David Davies MP made waves over the weekend when he told BBC Radio Wales:
If there are any sort of areas where there isn’t full equality with married couples then I’d be more than happy to support making changes to civic ceremonies, so I really don’t know why we need to go ahead with this at all.
I think most people are very tolerant and have no problem at all if people are gay but, and I hate to say this in a way because I expect it’s going to cause controversy, but I think most parents would prefer their children not to be gay, knowing most parents want grandchildren if nothing else.
Davies also told the radio station that he was concerned with the knock-on effects of equal marriage, arguing that it would change the way sex education is taught in schools and may lead to churches being forced by the ECHR to hold same-sex ceremonies.
Yesterday, Davies doubled down on his statement, and added that he wasn’t bigoted in thinking it. He tweeted:
Once fought gay boxer. Respect & like.trained with after bout so not bigoted. actvists calm down- listen to other views youtu.be/-3T2teJaVlA
— David Davies (@davidtcdavies) December 9, 2012
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I’m not even angry anymore, because that it is amazing. This isn’t just “I can’t be homophobic, some of my best friends are gay”; it’s “I can’t be homophobic because I once beat up a gay man“. (For what it’s worth, Davies won the fight against “Britain’s only openly gay boxer”, Charles “The Pink Pounder” Jones.)
Other reasons Davies has given for not being homophobic include:
Interestingly, Davies has previously written, in a letter to Stonewall, that he is in favour of allowing churches to perform gay marriages, and that the only reason he is against the current proposals is because they may lead to churches being forced to officiate. Given the draft bill (and thus the legal language which would form the basis of any potential appeal to the ECHR) hasn’t even been published yet, that really is a rather odd position to take.
Christina Odone also wants you to know about all her gay friends:
I’m a Tatchellite – full of admiration for the indefatigable human rights campaigner. I have close gay friends, many of whom have been in civil partnerships that make most heterosexual marriages look brittle. I supported civil partnerships. But…
I’m considering starting a some-of-my-best-friends-are-gay counter on this issue.
Update: Removed quotes in headline, added Christina Odone.
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