to be the same people in charge.

Feel free to do your own maths if you don’t like mine.

Interestingly, as I’m reading around it all a bit more, this case also popped up. It seems that even DBS isn’t an effective safeguard against a charity like Pride Swindon and Wiltshire from recruiting a paedophile. I haven’t gone back to check but I’m not sure he’s on the list shared previously. Is he number 9 paedophile closely linked to Pride? Albeit 9 years ago.

From the article linked below:

Concerns around safeguarding surfaced recently after it was revealed that someone who had served 15 months in prison for possessing images of child sex abuse was appointed Chair of Pride in Wiltshire. Swindon and Wiltshire Pride, a registered charity, has been criticised by the Charity Commission, and asked to re-evaluate their safeguarding and recruitment policies.

The individual concerned was jailed in Australia for 15 months in 2014, and after serving his sentence moved to the UK. In 2017, he took up a position with Wiltshire Pride and served as Chair on its committee for five months. On becoming aware of the individual’s convictions, the organisation reported to the Charity Commission, who then issued advice on safeguarding, and volunteer checks.

^clearcheck.co.uk/convicted-paedophile-lands-job-with-pride-charity/^

@Anyahyacinth

Goodness me. You really are running the full gamut of denial and obfuscation. Maybe this is all a big statistical anomaly, but simply raising the issue is provoking a very ugly and revealing response from you that would make a 1970s housemaster or bishop or BBC exec proud. Not that the threat has gone away, but I thought we'd learned at least something from those awful periods.

So the offending happened in the community

"It happened off school premises / not in the church / not at BBC studios, so it's not our problem"

how would a school ever let anyone be alone with a child..who wasn't enhanced DBS checked?

"There it's the school's problem. And safeguarding processes are foolproof anyway".

They are not institutional...at all

"Pride has officers and processes and safeguarding procedures that keep it all safe. No, no, I mean Pride organisations aren't institutions, and should be exempt from scrutiny that applies to others."

"270 events YOU are saying all the offending happened AT Pride and in the same year"

I don't think anyone has said this. Does having paedophilic Pride officers only concern you if they commit child sex offences during a parade?

So all the criminality happened in a single year?? Your stats aren't adding up?

Most of those convictions are from a two-year period. That's a lot!

you are expanding the actions of 1 individual to represent Pride.

Except it's not one, is it? And no-one is saying it "represents Pride" as in the whole community or event.

Where did I posit that it actually happened at the Pride event itself?

The straw at which you appear to be clutching is infinitesimally minuscule.

”So the offending happened in the community and NOT at Pride as you posited”

So you are entirely happy with paedophiles and sex offenders arranging Pride events, and visiting schools as Pride representatives, as long as they behave themselves at Pride, @Anyahyacinth? Sickening.

As "they" don't, this is what aboutery at its finest.
The thread is about disliking Pride remember

Linking a joyful public walk to paedophiles is really the sickening thing..an age old attitude to stir hatred of gay people ...exactly why Pride exists to make the reality not the hate visible

Edited to correct autocorrect

It doesn't worry you at all that a paedophile was organising and in charge of one of the joyful public walks.

It's disgusting to link paedophiles to the Catholic church. Such wickedness of the heart to liken our joyful services and benevolent fathers to such things. This just shows why our blessed ministry is so important.

I’m not quite sure you understand the meaning of ‘whataboutery’ - you’re certainly not using it correctly here.

It’s not us ‘Linking a joyful public walk to paedophiles’ as you so delicately put it, it’s paedophiles identifying a safeguarding weak spot in a set of organisations (Pride organisations throughout the country) that give them access to children and exploiting it. Just like they did with the church and scouts.

Going back to the topic, the important question for you:

do you think that Pride and its members and associates should be required to maintain the same safeguarding standards as any other organisation that involved children? That’s all we’re asking for.

Jesus wept.

Don't be so utterly obtuse and ridiculous.

Someone like Ireland gained a position of trust and respectabilty that meant he had better access, ways to contact children, and most importantly, teflon approval from local police. He got photos taken of himself with police, police took him into local schools, he got a lift in a police car with the Pride livery on it.

I mean as long as the priest isn't actually committing the abuse during his sermon I suppose it's not even really connected to his position.

Where is the evidence that access to Pride is linked to access to the victims of these criminals crimes?

I'll wait...

I don’t like it either! I don’t think it’s necessary in my opinion and avoid things pride related! I’m not homophobic but don’t see why it’s celebrated anymore than being straight is!