Scott Lively says Oxford Union ‘botched’ plans for him to appear at gay parenting debate
Anti-gay Christian Evangelist, Scott Lively, has claimed that he did not attend a recent debate on gay parenting at the Oxford Union because organisers of the event “failed to correct” an administrative error meaning his flight was booked for the wrong day.
Mr Lively said he was “frankly appalled”, by the that he was not able to attend the debate on 17 January, the subject of which was “this house would be glad to have gay parents”, and said that he did not because he was told the wrong date in correspondence.
On the day of the debate, Scott Lively said that President Maria Rioumine and President-Elect Joseph D’Urso were “fine young people” for “stepping up to save the situation” by arranging a special event for him on 1 February.
He has now said, however, that “this report was not true”.
He said: “I was asked by Joseph D’Urso to go along with that mischaracterisation of events after he and Maria Rioumine promised to make things right by setting up a special event for me on the 1st February or rescheduling me for a new debate during his term of office.
“In point of fact, the Oxford Union completely botched my part in the debate by inviting me for January 31st and not the 17th, and failed to correct their error in subsequent email exchanges referencing the 31st as the date of my appearance.
“Indeed, their letter confirming my role in the debate clearly identified the 31st as the date of the debate,” he added.
He went on to say that he had scheduled in the stop over in the UK to attend the debate, arrangements for which he financed himself, but did say: “It is still my intention and desire to speak on the 1st.”
A Union spokesperson said: “There was a scheduling issue with Dr Lively’s appearance at the Union on January 17th, and we have apologised for our part in this miscommunication.”
The Oxford Student reported that the confirmation letter sent to Mr Lively did state the date of the debate as 31 January.
The traditional Thursday evening debate, on 17 January, on the topic “this house would be glad to have gay parents” still took place, despite Dr Lively’s absence. The motion was carried with 345 votes to 21.
The Union drew criticism over its decision to invite Scott Lively.
One of the winning speechs delivered by Benjamin Cohen ended with: “I need to ask you why you wouldn’t be happy to have two loving parents, two parents who are not wicked people, two parents who have sacrificed a lot to bring you into their lives, two people who will dedicate their lives to making you happy, but two people who happen to be of the same sex?
“Ask yourself, why wouldn’t you be happy?”
Mr Lively co-authored the book, The Pink Swastika, which says in its introduction: “homosexuals [are] the true inventors of Nazism and the guiding force behind many Nazi atrocities”, and he is the former state director for California for the American Family Association.
