A GAY couple have received praise from the LGBTQ+ community and beyond after sharing a kiss in front of homophobic protesters at a Glasgow Pride event who branded them “sinners”.
Lee Robb and his partner Cal displayed their love for each other at the Mardi Gla celebration on Saturday outside the Glasgow High Court before sharing a moving photo of their embrace on social media with the caption “Pride is a protest”.
In the background of the photo, anti-LGBT demonstrators can be seen holding up religious placards stating “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” and “for all who have sinned and come short of the glory of God”.
The bold statement received thousands of likes on Twitter, with supporters saying the protestors were “wrong” and “should be ashamed of themselves”.
Robb, 31, said although the protesters have a right to their view, he and his partner felt it was important to push back and be open about their love.
He said: “I think they have a right to demonstrate the way they want to but Pride itself is a protest. They have a got a right to protest but so do we.
“I felt it was an important thing to capture and to do. Kissing my partner in public shouldn’t be a controversial thing and we have a right to demonstrate our love for each other.
“As much as they were trying to make a statement, the reason as to why they turned out was to be a bit antagonistic. They could make that point anywhere but they chose to do it at Mardi Gla.
“And as much as we could get hurt and upset by it, fundamentally they just disagree with us existing the way that we do and I think it’s much better to just push back and be open about it [being gay].
“We are fortunate to be in a place where we can be open about it so I think it’s important we demonstrate it.”
Robb said the protesters were a “regular fixture” and had turned up to Glasgow Pride last month as well.
They stood behind a van at Glasgow Green where speakers including Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie – who is openly bisexual – addressed thousands of people who gathered to march through the streets of the city.
But Robb said they made up a small minority of the crowds that gathered for Mardi Gla which were largely supportive.
Robb added: “It was a great event with a great atmosphere, it felt really positive.
“Even though there was a group of protesters, they were in the smallest of minorities and there were people cheering us on and it seemed like everyone had a positive attitude."
