Anti-Gay group dupes Vancouver Pride
“I made this Pride parade way more diverse. It’s not all leather men and naked dudes. Now it includes Christian people with diverse messages on homosexuality. True diversity.”
–Anti-gay activist Bill Whatcott, part of a conservative Christian evangelical group that marched in the Vancouver Pride parade and handed out “Gospel Condoms,” which were, in fact, fake condom wrappers containing a homophobic message, including:
“[Everyone is] anatomically heterosexual” and gay people “suffer grievously because of their sin.”
“They pulled a very well-orchestrated con,” said Ray Lam, general manager of the Vancouver Pride Society, to Vancouver’s Daily Xtra, noting that Whatcott and his followers marched under the supposed aegis of the “Calgary Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster,” a legitimate organization that had participated in Vancouver Pride in year’s past. “It’s a bit difficult to prevent something like this when people go to such elaborate lengths to hide their identity,” added Lam. “There was nothing we, as organizers, could do to catch them, other than contacting head office asking if they had a Calgary section. But this isn’t something someone would reasonably do when you receive an application with a website, phone number and credentials that don’t raise any red flags.”
Whatcott is known for his homophobic vitriol and in 2013 the Supreme Court of Canada upheld a ruling against him for distributing flyers that promoted hatred and discrimination against gays and lesbians.
Source: DailyXtra
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