In the final hours of the 20th century, human rights campaigner, Peter Tatchell sent an open letter to Cardinal Winning at the Archdiocese of Glasgow. The letter begged Winning to apologise for 2,000 years of Christian homophobia. Tatchell wrote: ‘The Catholic Church will shortly mark the Millennium by celebrating 2,000 years of Christianity. But many lesbians and gay men will not be celebrating with you. We will be mourning two millennia of Christian homophobia, which has inflicted terrible pain on homosexual people. Your church has incited prejudice, discrimination and violence against queers for 20 centuries. Over the last 2,000 years, church homophobia has led to hundreds of millions of homosexuals worldwide being rejected and reviled by their families, driven to depression and suicide, discriminated against by anti-gay laws, and condemned to death for sodomy. The Catholic Church has never expressed any remorse for its persecution of queers. The millennium is an opportunity to atone for the genocide inflicted on us. We ask you to express your sorrow for the church's crimes against queer humanity, and to offer your apologies to the gay community. Leviticus 20:13 demands that homosexuals be put to death. For over 1,800 years, the Christian churches followed this Biblical injunction, sponsoring a Homo Holocaust involving the mass murder of queers. We were stoned to death in antiquity, burned alive during the medieval era, and, in this country, hung from gallows until the mid-nineteenth century. This slaughter of homosexuals took place with the official blessing of Popes, Cardinals and Bishops. While the church no longer advocates the death penalty for gay lovers, it still preaches a gospel of sexual apartheid, arguing that homosexuality should not be accorded the same moral or legal status as heterosexuality. This straight supremacist doctrine is used to justify the abuse of queers as second-class citizens. Most Christians, including yourself, continue to support discrimination against gay people with regard to the age of consent, marriage, employment, Section 28 and fostering and adoption. The time has come for Christian contrition. An apology for the suffering inflicted on lesbians and gays by the church is long overdue. We call on you to make this gesture of truth and reconciliation’. Tatchell’s efforts were ignored by the Scottish media and snubbed by Winning.
But the Church – plagued by scandal and dwindling congregations - had problems of its own. The Glasgow-based broadsheet, The Herald released the results of a poll that found 44 per cent of the public thought religion had only “a minor part” to play in their lives and only eight per cent of young people said it “was a major part of their lives”. There were some who felt a major victory, such as the retention of Section 28, would underline Christian authority and gain credibility for the Church. With the repeal of Section 28 looming; religionists seized the opportunity. Press releases from religious organisations flooded newsrooms. The Scotsman reported two Scottish schools were buying an education pack “which encourages children as young as 14 to act out homosexual roles in the classroom”. The video in question showed young people talking about ‘coming out’ and their experiences of gay relationships; venturing no further than showing a few images of young gay couples kissing. At one point, pupils are asked: “Michael is 15 and his boyfriend wants him to have sex. He really wants to, but he is nervous. Michael knows he should use a condom, but doesn’t know where to go for help. What should he do?” The Scotsman’s education correspondent, Tom Little began working himself up into a lather: “The pack, which includes a video and costs £35, encourages children to empathise with characters such as a married man who is caught ‘cottaging,’ a bisexual grandmother and a sado-masochist. In one game pupils are encouraged to play ‘Spot the Heterosexual’.” Little suggested that one character in the pack, named Karl, advised: “Try experimenting with other boys and girls and see who you feel most comfortable with”.
The Scottish Daily Mail’s report wrongly described Karl as gay. (Presumably after what the Honorary Member for Meriden, Mrs Spelman had told the House of Commons in her speech). The Mail claimed Karl said: “To attain sexual satisfaction, try experimenting with both boys and girls to see who you feel most comfortable with”. In fact, the character said: “People try and see as many girls as possible, until they find the girl they are most attracted to”. He then went on say that gay lads deserved the same opportunity.
Tom Little’s report in The Scotsman was one-sided. He summoned responses from Monsignor Tom Connolly of the Catholic Church and also enlisted the help of Valerie Riches of the ‘Family Values’ group, Family and Youth Concern, (described in this report as an “independent think-tank)”, who said: “This puts concepts and activities into the minds of youngsters they would not normally think about. That is a dangerous thing to do in a child as young as 14”. From the religious lobby group, Newcastle-based Christian Institute - described as a “charitable research foundation” - Ian Bainbridge declared the pack, “one of the worst examples of its kind…” and Brian Monteith, the Conservative’s education spokesman decided it was “a breach” of Section 28.
The pack, produced by the Avon Health Authority funded agency, Health Promotion Service in Avon, was called Beyond A Phase: A Practical Guide to Challenging Homophobia in Schools, ungenerously described by The Sunday Times Scotland as “a video that encourages schoolchildren as young as 14 to experiment with gay sex”. Despite the fuss, of the 76 education packs sold in England, only two were supposed to have been sold to secondary schools in Scotland: One in Fife and the other in Inverness. Even then, both schools denied ever having used them. A Highlands Council spokesman said the pack “was inappropriate and schools would be advised not to use it”. This is a shame. In a study by Neil Duncan he found a close link between homophobia and violent attitudes towards women and anyone perceived as vulnerable. He found that boys who were ‘nice’ to girls were often perceived as ‘gay’. Not a culture that bodes well for any young men entering into human relationships… of any kind.
In another report, Tom Little joined Frank Urquhart in The Scotsman to comfort “Mrs Hill” of the Scottish School Boards’ Association “when it was revealed that two Scottish schools had already bought a teaching pack which asked teenagers to empathise with sado-masochists and ‘cottaging’ – soliciting for gay sex in a public toilet”. With the Scottish School Boards’ Association gearing itself up for a major role in the anti-repeal campaign, Mrs Ann Hill appeared to ignore the fact no Scottish school had expressed any intention of using the pack, adding: “What I don’t want to see happening is teachers being forced into having to promote any type of sexual activity, whether homosexual or otherwise”. The Dumfries & Galloway Standard reported how “Dumfries-based chief executive, Ann Hill had said present legislation went far enough in that it allowed discussion about sexuality in schools”. Hill suggested she had no problem with children playing the part of a prostitute, but was “absolutely appalled” they might be forced to play “a black lesbian gay in a wheelchair” or “a bisexual granny”. Attention was drawn to on-line petitions being drawn up by “a group of Christian primary school teachers” and “a group of student teachers”. TES Scotland (The Times Educational Supplement) noted: “The SSBA as moral guardian is not a pretty sight…” In his letter to The TES Scotland, Martin Flynn from Motherwell imagined children being “immersed in homosexuality discussions…” He explained: “Many teachers view the practice of homosexuality as a complete abomination. Many parents and pupils are aghast at the thought of discussing such a disorder… Parents and pupils are sick to the back teeth of liberal-minded people foisting their morality on to them. The alliance of Christian churches who wish to prevent discussions on homosexuality among the young as part of the curriculum speaks for the vast majority of the Scottish people. As a parent and teacher I stand beside Thomas Winning’s view of things. Lord Jesus, give me the courage to continue”.
Gay kids often faced appalling levels of homophobia in schools. Not always from other children. On the subject of counselling gay schoolchildren in The Herald, Hugh McLoughlin of Bellshill, describing himself as a “humble schoolteacher” at a North Lanarkshire Catholic comprehensive school, asked why teachers should “be ready at the drop of a hat to abandon all their commitments to counsel children who are massively egocentric, compulsively self-indulgent, and totally insensitive to the needs of anyone except themselves?”
Readers of Scottish newspapers were already well-accustomed to the opinions of religionists and moral conservatives embellishing reports on sexual issues. For example, toward the end of 1999 there was a £600,000 Scottish sex education project undergoing research in Tayside and the Lothians. Alongside quotes from the project’s principal investigator at the Medical Research Council’s social and public health sciences unit, based at Glasgow University, The Scotsman threw in the comments of the Catholic Church’s Monsignor Tom Connolly who blasted: “Telling young people about using condoms and safe sex is wrong, wrong, wrong…”!
From being illegal up to 1981, Scotland was at last being encouraged to talk openly about homosexuality. The debate over the repeal of Section 28 was played out in letters’ pages across the nation. Alisdair C Sampson wrote in The Herald: “I have come to the inescapable conclusion that one of the most discriminated against groups in society are people like me – white, heterosexual males… I can say absolutely nothing critical about the views or actions of… those of a sexual orientation which is not of my choosing”. That didn’t stop George Cooper of Baillieston who warned teachers in Glasgow’s Evening Times: “If any of my boys come home from school talking about loving other boys, I will remove the teacher’s teeth without anaesthetic”.
As the Section 28 story unfolded, religionists and social conservatives found loyal friends in the English editor of the red-top tabloid, The Daily Record, Martin Clarke and his political editor, Ron MacKenna. The tabloid focused on a “GAY RIGHTS CASH ROW”, which the gay sexual health group, Phace West “caused” by “handing out free condoms to gay men at Strathclyde Park, a well-known area for gay pick-ups”; that, and the supposedly “graphic pornographic images and lurid descriptions of gay sex” on the Phace West website. Colin Hart from the well-funded Christian Institute, already planning to establish itself in Scotland, faithfully registered their disgust, as did Mrs Anne Allen from the Kirk’s Board of Social Responsibility. She declared money for health education; HIV and AIDS prevention was being “diverted into the promotion of sexual activity”. Attention was drawn to “critics” – mentioning no names – who “fear the project will further cash in when the Government scraps Clause 28”.
The Daily Record’s so-called ‘Voice of Authority’, a dickie-bowed columnist called Tom Brown wrung his hands. “Who are the first people you would want to help? Children? The shivering old folk? Poor families? The homeless? Homosexuals? How did they get priority…? How come an insidious minority with a perverse agenda commands the attention of a new minister…? We were not told about a hidden policy to expose our children to harmful propaganda”. He bitterly opposed the genuine efforts being made to challenge homophobia in schools, adding there was no reason “to expose schoolchildren to corrupting smut like the teaching aid Beyond a Phase, which aims to ‘challenge heterosexism and homophobia’ in schools. It pursues the familiar homosexual tactic of rubbishing heterosexism and repeats the lie that those who oppose homosexuality are ‘homophobic’ – and their ‘hatred’ is a disguise for their own homosexuality. How is that supposed to make young people feel about their heterosexual parents?” Tom Brown thought the proposed repeal of Section 28 would turn “acceptance into flaunting” and stubbornly declared: “Being normal is natural”. He stormed: “Homosexuals cannot accept the unhappy status their way of life forces on them. They want the impossible – everything that comes with a normal, natural family relationship”. The Daily Record went on to print a reader’s letter congratulating him on his views.
The Church called upon its troops across Scotland. In The Lochaber News, Andrew Holmes of the Highland Christian Schools Trust wrote to the paper to say he’d found local authorities “appointing homosexual school workers to target pupils who are unsure of their sexuality”. And “homosexual youth workers… appointed to promote homosexuality and help young people to ‘come out’. In some cases,” he added, “the aim is to work with children as young as nine…” On the issue of homophobic bullying, Holmes was unyielding. “…This constitutes childish cruelty in the same way that children use other derogatory terms to insult one another. It does not constitute homophobic bullying. Liberal legislation is making our nation a place of darkness…”
Glasgow’s Evening Times had Mrs A M H, “a happy, fulfilled mother and grandmother” recalling something she had read somewhere about an “eminent Swedish psychologist” who claimed “many boys” who “doubted their masculinity” grew up “normal” if they were “left alone, without undue pressures…” Mrs A M H nonetheless stepped up the pressure herself, begging “all religious and child-welfare organisations to make forceful vociferous protests against the Scottish Parliament’s proposed legislation to abolish ‘Section 28’”. According to Mrs A M H, homosexuality led “our children… more often than not to a sad, unfulfilled life and increased dangers of AIDS”.
Things were really flying over the cuckoo’s nest by the time you reached Cairnbulg in Aberdeenshire! R S Stephen from the Orthodox Presbyterian Church penned a warning to The Fraserburgh Herald. “Labour MSPs have announced that the Scottish Parliament will legislate soon to enforce the teaching of homosexuality in Scotland’s schools. This will repeal the Tory article 28 which forbids this teaching since the Bible calls sodomy an ‘abomination’. Leviticus 20.13… Now that the Scots Parliament has voted to have prayers to Satan and demons 91 for, 7 against and 13 abstentions on the 9.9.99 and is now legislating Sodomy as a wonderful thing like Pergamos did, then Satan’s Seat is also across from Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh up on the Mound in the Assembly Hall. 9.9.99 is 6666 upside down as Satanists always do things and 91 = 7 x 13 and that’s the devil’s number to perfection (7). I mentioned that in a letter to the (Fraserburgh) Herald a few weeks ago and on my way to deliver it I picked up a bill and was astonished to find it was for £91! The odds are infinite against these numbers especially as one of the voting computers in the Parliament had to be knocked oot to achieve them and the by-election took one MSP oot of the debate! One Tory MSP commented this is ‘astonishing and rather chilling’. God now will deal with the Parliament and the nation as He did Sodom with nuclear fire… Have a nice day, albeit a chilling one”.
The Fraserburgh Herald’s editor, Alex Shand lent Mr Stephen’s his support in his editorial, agreeing this was no laughing matter: “There are times when I am disgusted by the society in which we live…” He was “absolutely horrified” over attempts to repeal Section 28 and wasn’t at all surprised “men and boys who are gay are much more likely to be assaulted than those who are ‘normal’.” Because, he explained, gays are encouraged to be proud of whom they are while there were “still an awful lot of people in the country who take the Biblical view and want nothing to do with any of it”. Shand took the opportunity to mention he was “disgusted to see these two men cuddling each other on television…” Shand’s editorial went on to express his opinion on one of several stories circulating about gay dads. “And I was even more outraged when I heard them trying to argue that the child will have an upbringing every bit as loving and secure as it would be in a normal family home. Absolute garbage! …It will be picked on and bullied – and it will be these two men who will have been directly responsible for it”.
The Fraserburgh Herald offered a welcome platform for some of the emerging homophobic panic. One ‘Regular Reader’, withholding their name and address wrote: “Sir, It makes one wonder at the attitude of the Prime Minister to the Clause 28, as a man with children himself. It is time that people put the word gay back to its proper use, it has been hijacked to give queers a sense of respectability in a way of life that is neither natural or healthy. The term homosexual Christian is comical, they would be as well to say a Christian thief or a Christian murderer. As a parent I strongly object to the removal of Clause 28. I do not want that taught in schools. I am not impressed with the performance of the Scots Parliament, to crown all that, the rates are to rise ten per cent. Where do they think people are to find it?”
In Glasgow’s The Herald, Michael Naughton from Aberdeen asked: “What is so wonderful about promoting a way of life that would lead to social disintegration, and ultimately extinction, if it came to be adopted by a large proportion of the population?”
John Kelly of Edinburgh told The Herald: “I am prepared to believe that there are some unfortunates who cannot help their immoral behaviour, but I also believe that there are very few of these and they need psychiatric help, not encouragement in their vice”.
J Lach-Szyrma bestowed upon the citizens of Dundee his contribution through The Courier: “Many would appear to have a mental picture of John Inman mincing around in Are You Being Served when the word ‘gay’ is used. In truth, the correct word to be used is ‘sodomist’.”
by Garry Otton
Next Issue: Driving a bus through the argument.
The author has not received payment for compiling this history but welcomes donations to any of the following: Peter Tatchell Human Rights Fund, PO Box 35253, London E1 4YF. www.tatchellrightsfund.org. Amnesty International www.amnesty.org.uk or Secular Society www.secularism.org.uk.
garry@scottishmediamonitor.com
