TUV MLA Timothy Gaston accuses Civil Service of ‘institutional activism’ over Belfast Pride promotion

Northern Civil Service intranet homescreen

North Antrim TUV MLA Timothy Gaston has written to the Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, Jayne Brady, expressing serious concern over the promotion of Belfast Pride events on internal Civil Service platforms.

In a detailed letter addressed to Ms Brady, Mr Gaston said he had received “a number of complaints” from civil servants about Belfast Pride materials published on the Civil Service intranet in July.

These included banners and messages from the NICS LGBTQ+ Staff Network, encouraging staff to attend the 2025 Belfast Pride parade and related events.

The materials, he said, appeared on the homepage of the Department of Finance and “likely those of other departments” as part of the Northern Ireland Civil Service’s ongoing internal Pride awareness initiatives.

Mr Gaston argued that such promotion risks compromising the expected political neutrality of the Civil Service.

“Their concerns are not rooted in prejudice but in a principled belief that the Civil Service, as a publicly funded and supposedly apolitical body, should not be endorsing what is an overtly political and highly divisive campaign,” he wrote.

The Traditional Unionist Voice MLA insisted Belfast Pride is not a neutral or universally accepted event but “a platform for contentious political demands,” referencing its positions on gender identity, family values, education policy, and religious freedoms.

“When the Civil Service appears to publicly align itself with such a movement, it sends a clear and troubling message: that one worldview is officially sanctioned, and others are to be marginalised or silenced.”

Mr Gaston further claimed that staff who hold traditional Christian beliefs feel increasingly “alienated and excluded” in their workplace environment and are concerned that “their faith convictions are unwelcome or even suspect in the eyes of their employer.”

He characterised the Civil Service’s current approach to Pride as an example of “institutional activism” and warned it was eroding trust in the Civil Service’s impartiality.

“This is not inclusion. This is institutional activism. And it undermines the neutrality and professionalism that the public has a right to expect from its civil servants.”

In his letter, Mr Gaston called for a formal response from Ms Brady and asked for clarity on the following five points:

1. The basis on which Belfast Pride was promoted across departmental intranet platforms;

2. Whether any consideration was given to the political or moral implications of such promotion;

3. What safeguards exist to prevent the Civil Service from appearing to endorse political causes or pressuring staff to take part in ideological campaigns;

4. What steps are being taken to respect the conscience rights of staff who object to Pride;

5. Whether other non-civil service events have been promoted similarly through internal communications.

In a sharply worded closing remark, Mr Gaston referenced previous public statements by Ms Brady regarding LGBTQ+ issues and expressed doubt over receiving a “satisfactory response”.

“Given your own totally inappropriate public position on these issues I have little prospect of a satisfactory response but I nonetheless want to raise these matters and expect a fulsome response.”

No public reply has yet been issued by the Head of the Civil Service or the Department of Finance.