Ukip’s gay puty lear Peter Whtle: My appotment prov we’re a diverse party | London Eveng Standard | Eveng Standard

Contents:

• UKIP E CLEAN ABOUT WHY THEY REALLY OPPOSE GAY MARRIAGE
• NIGEL FARAGE ON GAY MARRIAGE: 'I THK WE ARE OPENG A VERY BIG N OF WORMS HERE'
• UKIP WOULD NOT OVERTURN GAY MARRIAG
• MY APPOTMENT PROV WE’RE A DIVERSE PARTY, SAYS UKIP’S GAY PUTY LEAR
• GAY MARRIAGE: NIGEL FARAGE REF TO SAY 'I DO'
• MANY BRONS HAVE CHANGED THEIR MDS ON GAY MARRIAGE
• GAY MARRIAGE ROW: UKIP PLANS TO RAIL DAVID CAMERON
• UKIP BYELECTN NDIDATE REF TO CRICISE 'GAY MARRIAGE FLOOD' UNCILLOR

UKIP E CLEAN ABOUT WHY THEY REALLY OPPOSE GAY MARRIAGE

UKIP's opposn to gay marriage is not for pragmatic reasons, but is based on outdated bigotry. First his party ma an apparent U-turn over s earlier opposn to gay marriage when, durg a qutn and answer ssn wh Pk News, a statement attributed to Farage said that the party would not, after all, mpaign to abolish same-sex marriage. Farage went on to say that UKIP’s opposn to gay marriage was two fold:.

“Sendly we were ncerned that bee of the role of the European Court of Human Rights Brish law that fah muni which had strong objectns were at risk of beg forced to nduct gay marriag. So on the one hand UKIP are opposed to gay marriage bee ’s a bad time to foc on (there are more important issu), and on the other hand bee “fah muni” risk beg “forced to nduct gay marriage”.

In other words, UKIP oppos gay marriage for practil rather than moral reasons (not that that’s OK or anythg). But someone ought perhaps to tell UKIP Wal this, for their objectns to gay marriage are rather different.

NIGEL FARAGE ON GAY MARRIAGE: 'I THK WE ARE OPENG A VERY BIG N OF WORMS HERE'

Don’t vote UKIP if you’re a gay uple and want to get married. Mr Farage told LBC Rad that reports Mr Farage would mpaign to abolish gay marriage were "absolute fantasy". Asked if he supports gay marriage at the moment, he said: "I thk we are openg up a very big n of worms here, and I thk there are some very, very big risks.

But asked if he would support gay marriag if Bra left the ECHR - as Ukip mands - he said: "I do not support the ia of same-sex marriag, all the while we’re unr the spic of the European Court of Human Rights.

UKIP WOULD NOT OVERTURN GAY MARRIAG

A senr Liberal Democrat source said: "I don't see why Nigel Farage jt don't e clean on his views on gay marriage.

For his support base, and particularly his activist base, gay marriage is a very big issue and they are overwhelmgly anti. He don't want to posn Ukip as a party agast gay marriage, but he wants to say to his party he is agast . Nigel Farage has changed tack and announced that Ukip would not seek to overturn gay Ukip lear, who warned 2012 that legalisg gay marriage would force some church to nduct ceremoni that are "anathema to them", said his party would accept same-sex marriag if won the general ma his remarks an terview wh PkNews ahead of the formal legalisatn of same-sex marriag on 29 March.

"Farage also said that lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr people were wele to jo Ukip. "Farage's ments mark a signifint change of tack om his attacks on David Cameron over gay marriage 2012. The Ukip lear told the Sunday Polics on BBC1: "If we go for gay marriage we will force many lns of people this untry – many of the black evangelil church, many people the Mlim muny will be forced to a posn where they have to nduct ceremoni that are anathema to them.

MY APPOTMENT PROV WE’RE A DIVERSE PARTY, SAYS UKIP’S GAY PUTY LEAR

UKIP’s first gay puty lear today urged LGBT Londoners to jo the party, spe qutns over the views held by new lear Pl Nuttall on same-sex Assembly member Peter Whtle, who was appoted puty by Mr Nuttall yterday, said his own promotn to Ukip’s top ranks proved the party was diverse and that allegatns of homophobia were “ridiculo” the former mayoral ndidate admted he did not know where outspoken Right-wger Mr Nuttall currently stood on equal marriage or sex said: “I am a social liberal.

GAY MARRIAGE: NIGEL FARAGE REF TO SAY 'I DO'

People say the thgs about but we have two people on the London Assembly, myself and David Kurten, I’m a gay guy, David’s a black guy.

[My appotment] mak me the most senr gay polician terms of lears. ” Mr Nuttall, who was elected to succeed Nigel Farage wh 62 per cent of the vote, is a 39-year-old Catholic who last year backed the church’s opposn to same-sex once scribed a urt se brought by two gay men who were nied a bed a guthoe as “a plete joke” Whtle said: “There’s been a broad spe of views on gay marriage, I don’t know que what Pl’s attu is to , he said que some time ago, I don’t know whether ’s changed or whatever but for what ’s worth I am perfectly pro gay marriage. “When to gay marriage I thk the party totally accepts that, ’s not even an issue for any more.

Nigel Farage has sistepped attempts to force him to say whether he supports gay marriage, argug would be a matter for the Hoe of Commons to normally opnated Ukip lear appeared to want to avoid g down one si or the other partly due to divisns wh his party's ranks, and fears that whatever posn he adopts will alienate some of his issued a statement to Pk News two weeks ago, thought to have been cleared wh Farage, sayg the party was reviewg s opposn to gay marriage.

MANY BRONS HAVE CHANGED THEIR MDS ON GAY MARRIAGE

Speakg on LBC rad, Farage highlighted the dangers of supportg gay marriage while Bra was the EU, sayg was likely the European Unn would force church to hold gay marriage ceremoni agast their said: "We are openg up a very big n of worms here, wh many very big risks. I n't prejudge what will happen there, but possibly forced to nduct gay marriag those church agast the will of vast majory of churchgoers.

"Prsed to expla his posn on gay marriage if Bra were not the EU, Farage said: "I do not support same sex marriag all the while we're unr the spic of the European urt of human rights. "However, he did say he did not believe retrospective legislatn, suggtg any marriag nducted after Saturday would not be clared null and void, the event of gay marriage no longer beg regnised by the was equally evasive when qutned on the issue durg the LBC bate wh Nick Clegg on Wednday. "Ukip prevly said civil partnerships were a "monsense" way for gay and lbian upl to register their mment a formal warned: "Gay marriage is an entirely different thg altogether.

GAY MARRIAGE ROW: UKIP PLANS TO RAIL DAVID CAMERON

"Interviewed recently by Pk News, Farage was asked by a rear if Ukip would seek to abolish the marriag of gay and lbian upl entered to after 29 March 2014 s 2015 manifto,. We note that some gay rights activists are already talkg about takg legal actn Strasbourg to force this issue. Ukip has released a mi-manifto for Christians, sayg would extend protectn to those who want to oppose gay marriage bee of their relig document is published on the webs of some ndidat and the electn page of Christian Concern, a group that is agast abortn and same-sex manifto for Christians says Ukip would not seek to reverse gay marriage, even though the party was opposed to beg troduced.

UKIP BYELECTN NDIDATE REF TO CRICISE 'GAY MARRIAGE FLOOD' UNCILLOR

However, would offer special protectn to those who wanted to object to gay marriage or exprs other matters of relig nscience the urse of rryg out their says don’t plan to ‘un-marry’ lovg upl.

Photograph: AlamyThis uld clu the Christian owners of a bakery who did not want to bake a Bert and Ernie gay marriage celebratn ke or Christian relatnship unsellor who wanted to unsel only heterosexual manifto says: “We will not repeal the legislatn, as would be grossly unfair and uhil to ‘un-marry’ lovg upl or rtrict further marriag, but we will not require church to marry same-sex upl.