Letter to the Editor

To the Editor:

As local pastors, we write in support of the BBH PrideFest on June 8. We have seen a wave of opposition to BBH Pride, much of it draped in religious terms. This is disheartening, because we know this event to be a joyful, welcoming, and family-centered community event. In fact, our wholehearted support for PrideFest and for BBH Pride as an organization comes from our deeply held religious convictions.

A letter to the editor last month expressed concern that students not be “indoctrinated into radical, leftist ideologies.” The only “indoctrination” coming from BBH Pride is to treat one another with kindness and respect, despite our differences. We’ve seen LGBTQ+ children and youth bullied relentlessly, pressured to spend their lives pretending to be something they are not. That, friends, is indoctrination. 

As pastors, we know “doctrines” well. Here are some:

• “Love God. Love one another.” (Matthew 22:37)
• “Treat others the way you want to be treated.” (Matthew 7:12)
• “Don’t judge, and you won’t be judged.” (Matthew 7:1)

So, if we are accused of indoctrinating anyone, let it be clear, these are the doctrines we teach: Kindness. Acceptance. Love. The Golden Rule. Don’t judge. These doctrines come from Jesus, who never condemned gay people, but fiercely condemned those who judge others (Mt 23). 

Archibald MacLeish stated it well: “Religion is at its best when it makes us ask hard questions of ourselves. It is at its worst when it deludes us into thinking we have all the answers for everybody else.”

• Rev. John King, Brecksville United Church of Christ
• Rev. Heidi Welch, Brecksville United Methodist Church
• Rev. Ali Peters, SouthWest Unitarian Universalist Church