Resignations All Around - So Long Bigots

Originally published on www.vadamagazine.com

This week it looks as though resignation is at the top of the agenda for a few people. Firstly we have heard the news of how a Conservative town councillor quit his position because of his disapproval of the advancement of the Equal Marriage bill. Secondly, it has been announced that the grand dame of religion himself, Pope Benedict XVI will also step down from his position due to ill health, which is slightly dubious to say the least.

He is relinquishing his post after eight years of being the head of the Catholic Church, doing what exactly I’m still unsure of (in fact does anyone actually know what he does apart from stand/sit around in a rather fetching robe and hat combo promoting Catholic guilt?). Anyway, after eight years he has decided to step down because as he states “after having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry.”

Now you can’t blame anyone for not having much sympathy for the wicked witch of the Church in this instance. On my part this lack of sympathy stems from the anti-gay rhetoric that he’s constantly bombarded us with over the best part of the last decade.

Over this period he’s said that gay people are a “defection of human nature,” he warned the world that the introduction of equal marriage would risk the future of humanity, and on the World Day of Peace 2013 he released a message that said that not only is same-sex marriage unnatural but it also poses a threat to “justice and peace.”

This is just what you want to hear from the man who is the spiritual figurehead of the 1.2 billion Catholics worldwide. The list of his intolerance does not stop there however. In 2008 he said that the existence of gay people threatened humanity in the same way as the destruction of the rainforests, and that “blurring” genders through the acceptance of transgender people would kill off the human race. Someone really needs to send this man back to a classroom.

However, despite the fact that ill health has been used as the reason for him resigning, it has already been cast into doubt by numerous experts who believe it is most likely due to his controversial stance on homosexuality, along with the legacy of a number of paedophile priest scandals and cover-ups that have destroyed the integrity of the Church in certain areas.

I myself would not be surprised if this was the case, or if it has anything to do with the fact that no matter how hard he tries and no matter how much he shakes his heavily adorned head, gay marriage equality seems to look inevitable. You only have to cast your mind back to the debate in the UK last week.

This brings us onto our second resignation of the week, the resignation of Matty Donnelly. You may be wondering who this is as his fan base isn’t quite as large as the Pope’s. Well, he was the town councillor for Hexam, Northumberland, until he quit on February 10^th due to the Conservative Party’s backing of equal marriage.

Now talk about throwing your toys out of the pram. Mr. Donnelly quit just after last Tuesday’s vote, which says to me he had this whole thing planned. His reasons for resigning were because he was “brought up as a Christian” and because of this he knew “the difference between right and wrong.” It is a shame that no one taught him about tolerance and acceptance whilst they were at it.

Because of this he decided he could no longer agree with David Cameron and the other members who voted for the Equal Marriage bill. However, in Mr. Donnelly’s defence he did say, “I am old-fashioned and cannot for the world of me get my head round gay marriage, same-sex marriage, call it what you will.”

This just shows us that for many people it is a generational issue when it comes to equal marriage, but this still does not excuse intolerance, whether in our daily or working lives.

So there we have it, two resignations in the matter of a week. One that is clearly because of gay marriage and the other because of ill health, which in all honesty probably has something to do with his opposition to the gays. Luckily, when it comes to parliament there are many people fighting for equality. With a couple less intolerant people in power things can only get better. However, in terms of the Church, the future trajectory of acceptance depends largely on the election of a new Pope. We can only hope that he is not as intolerant as the last. I won’t hold my breath.

Equality is an Issue Once Again

Originally published on www.vadamagazine.com

Gay marriage, civil partnerships, civil ceremonies and religious ceremonies are a few terms that you’ve probably heard being thrown around in the press and laden across the news for quite some time now. From the looks of it these terms aren’t going to be laid to rest anytime soon. That’s right the issue of gay marriage, or whatever other name you’d wish to give it, is back under the spotlight for a number of reasons.

Today sees the Marriage Bill being debated in the House of Commons, which would enable same-sex couples to marry in consenting religious institutions in England and Wales. You can probably guess why it’s been in the news for other reasons. Yes that’s right some people just flat out are not happy about it.

Firstly there was the news that senior Tory figures were trying to delay the gay marriage vote. This was because they believed it could prove deeply divisive and cause damage to the Conservative party in the run up to the 2015 election. The issue has been gaining increasing political currency and concern amongst the Tory party with a number of people threatening to resign claiming that there are more serious issues to be dealt with.

To my mind, I just have to say that if a member of the Conservative party wants to resign because of gay marriage then that’s one less bigot in power. Quite frankly they should not be in that position with their antiquated and discriminatory values. If a member of a political party resigned because they had racist ideologies then they’d most likely be chased through London by a lynch mob and publicly and politically tarred and feathered. Just look at the way Nick Griffin is treated by the general public (and when I say that I mean most people on the Internet). No one is suggesting the same treatment will fall on these defectors, but on a sliding scale of bigotry, this should cause many to re-evaluate their suitability for public office if they refuse to recognise equality in society.

Someone should really point out to these Members of Parliament that if it is not discussed now then it’ll just be back on the agenda once again come the next election. We’re not going away guys. So you can try and brush this issue under your expenses paid rug as much as you want, but the fact of the matter is it’s not going anywhere.

Now I turn my attention to the Church of England, because you cannot have an article about gay marriage without bringing them into it (for people who dislike the idea so much they don’t half harp on about it). Many may know that the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, was formally confirmed as the head of the Church of England on February 4^th, the day before the debate in the House of Commons. A little bit controversial and risky don’t you think?

It was rumoured that on his first day he would attack the idea of marriage equality, something that Welby’s office quickly downplayed. He instead defiantly placed his flag in the middle ground, ambiguously stating “The Government wants it. We think there are issues around the way it is going forward.” However, this hasn’t stopped the Church being hit by criticism, mainly because of its 8 page briefing note on the bill that they’ve supplied to every Member of Parliament ahead of the vote.

Now it would take too long to go through all the criticism that has been levelled surrounding this, but one thing that did stick in my mind is something that Reverend Sharon Ferguson, the head of the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement said. After stating that the idea of Justin Welby attacking gay marriage was ‘absolutely horrific’ she mentioned that the Church should be trying to welcome gay and lesbian couples back into its pews.

I for one could not agree with her more. Over the years religion has belittled gay people and nearly every idiotic bigot out there with a mouth bigger than their brain has used their ‘knowledge’ of religion to exclude the LGBT community. Because of this many gay people have left the Church and don’t believe in religion. Through being unable to marry, many feel it is preventing them from displaying their love for another person.

Religion by all accounts is not as big (if that’s the right way to put it) as it once was. The fact that Jedi was recognised as a religion in the census shows us that in general the populace are less God-fearing, more force-loving individuals. So why on earth would the Church continue to persecute and isolate?

This debate is ultimately stilted as after all they are their beliefs and everyone is entitled to their own opinion, bigoted or not, with the same being true of oppositional MPs.

But just think about this, 50 years ago black people in America were made to walk on opposite sides of the street, stand up for white people on buses and suffer a whole barrage of abuse because of something they could not help: the colour of their skin. An interracial marriage in the 60s was a big deal, a very big deal. Comparing these past times to the present situation in 2013 makes you realise how shocking that was, and the thought of discrimination, racist mass marches and discriminatory political speeches happening in mainstream society today is unfathomable.

So when we do see these terms for gay marriage get banded about just think it’s not just about marriage, but equality and surely everyone deserves that in 2013? Didn’t R.E at school teach us that we are supposed to love everyone.