Proud to be a 'sexual pervert'...

I went to NC Pride yesterday, a first for me. I don't know how I went all these years without attending at least a minor celebration, but I did. NC Pride is a major event, so it is safe to say I made up for my lack of participation all these years.
Being among members of the LGBTQ community, and not just supporters, was elating. I felt completely at peace and accepted. Actually, I felt normal. Then I saw the church vans...
I'd wondered if they would be there, and I was not disappointed. The 'kinder' people simply sang hymns. Others were less careful in their so-called outreach to us. They shouted scripture verses at us, carried signs declaring homosexuals hell-bound sexual perverts, and one man even disrupted the event by reenacting Christ carrying the cross to his death (for us, I can only presume).
I know this kind of stuff goes on, but I'd never seen it in person. It is despicable, hateful, and totally pointless. I will never convert to their religion, go to their churches, or worship their god. Why would I trade the love and acceptance of my community for what the church is offering? No, I'd rather be a perverted sexual deviant than treat others the way I was treated at Pride.