Peter Tatchell: I am considering outing bishops who discipline married gay clergy
Peter Tatchell has threatened to name prominent gay bishops, if they discipline members of the clergy who have entered into same-sex marriages.
Gay hospital chaplain Jeremy Pemberton had his Permission to Officiate revoked by the Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham after he married his same-sex partner, while London vicar Andrew Cain said he “fully expects” to be punished for marrying last month.
The veteran rights campaigner Peter Tatchell said this week that he would out any gay bishops who discipline their married colleagues.
Speaking to Kelvin Holdsworth of St Mary’s Cathedral, Tatchell said: “I believe people have a right to privacy so long as they are not using their own power and authority to harm other people and when other people are being caused harm and suffering we have a duty to try and stop it.
“If this is the only way, it is certainly not the preferable way, it’s not the first option but as a last resort I think it is morally and ethically justifiable.”
I am considering outing gay @c_of_e bishops who discipline gay clergy who marry https://t.co/wtKDYO4oRv @LGCM @changingatt @LondonLGBTPride
— Peter Tatchell (@PeterTatchell) July 24, 2014
Holdsworth writes in a blog post: “My own view that it is perfectly justifiable to out those who are gay who use their authority to inhibit the lives of those gay people in their care.
“It seems to me that it is perfectly legitimate for anyone with concrete evidence of a bishop who has supported an anti-gay policy such as the recent pastoral statement in the Church of England and who is in a same-sex partnership, to draw attention to that hypocrisy in public.”
Labour councillor and prospective parliamentary candidate Wes Streeting, who has worked for Stonewall, attacked Tatchell for the approach.
@PeterTatchell That’s not the right approach. It’s not necessarily hypocritical; one can be gay and not support same sex marriage. — Wes Streeting (@wesstreeting) July 24, 2014
In 1994, Tatchell’s LBGT rights group OutRage! named 10 bishops in an attempt to get them to clarify their sexuality.
Watch the interview below:
