Knighted Labour MP says Stonewall founder is intolerant of his anti-LGBT views
Newly knighted Labour MP Sir David Crausby has claimed LGBT activists criticising his voting record should be “more tolerant”.
In a new statement, the MP fiercely rebutted LGBT activists and Stonewall co-founder, Lord Michael Cashman, who criticised his appointment given his anti-LGBT voting record.
He claimed that “Lord Cashman should be more tolerant of other people’s views”.
Mr Crausby used his votes to oppose the repeal of Section 28, same-sex adoption, IVF and marriage equality.
The MP for Bolton North East is one of just a handful of Labour MPs to have repeatedly rebelled against the leadership to vote against LGBT equality.
Lord Cashman, co-founder of Stonewall and the Labour Party’s former LGBT envoy, protested Mr Corbyn’s decision to sign off on a knighthood for Mr Crausby.
Why @jeremycorbyn have you given knighthood to Lab MP who voted against repealing Section 28, against gay adoption & against equal marriage?
— Michael Cashman 🇺🇦🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈🇮🇪🇪🇺🇬🇧 (@mcashmanCBE) December 31, 2016
Mr Crausby told Bolton News: “I’m very tolerant towards the LGTB community and I think Lord Cashman should be more tolerant of other people’s views.
“My views are that same sex marriage is not the same as opposite sex marriage, but that is not to say that it is unequal in any way, just that its different in my opinion, I took that view at the time and I’m not ashamed of that.
“I think we should celebrate our diversity and not just try to be all the same.
“I don’t think same sex marriage delivered anything different to civil partnerships, which I voted for.
“I also voted to equalize the legal age of sexual consent for homosexual couples because I think that is right.”
On adoption, he added: “I took the view that children should always come first and legislation should absolutely be in the interests of the child and not the adoptive parents.
“You can call me old fashioned but I have always believed that for children, it is a good thing to have parents of different genders.”
Some criticised Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn for the knighthood.
Meanwhile Corbyn accused the Tories of dishing out gongs to party donors, saying they’re “doing their best to undermine those honours by giving their cronies gongs”.
A number of anti-LGBT political figures in other parties also received honours.
Tory MP Julian Brazier, a strong opponent of equality who recently attacked a BBC show about a transgender girl, received a knighthood.
Baroness Williams, a retired Lib Dem peer who tried to derail equal marriage, was made a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour.
Lib Dem leader Tim Farron said Baroness Williams “gives politics a good name”, praising her “unique ability to connect with people from all groups”.
