Human rights campaigner and fellow Green Peter Tatchell, who has previously attempted a citizens arrest on Robert Mugabe for human rights violations, has again been making headlines with his work (see the extract below from the Belfast Telegraph). I think he is a very courageous man and I very strongly agree with the stand he has taken - love him or hate him he has highlighted a serious homophobia problem yet again, this time in part through giving the Amnesty International Pride Lecture, as part of the Belfast Pride festival being held this week.A Northern Ireland MP who branded homosexuality an abomination should resign, a gay rights activist said last night.
Peter Tatchell said Iris Robinson would have faced calls for her head had she criticised any other minority in similar terms.
The Strangford DUP MP has defended her assertions with her Christianity.
Mr Tatchell said: “There is no doubt that if Iris Robinson had made those remarks about the black or the Jewish community she would have been outed from public office and forced to resign.
“People would have said that such comments are totally unacceptable.
“The fact that many are making excuses for people saying that her conscience or religion gives her an excuse for making these remarks I find unconscionable.”
More on/about Peter Tatchell and his work here and here.
As far as Peter Tatchell is concerned anonymous is wrong. Homophobia is wrong, whether from Christians, Muslims or indeed from any direction.
ReplyDeletePeter Tatchell has been vigorously and publicly opposed islamist homophobia and other human rights breaches. See here for example:
http://www.petertatchell.net/religion/qaradawi.htm
The then Mayor of London Ken Livingstone did I think accuse Tatchell of islamophobia but later sort of withdrew his accusation.
Another example of Tatchell's work here:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.petertatchell.net/international/gayiraqiswinasylum.htm
I'm certainly not suggesting what Peter Tatchell said was wrong. What I'm saying is, that Christians who make these kind of statements are taken to task much more thoroughly by people in general, who see devout Christians sometimes as "religious nutters". We have been encouraged to be particularly respectful of Islam, in the name of integration. Peter Tatchell aside, when a Muslim points out that Mohammed said "throw the Homosexual from the mountain" we are less likely to argue with them, as these are the rules of their religious & social system. Hence why we now get "honour killings" in the U.K.
ReplyDeleteWith a birth rate of 3.8 children per female Muslim, against 1.6 per non-Muslim female in the UK, it is becoming inevitable that "Love is a human right - oppose Homophobia"
will carry little weight with the pious Muslim M.P's we will see elected in the future.
I don't take my hard won gay rights for granted, and I suspect that Peter Tatchell doesn't either.