These teens got rid of a homophobic politician in just three hours
A group of teenage students have pushed through the resignation of an anti-gay politician within three hours of starting a campaign against him.
The now former politician, who sat as an MP in the British House of Commons for the Isle of Wight seat, Andrew Turner, resigned after a politics student posted about an exchange with the legislator.
The student, Ester Poucher, posted on Facebook that Turner had made homophobic comments. The politician reportedly said being gay was “dangerous to society”, and that he was anti-gay because of religious reasons.
The scandal comes just days after Prime Minister Theresa May announced a snap election was to be held on June 8th, ahead of Brexit negotiations beginning.
A number of other Conservative MPs are also facing criticism over election fraud accusations in the last general elections in 2015 and have been called on to stand down from running again.
A-Level politics student Poucher, 16, wrote on Facebook: “He told us that he’d been invited (to the local Pride event), but wasn’t intending to go. This is because (and this is a direct quote) he thinks that homosexuality is ‘wrong’ and ‘dangerous to society’.”
Another student, Toby Sheard, exclusively told PinkNews that he was left “scared” following the derogatory comments.
The 17-year-old said: “Once the meeting was over it hit me what he had said, I was a danger, it was wrong to treat me as normal. This form of attitude shouldn’t be allowed in our society, especially in our government.
“Later in the meeting, I tried to push him for why he held this belief, he dodged the question three times until admitting it was for a religious reason. The fact that we have MPs with these views in our governing party scares me that we could easily see ourselves going back into the past.”
In the original Facebook post, Poucher added: “It’s terrifying that in this age and point in our development as a society, there are still people that can’t care enough about a person’s wellbeing to just accept who they are.”
The 16-year-old continues: “Yes, we all believe different things, and that’s wonderful. But when that belief treats a group as sub-human, and attempts to take away their fundamental rights, we can’t respect it.
“I’m done with people not standing up and f*cking shouting about what’s right and not campaigning for justice. To those over 18 – please do the right thing, and vote in a government that works for a society of diversity and acceptance. Don’t be complacent.”
The politician, who had held the seat for 16 years, suddenly resigned, saying in a statement that it was “time for a new generation to take up the mantle of representing my fantastic constituents.”
Insiders at the British Conservative Party, which Turner served as an MP under, told PinkNews that he had “resigned before he was pushed”, stressing that there was “no place in the party for such views.”
Turner said: “I am grateful for the support I have received from islanders and proud of the record that Conservatives have in delivering for the island.
“In the forthcoming election I will be supporting the Conservative candidate to ensure the strong and stable leadership of Theresa May is returned to Downing Street,” he concluded.
The MP had coincidentally been in the middle of a reelection process as the row broke, ahead of June’s general election.
But the selection of another Conservative candidate to replace Turner has been “postponed” by the party until after the beginning of May.
Turner previously faced deselection threats in 2015, over his own tumultuous personal life.
Local Conservative Association members had been incensed at a ‘love triangle’ which saw his wife divorce and begin dating his political adviser.
Organisers of the Isle of Wight Pride event say they are “deeply shocked and saddened” by the outgoing MP’s comments.
Meanwhile, in the US, a Republican Congressman sobbed his way through a speech begging God to forgive the “sins” of equal marriage.
Randy Weber is a member of the United States House of Representatives and has represented Texas’ 14th congressional district since 2013.
And President Trump also in April handed a senior position to a lawmaker who was too homophobic for the House of Representatives.
