Fire service wrong to order staff to gay march - Archbishop Mario Conti The Firemaster of Strathclyde is right. Firefighters must do all they can to save lives and protect property for all groups in society. There can be no acceptance of bias in their fulfilment of duty.
But I believe Strathclyde Fire and Rescue was wrong to require firefighters to take part in – support – a gay pride march earlier this summer. Why? Not because homosexual persons should not be given fire-safety advice. On the contrary they (like every other citizen) should be offered every assistance by the Fire Brigade in becoming more aware of issues relating to fire safety.
But the best way to deliver that essential advice is not by participating in a high-spirited, carnivalesque procession, when marchers – many in fancy dress – are distracted and exuberant.
I understand that when volunteers were sought to “support” the parade not one firefighter came forward. Is it any wonder? They all felt legitimately uncomfortable about going into that atmosphere wearing their uniforms, (
some were aware of a “kiss-a-fireman” campaign planned for the event) knowing full well that they would be subjected to cat-calls, inappropriate comments and, for some of them, gross insults to their religious beliefs.
And for the record, it needs to be stated that the men handed out leaflets in the vicinity of the march. What they would not do was participate, which in their eyes would have amounted to an acceptance and indeed celebration of the message of the parade – certainly not a core duty of firefighters.
If the fire service was only interested in getting the fire-safety message across to homosexual people would it not have been more productive to arrange talks, leave leaflets, or conduct visits to the LGBT centre in Glasgow, gay bars or similar centres in the area?
A comparison can be illuminating: effective fire-safety advice for members of the Orange Order would not be best delivered in the rarified atmosphere of a July 12 parade.
No, it seems to me that the real reason for the order to participate was not to offer life-saving advice to the individuals present – it was to enable the brigade as an institution to be seen as tolerant, “embracing diversity” and politically correct. The firefighters were caught in the middle – ordered to support the march as a means of demonstrating their employer’s commitment to “tolerance”.
But isn’t it a little ironic that what started out as an attempt to show the service’s tolerant attitudes has ended up as a PR disaster with the brigade showing intolerance of their own employees’ consciences and sensitivities?
03 September 2006
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