Compassionate Christian Friends of Lesbians and Gays
Pridefest Survey Home Page
This is a Survey of People at a Gay Pride Event

This gives us a look at the opinions of the average person (GLBT)  on the
street.   The links on the left take you to the responses to individual questions
as well as profiles and statistics.

Many times we in churches have wondered how people of other orientation
view topics such as tolerance and homophobia.  We found the results
surprising.  This survey asks questions such as


It asks questions concerning how they feel about the street preachers..


It asks questions concerning how they view the church such as;


In case you are unfamiliar with what street preachers do at Gay Pride events
here are some videos you should view.  (warning: some/ many may find these
videos disturbing).  Note: This is NOT what we do.
A Word About References Used on this Site
 I refer to a variety of web sites and resources on these pages.  If you are
GLBT you may be surprised at some of the resources I use.  If you are a
conservative Christian or just plain Christian you may be surprised at some of
the resources I use as well.

 My use of any resource should not be interpreted as an endorsement of the
entirety of that resource, web site, or viewpoint (unless of course I am
referring to the Bible). I do this becaue GLBT's and conservative Christians
often affirm very different resources.  In order to speak to everyone who
visits this website I must use a variety of resources.  This is critical if we are
to understand each other.
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Those of us who are Christians and those of us who are not may be surprised
by many of the answers from the surveys.  For example look at some of these
answers for defining tolerance:

5        Not passing judgement.

11        Allowing each their beliefs without imposing them on others

12        Accepting of other people's difference.  The mark of an intelligent
person is the ability to entertain  an idea  or belief while holding on to
their own opinion.

24
a.  Extending friendship despite difference.

b.  Absence of judgement against the different.

c.  Support of all people's well being.

26        Understanding that no matter how unfamiliar or different someone is
they should still be respected.

50        The willingness to accept that people are all different and deserve our
respect even if we do not have the same beliefs  or way of life.

54        The ability to recognize / accept differences and to respect these
differences as well.

63        If you don't agree, agree to disagree

67        Live and let live.  Refusal to discriminate despite own beliefs
whatever they may be.

75        Necessary.  Respectful.

76        The ability to realize that at any given time we may be wrong so maybe
allowing other opinions is what we need to honor.

These are just some of the many good answers we received.  The key point of
many of these responses is respect for one another (not necessarily
agreement).  Respect is one of the guiding principle of this web site




A Word to Those Christians Who are Method D

As you may recall people who are Method D are opposed to peaceful dialogue
and feel it is pointless.  This is the exact opposite of the view of this web site.  
For those of you who are Method D you may want to look at the responses
(below) to the question: "How do you feel about the street preachers?" and
discern whether your ministry is effective:


6    What they say has no bearing.  Your good deeds / bad deeds do NOT
prevent or get you into heaven.   So its all pointless what the street
preachers say.

14  Right to own opinion

But what they are doing makes me sad.  Yelling is divisive.  Jesus taught
love, not hate.

16  Right to own opinion

They as Christians feel right and above others but it is really an unhealthy
use of religion.

26   Makes me angry

Their entire stance is hypocritical.  They are preaching hatred and
intolerance which is the opposite of the teachings of Christ.

32  Other

I feel so sorry for them.    They aren't helping anyone.  They're just making
themselves feel better

33   Makes me angry

I don't preach to them about their beliefs and tell them they are going to
hell, so I prefer they afford me  the same respect and not stand in judgment
of me.

35   Other

I do not go to their church and protest their beliefs., they should stay away
on a day of pride for me.  It took me a long time to accept myself for who I
am.  Now they should just leave me alone.

37    Angry  Right to own opinion   

I feel it is disrespectful and truly against God.

40   Right to own opinion

Free comedy hour.  I think that they are hilarious.  As long as the protest
remains peaceful I don't really mind them.  They have a right to their own
opinions.

44    Right to own opinion

While they have the right to their opinion I paid to come to Pridefest for
Pridefest.  They shouldn't be loudspeaking into Pridefest.  They have plenty of
forums for their message.


53   Right to own opinion

But they do not need to PUSH it on everyone who doesn't share the same
opinion.  How would they feel if everyone from Pridefest showed up at their
church tomorrow holding signs telling them they were going to hell if they
walked in?

54    Other

They have the right to make a statement as do we., however the close
proximity to this event and their use of amplification is inappropriate.

57   Other

They are not trying to help anyone.  They are an embarrassment to the
Christianity they claim.

59  Other

I feel if preachers are going to minister I believe it should be done in love.
I do NOT feel the love of  Christ coming through.  I hear alot of
condemnation.  Sure they say repent -even John the Baptist  preached in
love and so did Jesus.  Here is something else to think about, being gay for
the most part  is not a choice.  Do you really think we would choose to be
hated?  The way the preachers come across,   God hates us!  If
homosexuality is a sin then it is sin God hates not me.

67   
It is a perfect example of the hypocrisy and bigotry typical of most
organized religions.

70  Other

I feel sad for them.  There's so much more to life.  I used to believe what
they believe but now I volunteer as a silent witness.


 This is just a sample of the answers we received.  I will leave it to those of
you who are Method D to determine whether your method is effective or not.  
You may also wish to view the answers to the question: How does what the
street preachers are doing effect your faith?  None of the answers to that
question were positive.



 Hopeful these responses have wet your appetite to view more of the survey
response.  I believe you will find that the responses to the questions about
church to be valuable as you assess the effectiveness of your ministry.  I
would also urge you to match up the answers you find with the identity of the
person.  I was amazed to find that many heterosexuals have been offended by
the church and the street preachers.  Once again the question to be asked is
whether our method of witness is effective or destructive to the commission
we have to share the gospel.
Some Previews from the Survey
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Individual Survey Profiles
(click on number to bring up profile)