Pride won’t defeat hate

I’m trying to write down what I would say if I had to talk as a roman-catholic to the visitors of Baltic Pride. Seda teksti saab ka lugeda eesti keeles

If queer people were silent, the very stones would cry out. That’s how I understand this year’s message “Silence won’t defeat hate”. This message is true and important, but please don’t misunderstand it. Yes, silence won’t defeat hate, but I doubt whether pride will do the job.

It is clear that queer people must cry out

because we fear those who are different,

because we avoid uncomfortable topics,

because we sweep problems under the rug.

That’s instinctive, natural, human.

Queer people also do that.

Yes, if queer people were silent, the very stones would cry out, but let me tell you that

hate is a poor reaction to hate,

audacity is a poor reaction to fear,

provocation is a poor reaction to ignorance,

arrogance is a poor reaction to humiliation,

feeling offended is a poor reaction to mobbing,

attention-seeking is a poor reaction to contempt,

shouting louder is a poor reaction to feeling unheard.

The parents in Viljandi don’t hate you,

they don’t hate gratefulness but attention-seeking,

they don’t hate honesty but exhibitionism,

they don’t hate beauty but pornography,

they don’t hate fun but provocation,

they don’t hate pride but arrogance.

And yet, if queer people were silent, the very stones would cry out.

So let us

grow our attentiveness to defeat disregard,

grow our confidence to defeat humiliation,

grow our forgiveness to defeat contempt,

grow our knowledge to defeat ignorance,

grow our esteem to defeat neglect,

grow our trust to defeat fear,

grow our love to defeat hate,

And there is hope that we will learn,

learn that queer people are people like you and me,

learn to discuss fairly about emerging questions,

learn to be grateful for queer people among us,

learn to value each other’s opinions,

learn to respect each others emotions,

learn that queerness is no sin.

And à propos “sin”: note that the saying “If these were silent, the very stones would cry out” comes from the Bible. Jesus answered this to the policemen of his time when they asked him to rebuke his disciples who made a proud parade out of his arrival in the capital. Jesus has good news for queer people. Don’t believe those who claim the opposite.

Luc Saffre, 2026-05-22