UK: Cardinal Keith O’Brien nominated for ‘bigot’ of the year, by Stonewall
Stonewall, Britain’s largest gay rights charity, has nominated the UK’s most senior Catholic, Cardinal Keith O’ Brien for the title of “Bigot of the Year” as part of its annual awards ceremony.
On its website, Stonewall wrote: “Keith O’Brien has been a prominent opponent of marriage equality and made headlines with deeply offensive comments about same-sex couples. He’s stated that same-sex relationships are ‘harmful to the physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing’ and compared equal marriage to slavery and child abuse.
Stonewall added: “Under his leadership the Catholic Church in Scotland has pledged to ‘declare war’ on marriage equality and has committed an additional £100,000 for the fight”.
Lord Ken Maginnis, the former Ulster Unionist MP, who lost the party whip at Westminster in June for referring to same-sex marriage as “unnatural and deviant behaviour” has also been nominated, along with Simon Lokodo, the anti-gay Ugandan Ethics and Integrity Minister, who presided over a homophobic crackdown of LGBT orginisations in Uganda back in June.
Those nominated for the charity’s “Hero of the Year” award include US equal marriage ice cream giants Ben & Jerry, the former director of Manchester Pride, Jackie Crozier, and bisexual UK popstar Jessie J.
