UK: Lecturer and therapist compares gays to Ku Klux Klan and rants at Elton John’s ‘gayism’
A senior lecturer at one of London’s biggest colleges has been suspended after comparing gay teachers to the Ku Klux Klan and admitting that he loathed Sir Elton John for his “over-burdensome gayism”.
In a recording posted on YouTube, Dr Mark Walcott, head of performing arts at Newham College and a part-time psychotherapist, is heard claiming that he had asked gay teachers to leave schools in the past and he believes gay teachers’ sexuality can stop them doing their jobs properly.
Worryingly the psychotherapist said one patient at his London clinic had asked to sleep with him in order to ‘heal’ their sexuality.
During the recording, Dr Walcott is heard to say: “You can find people that are gay… and they’re using their sexuality to stream through the way they teach the students, to boy children especially in boy schools.
“And those boys are becoming gay not because they have a gay gene but because they have gay teachers who are indoctrinating them with their gay mentality.”
Dr Walcott admitted being prejudiced and said the gay community was like the “Ku Klux Klan, the Freemasons and the Nazis” who all wanted to boost their “memberships” by “indoctrinating people”.
He said: “I have prejudices about people who are homosexual and are grooming my children and other people’s children into homosexuality when they didn’t actually choose it.
“Gay people’s objectives [are] not just to have lots of gay sex, but also to increase the gay community. Gayism or any sexual preference is subliminally taught and auto-suggestive.”
Dr Walcott also announced his dislike for Sir Elton John.
He is heard on the recording saying: “I’ll give the name of someone I’d never have run a school: Elton John. His gayism is so liberal.
He added later: “I don’t like him. His sexuality, his gayism is over-burdensome.”
In a racist rant, Dr Walcott said he would “kill” if people in his native Jamaica started to “look Chinese”.
His remarks were made last year but have now been posted online earlier after Newham College staff claimed their concerns were “swept under the carpet” when the college’s eight-month investigation resulted in no action being taken.
His estranged wife Michelle, who split from him four years ago, today described his views as “madness” to the London Evening Standard.
“He always wanted fame and his name in the papers. He’s got it now,” she said.
“I don’t know where it comes from. He never used to be like that. It’s just madness. His big mouth is bringing down Newham College.”
In a statement on Thursday, a Newham College spokesman said: “The College is aware that a recording has been posted on social media websites expressing views that do not reflect the values of Newham College.
“The College has instigated a full investigation, to be externally chaired.
“The individual named has been suspended, pending that investigation.
“Newham College has a proud reputation as a fair employer, not least as the only FE (further education) college in the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index top 100, and does not support any discrimination against, or unfair treatment of, staff or learners in any context.
“As the provenance of the recording has been referred to the police, we cannot comment further at this stage.”
A spokesman for Stonewall said: “We are unable to comment on an investigation which is ongoing but Stonewall raised this matter with Newham College of Further Education in early 2012.”
