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MP Iris Robinson drew our ire earlier this year when she described gay folk as sick sinners who should be cured of our queer ways. Despite very public outrage, Robinson stuck by her remarks - and so is her husband, First Minister Peter Robinson. His wife doesn't deserve any blame, he says, because God agrees: It wasn’t Iris Robinson who determined that homosexuality was an abomination, it was the Almighty. You know what we call that? Bollocks. |
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That story about Iris and Peter Robinson made us think of George and Martha, the dysfunctional, reprehensible couple from Edward Albee's Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? Thus, here's a scene of the fictional couple going at it. It's really just an excuse to remember Elizabeth Taylor's acting career… |
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Well, in a twist of ironic fate, Robinson's husband, N.I.'s First Minister, Peter Robinson and his office will be giving gay groups about £80,000 in grants this year: It has further been revealed that money from the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) helped fund this year's Gay Pride parade in Belfast. Politics, strange bedfellows and all that. |
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» Accountability.
"Iris Robinson will not be rebuked by Prime Minister Gordon Brown over her comments on homosexuality, Downing Street has said. Mrs Robinson described homosexuality as an abomination in a radio interview. Downing Street said there was no constitutional role for the PM to reprimand individual MPs. It said members are 'accountable to their electorate for their own comments'." [BBC] |
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[Robinson] caused a storm when she said homosexuality was an abomination and she had a psychiatrist working in her office who had "cured" gay people. Perhaps now Robinson and company have learned their lesson: bigotry's no turn on. |
» Agreed.
Gerard McCarthy, a Belfast-born actor who plays a bisexual character on British soap Hollyoaks, declared this week that anti-gay Northern Ireland politico Iris Robinson should step down. She is, he says, helping "destroy lives." [Pink News] |
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Robinson, a politician from Northern Ireland, gained international notoriety this month when she suggested gay people can be "cured," called us sinners and then later compared sodomy and child abuse, a charge she denied. Speaking last night at an Amnesty International event, Tatchell insisted that Robinson must resign - he also pointed out that had she targeted another group, she would be out already: Tatchell said she would have been forced from office if she made similar comments about other minorities. Of course, not everyone's making excuses for Robinson. Some of her colleagues, in fact, are wondering if she's gone mental. |
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Robinson's outbursts against homosexuals are developing into "an unhealthy obsession" for which she should seek psychiatric help, it has been claimed. Robinson's remarks have included comparing sodomy to child abuse, calling gays sinners and recommending reparative therapy to "treat" the gay folk. Yep, she sounds certifiable to us! |
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Later Claims Otherwise
The Northern Ireland politician caused a scandal earlier this year after suggesting gay people would benefit from ex-gay "reparative therapy." She later "clarified" that remark by saying gay people are not ill. We're just sinners. Not big on learning from mistakes, Robinson used a Parliamentary discussion last month to equate child abuse with sodomy, of which she strongly disapproves. When confronted with her comments, however, the lawmaker insisted she's being misrepresented: |
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Government has a responsibility to ensure policy development considers the needs of all in our community, including policies for education. Minister Ruane cited gay group Cara-Friend as having an impact on her platform, but we think her haircut deserves at least a bit of credit. Oh, did we mention she's a former tennis player? Too bad she's straight, huh? But, seriously, the difference between Robinson and Ruane couldn't be more acute. The former called gay people "sinners," while the other actually - gasp! - considers the same-sex lovers equal. Forget the gay guinea "gerbils" pigs, this could be children's book. Let's call it something simple, like Good v. Evil. |
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Stormont Health committee chair Iris Robinson last night accused her political rivals of twisting her comments on homosexuality and denied she believed it was a mental disorder. Because that's much better. Meanwhile, Robinson still thinks psychiatric counseling can help set us straight: Will the minister agree with me that there are some people who are in their teenage years sexually confused and that they could do with help in terms of practitioners assessing them with talking therapies to help them realize exactly what they are, whether they are heterosexual or homosexual?" Sheesh, can't these kids find out the old fashioned way: experiementation. It's worked for generations - and is way more fun. |
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Iris Robinson, the Northern Ireland politician who thinks gay folk should seek reparative therapy, recently used a BBC interview to equate gay sins with those of murderers. But Robinson makes sure to say she doesn't have anything against us, because she's filled with God's love. It must be satisfying to be so smug. [via Towleroad] |
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I have a very lovely psychiatrist who works with me in my offices and his Christian background is that he tries to help homosexuals - trying to turn away from what they are engaged in. The homos aren't having it, of course, and are calling bullshit on Robinson's reparative theories. Education minister Catríona Ruane, meanwhile, took a more measured approach by "reminding" Robinson of her duties: "I think it is really important that politicians play a leadership role and that leadership role should be not to say anything that could possibly inflame the situation or cause further distress." |