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Iris Robinson's gay outburst leads to street protests, official complaints and calls to quit
Tuesday, 22 July 2008
Steven Colhoun brandishes a copy of yesterday's Belfast Telegraph during a protest outside Belfast City Hall
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There were calls for Iris Robinson to resign from public office last night after she was accused of waging a “crusade against the gay community”.
The Belfast Telegraph yesterday revealed the latest controversy surrounding the wife of the First Minister after she stated to a parliamentary committee that homosexuality is “viler” than child sex abuse.
A Westminster watchdog last night said that a number of complaints have been made about DUP MP Iris Robinson following her controversial comments on homosexuality, but admitted that no action can be taken.
The Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, the body that monitors MPs’ code of conduct, said that despite the complaints about the Strangford MP nothing can be done as “the commissioner’s remit does not cover an MP’s views or opinions”.
The same exemption extends to Stormont where the vice chairman of the Standards and Privileges Committee Sinn Fein MLA Willie Clarke said it is “very frustrating that at every opportunity people can abuse the code of conduct and get around it by saying it is a personal view or a religious belief.”
Yesterday the Belfast Telegraph revealed that during a Grand Committee debate at Westminster in June on the management and assessment of sex offenders Mrs Robinson stated: “There can be no viler act, apart from homosexuality and sodomy, than sexually abusing innocent children.”
When asked to clarify her comments last Friday she said homosexuality was “comparable” to child abuse.
“I cannot think of anything more sickening than a child being abused. It is comparable to the act of homosexuality. I think they are all comparable”, she said. As the storm over her comments grew, the First Minister’s wife made an apparent U-turn stating that the recording of the debate, published on the Hansard website, did not accurately reflect her views.
In a statement issued through the DUP Press office she added: “I clearly intended to say that child abuse was worse even than homosexuality and sodomy .... At no point have I set out to suggest homosexuality was worse than child sex abuse.”
A Hansard official last night said however that after checking audio recordings, she was satisfied the comments were reported accurately.
Members of the gay community gathered outside Belfast City Hall yesterday afternoon to protest against Mrs Robinson's comments.
One protester, Steven Colhoun, a gay Christian, said Mrs Robinson’s remarks left him fearful for his safety.
He added that he cannot understand why Mrs Robinson felt compelled to bring homosexuality into a debate about sex offenders.
“As a young gay man of 21 and a victim of religious and social homophobia as a result of her comments I am now fearful for my personal safety and for that of those like me.
“I believe that Iris Robinson should publicly apologise and I call on her to resign immediately.”
SDLP MP Alasdair McDonnell said that Mrs Robinson’s comments raise “serious questions about her fitness to sit in a position of responsibility”.
UUP MLA Basil McCrea said he believes Mrs Robinson has “gone too far” and that the DUP needs to make it clear if she is speaking for the party.
Alliance Deputy Leader Naomi Long MLA said Mrs Robinson’s remarks show a “complete lack of responsibility” and added that such remarks are both inflammatory and dangerous.
Mrs Robinson told the Belfast Telegraph that when she speaks out against homosexuality she is not “hate-mongering” but is talking out of love.
“I am trying to reach out to people. I try to reach out and love them. That is what Christ teaches us. Anything I say is out of love.”
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377 Comments
If she had talked about being black in this way she would have been in serious trouble. The fact that she wasn't proves that society and the government are highly homophobic.
Posted by Rich | 26.03.09, 18:25 GMT
I have searched and searched and I have yet to find evidence that Iris Robinson even has a conscious. She is narrow minded and I pity her because she does not stop to think of how her words are affecting people. I am not homosexual but I have many friends that are and I am outraged by her homophobic comments. If she hates them so much. Why doesn't she go live in a hole. Homosexual people are as much a part of the community as heterosexual people and deserve to be treated with respect.
Plus, my best friend Alex is homosexual and her comments cut him deep. Maybe Ms MP should think about what she says before she opens her fat mouth.
Posted by Karoline | 13.11.08, 14:15 GMT
Iris
should learn to say the prayer
Lord help me to keep my big mouth shut until I know what I am talking about
Posted by John | 31.10.08, 10:32 GMT
We were planning a trip to Strangford to stay at the Narrows Hotel, looking forward to seeing such a beautiful place now that peace has returned to NI. After hearing about this woman's views, we won't be coming. We see no reason to contribute to the economy of a society that elects a person like this.
Posted by Sabine | 13.09.08, 10:44 GMT
What do the Scriptures say about majority and minority views? I don't remember reading anywhere that Christ advocated casting out the minority. If he had, it would have been a somewhat self-defeating thing to say in the Graeco-Roman pagan and Jewish world of Iudaea.
In fact, I seem to recollect that the Christ of the Scriptures was quite firm on the principle of non-judgment. When he lost patience, it was usually with those in positions of power who were abusing religious traditions to clothe themselves in the glamour of righteousness, when what they were really doing was preaching fear and hate. In the Gospel according to Matthew, I seem to recall, he says "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves."
I think Iris Robinson is watering down the Scriptures to suit herself. I pity her, because she is living in fear and hate.
Posted by Duncan | 13.09.08, 10:01 GMT
As a gay Catholic up brings & of Irish desent! I am amazed at what this woman is saying about gays & lesbians. This is the 21st century. Growing up in the 70's & 80 in England life was very hard for people like myself, hard rough secondary school .....i managed to get thru it all keepin myself well back in "the closet" for many years, even though i was meeting men, just because of my background up bringin, IM SO ANGRY THAT A WOMAN LIKE THIS HAS FULL ACSESS TO THE PRESS!
& MAKING STATEMENTS LIKE SHE DID, thank you forlettin me reply anyway, good night
Posted by Jason | 24.08.08, 06:50 GMT
This woman has been living in the dark ages for the past 60 years or so. She should be hung out to dry and made an example of her narrowmindeness.
Posted by Adam JORDAH | 22.08.08, 11:32 GMT
how can anyone compare child abuse to homosexuality?everyone is made in 'God's image' are they not? Iris Robinson needs to keep her judgmental and narrow minded views to herself. seriously who is she to have the right to tell people how to live and what relationships are right and wrong? CONSULT US, DONT INSULT US.
Posted by Christine ^^. | 17.08.08, 02:56 GMT
"I cannot leave my Christian values hanging at the door when I go into politics." she says. Then Iris, you should never have entered politics. Religion and politics do not mix and and are a potent cocktail. Iris must resign from her chair of the NI Assembly Health Committee and apologise to almost 16,000 people who found her comments a disgrace and very hurtful.
Posted by LINDA | 14.08.08, 22:00 GMT
It's exactly this sort of hate preaching that keeps us locked in the dark ages. Get over it love, there isn't a god - religion is the comfort of the weak.
Posted by Bernard | 13.08.08, 23:56 GMT
"The bible, God's Word is accurate. Nothing in the bible has been proven false, ever."
I'm not too sure anything in the Bible has been proven true either. I think they call it faith. And capital B. Please have some respect for your own religion.
Posted by Michael | 07.08.08, 03:32 GMT
I just read Nigels comment, have to say i really feel sorry for you mate. a total lack of imagination from this chap. On a par with the world is flat and massive sea monsters. Curing homosexuals? From what exactly?? Total tosh, i am not homosexual, but really my head is in my hands reading this, i feel really sorry for you! you were obviously not at the front of the queue when God (who you seem to know quite well) wishing dishing out brains!
Posted by Michael | 05.08.08, 14:12 GMT
She's not fit for public anything, least of all office.
Posted by Patrick Ardagh | 05.08.08, 02:10 GMT
terry 15000 is 0.8% of all Northern ireland
but only 0.025% of all of the UK, which is covered by the Prime Minister's e-petition
Posted by Steve nireland | 04.08.08, 13:58 GMT
I think this is a disgrace. That this woman is able to make these comments and get away with it is unbelieveable.
When she was elected as an MP MLA, she was eleced by the community to represent the WHOLE community, by making these remarks she is allowing her beliefs to get in the way of this. This is a sure sign that this woman is not suitable for the job. We need politicians who will put aside thier personal views, no matter how strongly they believe in them, to carry out their role in representing and supporting the community as a whole, in doing so, treating all as equal in both their actions and their words.
Posted by Cara | 04.08.08, 00:49 GMT
Incidentally if any of you "so called" Christians want evidence that there are thousands out there who disagree with Iris you should take a minute to check out the Prime Minister's e-peteition website, where almost 15000 people have signed a petition to have the lady reprimanded....
Posted by Terry | 03.08.08, 18:07 GMT
Dear Nigel! It sounds to me like you need some serious help yourself! You say - "And incidentally a person can be healed of homosexuality because no-one is born that way. They are affected pre and post natally by mum wanting a girl and dressing him in dresses as an infant for example." Well I can tell you as a gay man I was born this way and my mother never dressed me up in girls clothes.... Clearly if this is your belief then your mother must have ranted on about the bible while you were in nappies....
Posted by Terry | 03.08.08, 18:04 GMT
This article does not report that Mrs Robinson said that she hates the sin, not the sinner and is not attacking any person by her comments only their actions. 'A Spokesman' described her as an extremist but it seems to me that she voiced exactly the teachings of the Catholic church on this matter. Homosexuals are active and welcome in the Catholic church but are encouraged to remain celibate and there are numerous Catholic support groups that help them to do this. And incidentally a person can be healed of homosexuality because no-one is born that way. They are affected pre and post natally by mum wanting a girl and dressing him in dresses as an infant for example. These sorts of traumas can be dealt with through specialist counseling and forgiveness. Deal with the issue (the cause) and the manifestation of of that issue is healed. Obviously this is a very simplistic account of a complex process for the sake of this post.
Posted by Nigel | 02.08.08, 20:48 GMT
Iris Robinson is an embarrassment to this country. She represents the narrow-minded views of a significant minority of insular individuals in Northern Ireland who are determined to look backwards into the future. This country needs forward looking individuals to lead us into a future which is not constrained by medieval Biblical rhetoric.
Posted by James | 02.08.08, 19:16 GMT
Homophobia is the same thing as racism.
If she had made racist remarks against black people and then said 'This is just my belief allowed by freedom of speech', she would have been persecuted.
Homophobia needs to be categorised with racism and hate crime, and religion needs to be categorised with mental retardation.
Posted by Bhav | 02.08.08, 12:08 GMT
377 Comments