‘Pride’/LGBTQIA+ a major religious or cultural festival?

[ScrollingLeaves]

Sainsbury’s is selling a charming lift-the-flap children’s ‘Ramadan’ book on their shelf dedicated to this festival.

It is published by Penguin as part of a series titled ‘First Festivals’ under the ‘Ladybird’ name. I wondered what others they had so looked it up.

As well aa Ramadan there is also,
Easter,
Christmas,
Hannuka,
Diwali,
Lunar New Year and ………………….
Pride

Penguin writes:
Discover the celebration of the Pride with this bright, interactive lift-the-flap book!

Featuring simple text, gorgeous illustrations and satisfying lift-the-flaps, this book explores the festival of Pride and helps young children understand the importance of this special LGBTQIA+ celebration.

Lift the flaps to reveal homemade costumes, the different identity flags and see what happens during a Pride parade.

The First Festivals series invites children to explore the world's culture from the comfort of their home, encourages the development of hand-eye coordination and is recommended for children aged 2 and over.

How has Pride been elevated to the status of the major religions of Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism and Newar Buddhists, or a cultural tradition with spiritual meanings like Lunar New Year?

No religious overtones no. But the series wasn't called 'First religious festivals' so it looks like it's a mix

This. Used to go to Gay Pride in London in the last century, when it was a brave thing to do. Haven't been for 15 years. It's not for the likes of me (older lesbian). I am now the enemy, apparently, because I know what a lesbian is.

I too think that ‘Love is Love’ is a dangerous catch phrase to teach little children.

It really isn’t.

I take your point, but the series isn’t mixed apart from the Pride book, unless they are treating Pride as a religion/philosophy which I feel evangelical TQ+ promoting editors in Penguin may well be.

Yeah maybe it's an outlier but you don't seem to like the book very much

I meant ‘love’ is not always love by any means. It is indeed dangerous to think that.

Little children look out for that Uncle who loves you so much he takes you out for treats just for you…..

I personally don’t think Pride is remotely the equivalent of Ramadan or Christmas etc though I can see some people may feel that it is for them.

As for the book itself, no I don’t personally like it, you are right, and that is a fair comment on your part.

But had this Pride book not been part of this Festivals series, I would not have started a thread about it any more than about other similar books aimed at little children, and if I had , I would have said much more about its content that seems problematic to me.

What I particularly dislike on a personal level though, is that it seems to be piggy backing on ancient religious traditions and I was shocked when I saw it.

I also do not think ‘Love is Love’ is a message to teach young children even if it looks innocent and sweet enough on that page, and love in many forms is indeed a wonderful thing.

@thatsthewayitis I completely agree. When I was at university there were lesbian clubs and bars, they have all closed one by one. Every single lesbian space invariably has men in it. And by that I don't just mean trans women. I mean men. Because the lines do not exist anymore, so it's a free for all.

A couple of years ago I was in Manchester and went to what I think was the ONLY lesbian club in Canal Street. All the rest of the clubs and bars catered to gay men. This club was tiny and dark and dingy. And we left after about 30 minutes because there were a bunch of gay men dancing with their friends on the dance floor who took up all the space, were barging women as they were dancing, and at one point one of them grabbed a woman in between her legs from behind and lifted her up screaming. I was appalled. Not to mention this club only had female toilet provision being a lesbian club and all, and guess what, the men were in there without an ounce of shame.

This is why I have absolutely nothing to do with "the community". I am embarrassed to be associated with these degenerates. I do not attend pride events and am always offended by the idea that I will have anything in common with a group of people based solely on the fact that we are homosexual.

I come from a country where people are still killed for being gay. The last time I visited my home country I kept my passport, my cards and a power bank on my person at all times in case one of my family members found out I was a lesbian and I may have needed to make a quick getaway. I knew the quickest way to the nearest hotel from my uncle's house and had researched taxi numbers in case I needed them.

I know that when my partner and I get married I will never be able to set foot in my home village again. I will probably never see my grandad again.

It took everything I had to do this, and to be reduced to bullshit rainbows and blue hair and twenty year olds who have not known a day's struggle tell me they feel "unsafe" is more than I can bear.

I'm not sure anyone in the LGBTQ community thinks pride is the equivalent of Christmas etc. It's different obviously.

Love is love....so I didn't know that phrase had started to be associated with paedophiles. Maybe a recent thing ?🤷 It's a shame though as it's a good phrase in it's original meaning without those connotations.

I don't see the content otherwise is such a big deal.

I have a religion, Buddhism, and to have it included with a fetish party disgusts me. And it scares me when children are being groomed under the aegis of the LGB rainbow.

@Bluestarling I told GoodAfternoon to butt out as she said this: "I'm not any part of LGBT but I fucking care because it kind of impacts me as a female (bodily autonomy, etc)
Women and LGBT should be sticking together imo"
At this point I only belong to underground Lesbian groups and Women's Groups. I want nothing to do with the Vichy gays and middle-aged trans in LGBTQ.

Love isn’t love though. When you think of it - it’s a throwaway line that completely overlooks coercion, abuse, love bombing… we need to open our eyes and be safe, and teach our kids to be safe too.

I was listening to ‘assume nothing - Femicide: 8 steps to stop a murder’ (on radio 4 sounds) and it is frightening how ‘but I looooove you’ can mean quite the opposite.

Yeah, Love is Love was always stupid and meaningless. It's meant to stop thinking, because it makes people who disagree sound like assholes.

It's not a good argument for the social acceptance of homosexiality any more than it's a good argument for the social acceptance of man boy love, or coercive love.

I always wondered why people would use such a shoddy and clearly bonkers slogan as a mainstay of a rights campaign.

Oh dear....I've been going to pride with that phrase on my t-shirt since circa 2016...luckily no-one took offence to it 😂

I know, quite funny really, you don't see people saying that when it comes to all the straight people "butting in" to LGBT issues - it's ok when they're agreeing with you over a letter you don't like in there yourself I suppose 😕

im so sorry that after growing up in a place where it is so difficult and dangerous to be gay, you now have men mocking and cos playing you (at best) and fetishing you as they imagine you’re attracted to them as women. Whole thing is insane.

I had absolutely NO issues with trans people until they started shutting down or invading women’s nights and medicalising kids. If so upsetting. It was terrifying being a teenage lesbian where I live. Now 40 years old I’m called a bigot if I say I’m same sex attracted. What happened

It's not just the Pride festival though. Like religions it has its special days and seasons.

Christianity has Lent, Advent, Corpus Christi, Pentecost, Epiphany each with their assigned liturgical colour and significance. There are also saints' days throughout the year, and back in the day no one could criticise them.

Now we have Pride Month, Pride Week, Days of Visibility for various favoured groups, each with their own significance and liturgical flag, and no one may criticise them.

It's broadened out to other deemed marginalized groups. Apparently it's Autism Acceptance Month right now. Great. Autistic people will carry on getting kicked in the teeth but they have the additional pleasure of being patronised for 30 days too.

I really do wonder whether all of a sudden there will be a big general reaction to this, one that won't help anyone.

Well if you go looking for something to froth about, you’ll probably find it.,