Growing protests against second LGBT Pride March in Riga
06/06/2006
Submitted by
Juris Lavrikovs
Couple of weeks ago the First Party of Latvia who fiercely opposed the fist LGBT Pride March last July in Riga, came out with a statement that although they are not again the March they do not want it to take place in the central Riga. This statement caused a lot of discussions and basically marked the start of the any-Pride campaign 2006.
On 21 May 2006, all leading Christian denominations in Latvia signed a joint manifesto on preservation and strengthening of family values. Jānis Pujats, Catholic Cardinal, said to the media that an impulse to sign such a declaration comes from the intention to organise a second LGBT Pride March this July. The Cardinal criticised the Pride March not only as a circumstance which destroy family and traditional marriage, but he also expressed negative attitudes towards sexual minorities’ desire to gain equal rights of traditional families.
Cardinal Pujats said that the Church is ready to help these people to get liberated from the immorality of homosexuality. He said “the Church doors are open for homosexuals, the Church helps, of they admit and repent the sin and willing to change.”
However the Cardinal avoided answering the question why the Church does not condemn society’s hatred and aggression towards homosexuals. Only after being asked repeatedly the same question the Cardinal said that “the sin can be hated, the hatred against homosexuality can be expressed, but hateful expressions against homosexual people should not take place.” The Cardinal fails to explain how these two issues can be distinguished.
Aleksejs Ledjajevs, pastor of the Evangelical Christian Church “New Age” who also actively took part in protest actions during the first LGBT Pride March last year, said: “We are living in a time of war between life and death culture. Abortions, homosexual relationships – are part of a death or self-destruction culture. Family is a basis of a civilised culture, there is society without family.”
The Manifesto states that the Christian denominations believe that strong family is a basis of the nation’s life force and happy future. The Manifesto called “Family – Latvia’s pride and strength”, was signed by the Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church, Latvian Roman Catholic Church, Latvian Russian Orthodox Church, Latvian Union of Baptists, Evangelical Christian Church “New Age”, Latvian Union of Seventh Day Adventists, Latvian United Methodist Church, and Latvian Pentecost Church.
Another development is a petition against the second Pride March organised by the youth organisation “Against the Stream” – www.nopride.times.lv. The groups stated they want to collect 10, 000 signatures and initiate a referendum on ban of ‘public propaganda of homosexuality and popularisation of homosexuality’. The organisers said they would carry on collecting signatures even of the second Pride March is officially allowed.
In their statement the organisers said that they respect everyone’s right to private life and choose sexual orientation but do not support public propaganda of immoral and unnatural life style as this is exactly the aim of the pride March 2006.
The statement carries on that such life style is against traditional family values that are accepted in Latvia. It is also against the Christian values, which are significant to a considerable proportion of the Latvian society as the Bible clearly states that homosexuality is a sin.
Propaganda of this life style is especially dangerous to children and the youth whose value of system and sexual identity are only developing. The Pride March might promote some young people getting involve in homosexual relations which can lead to such sexual behaviour which after that can be corrected with difficulties and sometimes impossible to be corrected at all.
Liberty does not mean all allowance. On the grounds of Article 116 of the Latvian Constitution which provides that freedom of demonstrations can be limited to protect other people’s rights, public order and morality, we are calling upon the Riga city authority not to allow gay and lesbian Pride March 2006.
Similar protest letter to the Mayor of Riga calling for a ban on LGBT Pride March was sent by the Latvian National Front, which also actively opposed the first LGBT pride March last year.
On 21 May 2006, all leading Christian denominations in Latvia signed a joint manifesto on preservation and strengthening of family values. Jānis Pujats, Catholic Cardinal, said to the media that an impulse to sign such a declaration comes from the intention to organise a second LGBT Pride March this July. The Cardinal criticised the Pride March not only as a circumstance which destroy family and traditional marriage, but he also expressed negative attitudes towards sexual minorities’ desire to gain equal rights of traditional families.
Cardinal Pujats said that the Church is ready to help these people to get liberated from the immorality of homosexuality. He said “the Church doors are open for homosexuals, the Church helps, of they admit and repent the sin and willing to change.”
However the Cardinal avoided answering the question why the Church does not condemn society’s hatred and aggression towards homosexuals. Only after being asked repeatedly the same question the Cardinal said that “the sin can be hated, the hatred against homosexuality can be expressed, but hateful expressions against homosexual people should not take place.” The Cardinal fails to explain how these two issues can be distinguished.
Aleksejs Ledjajevs, pastor of the Evangelical Christian Church “New Age” who also actively took part in protest actions during the first LGBT Pride March last year, said: “We are living in a time of war between life and death culture. Abortions, homosexual relationships – are part of a death or self-destruction culture. Family is a basis of a civilised culture, there is society without family.”
The Manifesto states that the Christian denominations believe that strong family is a basis of the nation’s life force and happy future. The Manifesto called “Family – Latvia’s pride and strength”, was signed by the Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church, Latvian Roman Catholic Church, Latvian Russian Orthodox Church, Latvian Union of Baptists, Evangelical Christian Church “New Age”, Latvian Union of Seventh Day Adventists, Latvian United Methodist Church, and Latvian Pentecost Church.
Another development is a petition against the second Pride March organised by the youth organisation “Against the Stream” – www.nopride.times.lv. The groups stated they want to collect 10, 000 signatures and initiate a referendum on ban of ‘public propaganda of homosexuality and popularisation of homosexuality’. The organisers said they would carry on collecting signatures even of the second Pride March is officially allowed.
In their statement the organisers said that they respect everyone’s right to private life and choose sexual orientation but do not support public propaganda of immoral and unnatural life style as this is exactly the aim of the pride March 2006.
The statement carries on that such life style is against traditional family values that are accepted in Latvia. It is also against the Christian values, which are significant to a considerable proportion of the Latvian society as the Bible clearly states that homosexuality is a sin.
Propaganda of this life style is especially dangerous to children and the youth whose value of system and sexual identity are only developing. The Pride March might promote some young people getting involve in homosexual relations which can lead to such sexual behaviour which after that can be corrected with difficulties and sometimes impossible to be corrected at all.
Liberty does not mean all allowance. On the grounds of Article 116 of the Latvian Constitution which provides that freedom of demonstrations can be limited to protect other people’s rights, public order and morality, we are calling upon the Riga city authority not to allow gay and lesbian Pride March 2006.
Similar protest letter to the Mayor of Riga calling for a ban on LGBT Pride March was sent by the Latvian National Front, which also actively opposed the first LGBT pride March last year.
