MP Suggests Gay Cure for Hate Crime Victim, Apologizes by Calling Gays an Abomination
Tuesday 1st July 2008
I’m sure most of you are familiar with the phrase “out of the frying pan, into the fire”.
That phrase could apply well to the recent life of Northern Ireland MP Iris Robinson. Robinson, the wife of the First Minister of Northern Ireland and a born-again Christian, had caught a fair bit of flak in early June when, while on a radio show, she suggested that the victim of a homophobic hate assault should visit a psychiatrist friend of hers to cure himself of his homosexuality.
Telling the victim of a hate crime that he should seek psychiatric help so he won’t get beaten up by homophobes was a rather unpopular move to say the least. She was criticized by everyone from LGBT rights groups to mental health professionals, who were particularly quick to point out that the “gay cure” Robinson supported was a big load of bull.
Now Robinson has attempted to defend herself by hijacking a question and answer session on the NI Assembly floor, only to wind up making even more offensive statements. It all started when Alliance Party MP Stephen Farry asked the NI health minister Michael McGimpsey "for his assessment of the mental-health needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender groups."
McGimpsey was speaking on the subject when an MP asked him to confirm that "sexuality is biological and that it is not accepted practice in either psychiatry or psychotherapy to try to cure homosexuality," a clear reference to Robinson’s earlier statements on psychiatric “cures” for homosexuality.
McGimpsey agreed with the MP, noting that sexuality is not a mental illness as some claim although LGBT individuals do have specific mental health needs. For instance, many LGBT men and women are at high risk for suicide and depression after facing discrimination and bullying or rejection by their family for their sexuality. At this point Robinson interjected with a “question”.
The “question” turned out to be a poorly concealed attempt for Robinson to read a statement in defense of her earlier comments. After reading for awhile many members began calling on her to actually ask a question. The following statements then occurred:
Several MPs: “Ask a question.”
Robinson: “I am getting to it. Homosexuality, like all sin, is an abomination. That is what I said. My point, however, is that there are some people —“
She was then repeatedly called out for reading a statement rather than asking a question. She was finally ordered to ask a question and Robinson said: “I certainly will. Does the Minister agree that there are some people who, in their teenage years, are sexually confused, and that they could do with help from practitioners to assist them with talking therapies, to help them to realise exactly what they are — whether they are heterosexual or homosexual?”
So Robinson continued her record of making offensive statements about gays. It’s amazing that, even while retracting offensive statements, she can manage to say something even worse. Let’s clarify her statements.
Basically, teenagers are sexually confused and must be given psychiatric assistance so they can figure out their sexuality. To be honest, this might help a few people. If I actually believed she was serious in wanting teenagers to talk to psychiatrists to help really work out their sexual and personal identities in the confusing teenage years I might agree with her.
However, I suspect what she really means is “Teenagers are easily confused and we must get them to a psychiatrist so that doctors can help them realise that they must be straight”. Of course that’s just my interpretation. It’s possible she meant well, but when you’re explaining yourself by saying “Gay people aren’t crazy, just a horrible abomination against nature and God” it doesn’t help you seem normal or caring.
Iris Robinson has no business being in the NI assembly. She’s currently being investigated by police for making threatening remarks in relation to her radio show comments. Let’s hope that, if nothing else, her constituents will realize that they need a new MP.
Related Stories:
Northern Ireland Politician Under Investigation for Gay Hate Speech
That phrase could apply well to the recent life of Northern Ireland MP Iris Robinson. Robinson, the wife of the First Minister of Northern Ireland and a born-again Christian, had caught a fair bit of flak in early June when, while on a radio show, she suggested that the victim of a homophobic hate assault should visit a psychiatrist friend of hers to cure himself of his homosexuality.
Telling the victim of a hate crime that he should seek psychiatric help so he won’t get beaten up by homophobes was a rather unpopular move to say the least. She was criticized by everyone from LGBT rights groups to mental health professionals, who were particularly quick to point out that the “gay cure” Robinson supported was a big load of bull.
Now Robinson has attempted to defend herself by hijacking a question and answer session on the NI Assembly floor, only to wind up making even more offensive statements. It all started when Alliance Party MP Stephen Farry asked the NI health minister Michael McGimpsey "for his assessment of the mental-health needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender groups."
McGimpsey was speaking on the subject when an MP asked him to confirm that "sexuality is biological and that it is not accepted practice in either psychiatry or psychotherapy to try to cure homosexuality," a clear reference to Robinson’s earlier statements on psychiatric “cures” for homosexuality.
McGimpsey agreed with the MP, noting that sexuality is not a mental illness as some claim although LGBT individuals do have specific mental health needs. For instance, many LGBT men and women are at high risk for suicide and depression after facing discrimination and bullying or rejection by their family for their sexuality. At this point Robinson interjected with a “question”.
The “question” turned out to be a poorly concealed attempt for Robinson to read a statement in defense of her earlier comments. After reading for awhile many members began calling on her to actually ask a question. The following statements then occurred:
Several MPs: “Ask a question.”
Robinson: “I am getting to it. Homosexuality, like all sin, is an abomination. That is what I said. My point, however, is that there are some people —“
She was then repeatedly called out for reading a statement rather than asking a question. She was finally ordered to ask a question and Robinson said: “I certainly will. Does the Minister agree that there are some people who, in their teenage years, are sexually confused, and that they could do with help from practitioners to assist them with talking therapies, to help them to realise exactly what they are — whether they are heterosexual or homosexual?”
So Robinson continued her record of making offensive statements about gays. It’s amazing that, even while retracting offensive statements, she can manage to say something even worse. Let’s clarify her statements.
Basically, teenagers are sexually confused and must be given psychiatric assistance so they can figure out their sexuality. To be honest, this might help a few people. If I actually believed she was serious in wanting teenagers to talk to psychiatrists to help really work out their sexual and personal identities in the confusing teenage years I might agree with her.
However, I suspect what she really means is “Teenagers are easily confused and we must get them to a psychiatrist so that doctors can help them realise that they must be straight”. Of course that’s just my interpretation. It’s possible she meant well, but when you’re explaining yourself by saying “Gay people aren’t crazy, just a horrible abomination against nature and God” it doesn’t help you seem normal or caring.
Iris Robinson has no business being in the NI assembly. She’s currently being investigated by police for making threatening remarks in relation to her radio show comments. Let’s hope that, if nothing else, her constituents will realize that they need a new MP.
Related Stories:
Northern Ireland Politician Under Investigation for Gay Hate Speech
