Deputy Mayor faces complaints after claiming you get ‘hooked’ into homosexuality like drinking
The Deputy Mayor of Derry is facing a number of complaints – after he claimed that people get addicted to homosexuality like they do to cigarettes and alcohol.
Democratic Unionist Party councillor and Deputy Mayor of Derry and Strabane Thomas Kerrigan made the comments earlier this month – while praising his party for vetoing same-sex marriage in the Northern Irish Assembly.
He claimed: “Woman is made for man and man is made for woman. I would stand on this scripturally and the party has to be honoured for the stand it has taken.
“I believe prayer would change things because really, if you go back to the times of Sodom and Gomorrah, things were on the same basis and the Lord punished them.
“People say you were born with this but I don’t believe that. You get into this and the same as with drink or smoking, you get hooked on it after the first time or second time.
“So I would have to commend my party for standing up.”
He also claimed that people who have “gone astray” can be “turned in a different direction” through prayer.
The Derry Journal reports today that a total of nine complaints have been lodged with Derry City & Strabane District Council over Kerrigan’s conduct, after the remarks.
Local LGBT activist Sha Gillespie wrote in her complaint: “As the deputy first citizen of our Council area, Thomas Kerrigan is expected to act as a representative of everyone, including LGBT people, and has a duty to ensure principles of equality and fairness.”
A spokesperson for the council told the local newspaper that all members must abide by the Northern Ireland Local Government Code of Conduct for Councillors, but the council “is not in a position to comment on the personal or religious views of its elected members”.
The Derry Journal also report Kerrigan’s comments, claiming he suggested gay people can be cured.
It was recently confirmed that the DUP’s former Health Minister, Jim Wells, would not face charges for claiming that gay parents are more likely to abuse children.
Jim Wells
Mr Wells has previously described Pride events as “repugnant”.
