As broadcaster James May comes under fire on X for saying Pride risks being authoritarian by displaying “Too Much Bunting”, I have noticed Pride ratcheting up its presence in my local area.
The Tesco Express convenience store about five minutes’ walk from my North Lancashire home is displaying a large board festooned with the Pride colours at the entrance: “Standing Proud Together. We support the LGBTQ+ community and charities all year round, creating a safe space for everyone, every day.”
There was no such board at the store last year but the Tesco superstore in Carnforth, Cumbria, where I used to shop regularly did display one.
The Westmorland Gazette quoted my letter to Tesco HQ in a news story:
I am writing to raise concerns about the prominent sign promoting the Pride movement which I saw today at the entrance to the Tesco store in Carnforth. I am a regular customer and Clubcard holder.
Why is Tesco promoting a controversial neo-Marxist ideological cum political movement at this store? Would the company have shown a sign promoting Brexit or Remain during the 2016 referendum?
If the reason for promoting Pride is because Tesco wishes to commend the work done by LGBT charities, that surely raises the question why the store does not show prominent signs with a Christian or Islamic symbol commending the charitable works done in the name of these world religions?
As a result of what I saw today, I intend to transfer my custom to Aldi. This is sad for me because the staff at the Carnforth store are unusually friendly and efficient.
Tesco did not answer the specific points I tried to raise. A spokesperson responded: “Everyone’s welcome at Tesco. We support LGBTQ+ equality and accept people without exception. We’re proud to be a part of Pride again this year and will continue to strive to ensure everyone feels welcome, every day.”
It is little inconvenience to me (and better exercise) to walk further to the Co-op convenience store which is not displaying a Pride sign. But what would I do if all the food stores were displaying Pride signs?
I suspect I would not be the only Christian locally to come to the conclusion that a Pride-free food outlet would be needed, serving all customers. But would local Christians be allowed to launch such a venture? The motivation for the business would be difficult to hide. Those of us behind the venture would almost certainly think it wrong not to come clean about our reasons. Is it not likely under these circumstances that we would encounter obstruction from the local authority?
Evangelical Christian campaigners Voice for Justice U.K. (VfJ) this week published a report on how LGBT ideology is marginalising orthodox Christians, which is all the more relevant for being published during ‘Pride month’.
The VfJ survey of 1,562 U.K. Christians about their experiences of intolerance or discrimination pointed out: “While there should be no hierarchy in the list of protected characteristics (under the Equality Act 2010), this appears to be contradicted by the reality. It appears that there is a hierarchy of protected characteristics, with all things LGBT+ at the top and ethnicity slightly below that.”
The VfJ press release quoted Nick Fletcher, Conservative MP (now parliamentary candidate) for Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme (the Don Valley in the 2019 General Election):
Christianity is the cornerstone for so many of the values we take for granted. If it were not for Christianity our tolerance, our diversity, freedom of conscience and love for our neighbour would become a thing of the past.
This report needs to be circulated widely among those working in human resources, those responsible for education, as well as employers, church leaders, civil servants and those responsible for policy making.
We all need to wake up to the attack on Christianity in our society, before it turns into something even more sinister. This report is a vital step in sounding the alarm.
Fletcher is defending a majority of just over 3,000 from 2019 in his ‘Red Wall’ seat in South Yorkshire with a Reform candidate standing, so unfortunately his prophetic Christian voice may be lost to Parliament on July 4th.
The Pride march through Britain’s institutions, public services and businesses appears at this point to be unstoppable.
Julian Mann, a former Church of England vicar, is an Evangelical journalist based in Lancashire.
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