Really? I think more damaging are the pernicious prejudices (sometimes quite subtle and unspoken) that pervade our society. I wouldn't imagine anyone has hesitated about declaring their sexuality because of Ann's views. They're more likely to hesitate because of worries about what their friends and family might think. You can legislate to provide more choices in lifestyle, but you can't legislate to make those choices easy.

Um, don't you think it might be worth finding out what it means, before commenting on whether you think she is or not?

But, OK, here's a definition from Wikipedia:


(My bold, for obvious reasons)

It contains the word "phobia" but it isn't necessarily a fear of anything. It has a wider meaning than that.

Sorry, thought it was common knowledge
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/ann..._and_the_weald

Voted very strongly against equal gay rights.

break down
http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?mpid=1701&dmp=826


It's just my opinion and I am basing it on the Louis Theroux documentary and her close female friend she didn't want to talk about.

that's a false dichotomy...
Not sure what you mean because she voted against promoting homosexuality in schools and special protection for LGBT bullying.
http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/divisio...&house=commons

These are some AW quotes;

I think it wrong that there should be overt discrimination. Where I differ is that I do not think that it can be promoted as an equally valid lifestyle to marriage, but I would say the same about irregular heterosexual arrangements.

Section 28 : No I don't think it should be repealed at all. I think it is wrong to promote those sort of lifestyles and the accent is on promote. I think you have to have a preferred model.

I must admit, I did think she was a lesbian but that isnt based on any evidence...rather based on my (mostly accurate) gaydar!

Well eventually you answered my question - you don't care, you just want to see her make a fool of herself. Thank you for answering.

I was commenting on your post 116 where you appeared to classify suppression of rights for homosexuals as worse than violence against homosexuals and thus the comment had nothing to do with Ann.

Please do not take that one post and hold it up as the typical.
Some people who vote for AW agree with her views whole heartily. Others agree with some but not all, others still don't care and some don't know anything about her. And some do not think politics have anything to do with a light entertainment television program.

I won't and wouldn't I appreciate that in amongst her voters are all kinds of different people with different considerations, I do. I just wanted to know what the ones defending her on this thread thought in particular.

It is not just female bishops she is against, but also female priests. That is one of the reason why she joined the Catholic Church - not a good enough reason in my mind.

oh right I see what you mean... I just think that actively taking away equality from everyone actually promotes discrimination from more people, as well as harms society.

You make legislation to ensure a gay can never be equal to a straight person, that does more harm than just punching him/her.
In fact, telling everyone "this person is not equal" makes other people inclined to harm them.

Again, just my opinion.

Imagine if, in an alternative universe, Ann Widdecombe had voted strongly against equal rights for black people, whenever she had the chance.

Imagine if she had also written several articles and made speeches declaring that her "preferred model" for society was white only.

It's the exact same kind of bigotry (arbitrarily deciding that a section of society is inferior to another and discriminating against them), but I'd bet she wouldn't have been asked to be on Strictly in that universe.

Fact is, homophobia is brushed under the carpet way more than racism. Look at the way Brucie is never hauled over the coals for frequently expressing his distaste of homosexuals. Imagine if he made snide comments about Alesha's race in the same way he does about Craig and Bruno's sexuality.

I totally agree. It's institutionalised bigotry and it's sad that in this day and age there are still people who don't see a problem with it.

Yes, exactly. It's because she was in a position of power that makes it so reprehensible.

To think the current equalities minister also used to be the same (but now claims she changed her mind) is worrying too.

Why that's how a lot of people see it. There are 600,000 hits on google linking the words.

Well in Germany in the 1930s there were hundreds of thousands of people who thought Jews were evil. Doesn't make it true though.

Heh, the lazy journo's fail safe first paragraph.

Just to emphasise, I see a problem; I just don't think it's as big a problem as violence against homosexuals.

I don't think anyone has died from not being able to legally partake of homosexual sex until the age of 18, whereas plenty of people have died after having the sh*t kicked out of them on a Friday night for not conforming.

I doubt the perpetrators of such violence against homsexuals would have been less likely to carry out their actions had the age of consent been 16.

Ann only became a catholic because she did not want women ministers in the Church of England.

So as well as not liking gays she doesn't want women to have equality with men.

Yes but this is a bit of a false equivalence. The vast majority of gay people will never be beaten up, but almost all of them will experience not having the same rights under the law as straight people.

Argument from numbers now? you love the logical fallacies, are you a christian or something?

Why not let the person with the uterus decide if it's butchery, instead of letting them decide it isn't and getting a backstreet abortion.

btw, things linking "animal & porn" 2,510,000 results.

I think both are problems in different ways. Violence is the immediate problem, institutionalised bigotry is the mechanism through which the immediate problems arise.

LOL!

This isnt the first time I find myself forced to press the Alert Mods button on a post related to this subject made by yourself.