Gay UKIP MEP David Coburn: ‘Gay marriage breeds homophobia’

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UKIP’s newly elected MEP for Scotland claims same-sex marriage “breeds homophobia” and that civil partnerships “should be enough”.

David Coburn, who is gay and has been in a same-sex relationship for more than 30 years, was elected on Sunday night as his party’s first MEP in Scotland.

The Scotsman reports yesterday he said: “Civil partnerships should be enough. Gay marriage breeds homophobia as people are happy enough to tolerate gay people.

“I don’t see the point of crossing the road to pick a fight with people of faith.”

Mr Coburn was previously the party’s London regional chairman.

Writing for PinkNews in May 2012, Mr Coburn declared that same-sex marriage was “unnecessary”.

UKIP remains opposed to same-sex marriage.

The freight firm owner said he would “probably” push for the decriminalisation of drugs.

He said last night: “On drugs, the criminalisation of it is like alcohol prohibition in Chicago; it breeds crime. My view is that it should be treated as a health problem and I’d probably decriminalise it.”

The Scottish Government has said the first same-sex weddings will take place in the country later this year.

The Queen gave Royal Assent to Scotland’s equal marriage act in March.

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