Bidding to draw line under issue

Sir, – My letter of September 27, entitled “Marchers have hijacked the word ‘Pride’,” seems to have caused a bit of a stir.

As such, I’d be very grateful for the chance to reply.

Before doing so, I must make clear that I respect those with different opinions and do think the world, even in the shadow of Brexit, would be a lot drearier if we all thought the same.

I shan’t dwell on Saturday’s contribution by Mark Arbuthnott from Brechin.

I don’t doubt, as the contributor asserts, there was “good reason for the Dundee Pride march” but my point is that there is no justification to hijack the word “pride”.

I also take exception with Mr Arbuthnott’s rather amusing “silly little man” description of me.

If only I was little and not the size of a pub doorman, and as for silly – I am regularly called a lot worse but I am disappointed when someone of Mr Arbuthnott’s undoubted erudition stoops to personal insult and, in so doing, throws in the towel.

Also in Saturday’s edition, Alison Dey of Newport-upon-Tay thought it great that “traffic wardens waved” at the passing gay parade.

She also spoke of the “promotion of equality” and so I wonder – with both males and females and all of the in-betweeners and undeciders being equal – if she would have any problem with traffic wardens cheering on a straight pride march, so long as they didn’t hover on double yellow lines, of course?

Finally, I would thank Willie Robertson from Stanley for pointing out, in his letter, a glaring mistake in my letter.

Mr Robertson quite rightly took me to task for failing to mention that the word “gay”, formerly an adjective meaning cheery and happy, has also been hijacked and now identifies as a noun from the homosexual lexicon.

I do hope that draws a line under all of this gay abandon and that we can all move on with pride. Jamie Buchan. Grove Road, Dundee.