It’s notable that Sylvia Hermon’s contribution to the debate on Peter Hain’s statement in the Commons was to ask him for assurances that legislation guaranteeing equality for gays and lesbians would not be affected by the First Minister’s strong beliefs on the matter. She cited his moderatorship of the Free Presbyterian Church as the reason for her concern. But Will Crawley breaks a Presbyterian report on Homophobia and wonders if the church’s defensive definition of ‘homophobia’ is not a betrayal of a modicum of homophobia in itself. In a conservative society like NOrthern Ireland, the question of where to draw a line is clearly highly problematic. And not just for Presbyterians.
Mick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty
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