THE Georgetown Ministers Fellowship (GMF) says it is strongly against the ‘Gay Pride Parade’, to be held today, and further calls for the Government to shun this event along with the legalisation of homosexuality.

The Pride Parade is being hosted by a coalition of LGBT Rights organisations and forms part of the body’s LGBT Pride Festival 2018. It will see a coalition of LGBT Rights organisations hosting daily activities such as film festivals, inter-faith sessions, sport activities and health fairs and will run from May 27 to June 3.

However, the GMF in a meeting with the media on Friday at the Full Gospel Annex, denounced the LGBT community for seeking to “impose their demands and prejudices upon others” and for “pressuring the Government” to amend laws.
They predicted that the parade will be a public show of homosexual practices still unlawful in Guyana and called on the Government to step in to protect “the fundamental values that the majority of Guyanese cherish”.

“Tomorrow’s gay march, if it were to go ahead, would be another sad day for Guyana. Given the corruptive and destructive nature of homosexuality, it would be a dark day in our nation’s history; a blemish on the social fabric of the Republic. “We, the ministers and leaders, as well as the hundreds of thousands of people we represent, call upon the government not to support the gay pride march, and certainly, not to enact any legislation to legalise homosexuality,” the statement said.

WHY NOW
When pressed by the media as to why the GMF chose this period to speak out on the matter and what of its voice during other social ills in society such as domestic violence, rape, sexual misconduct by minsters and more, this response was given:
“The reason for our speaking out on this matter with such urgency at this time is not because we are in favour or support of all the other wrongs and tragic atrocities that are going on in the nation against men and women, domestic violence and such things. We are very much against this and this is preached from the pulpit…

“… but the thing about the homosexual agenda that urges us to speak out on it loudly is that in countries where the LGBT agenda has been allowed to advance … the results have been a loss of rights to people of faith, people of decency, God-fearing people, a loss to freedom of speech,” said Valeria Liam, Member of the GMF.
“The Gay Pride Parade is about the expression of sexuality. Our constitution has given some guidelines and has legal boundaries regarding matters of sexual expression … the law does not allow for crossdressing, the law does not allow for the activities which are normal in a Gay Pride Parade,” said Pastor. Marlon Hestick, GMF Member.

However, when the parade was likened to recent marches for the legalisation of marijuana, still illegal in Guyana, the body declined to provide a statement on the matter in favour of the topic at hand.

NO DISCRIMINATION
Members of the GMF are also contesting that their stance on the rebuking on the Pride Parade is not on the basis of discrimination as it simply seeks to preserve its right to say that homosexuality is wrong.

The members gave examples of periods where they have reached out to the LGBT community as well as other vulnerable groups in society, fulfilling their mandate to help those most in need.

However, they claim too that homosexuals are using such activities as a “strategy of gaining sympathy by claiming discrimination” and are also being propelled by international organisations with similar agendas.

They also spoke to the matter of members of the general Christian society who have shown support for the LGBT community in their previously held parade, stating: “In any body you will find a minority who will opt to do something different … but we represent hundreds of thousands of people who oppose the LGBTQ lifestyles and plans and covert agenda because we know that it is inimical to the development of our societies,” said Apostle Alim Mursalin.
When asked what the body plans to do to fix the situation, the members presented “health, healing and hope” along with prayer, public engagement and the adherence to public policy as possible remedies.

This is the second anniversary of the Pride Festival first held in 2017 to mark the formation of the LGBT organisations in Guyana.