Thursday, March 26, 2009

Ongoing Discussion about Free Speech and Gay Rights chez Tom Harris

[Someone asked whether Archbishop Mario Conti's attacks on gays amounted to incitement of hatred against gays.]

I certainly believe that religious attacks on homosexuality - including the Roman Catholic church's repeated statements that homosexual acts are "intrinsically disordered" do in fact incite hatred against homosexuals.

But, in an open market place of ideas, I believe (as a Gay Catholic) that such hatred is best repulsed by verbal contestation.

What is objectionable is the effort by some religious groups to protect *themselves* by law whilst demanding *by law* the right to attack others, and *by law* the right not to be offended.

I am quite happy for the law to allow Mario Conti the free speech to attack my sexual desires as "intrinsically disordered", just as long as I can point out that Catholicism is full of suppressed homoeroticism, and that if I want to go, in Glasgow, to go and get turned on by seeing a naked man being ritually humiliated, I have a choice of looking at a Crucifix in St. Andrews Cathedral, or going to a gay S/M club.

[In fact, all the best SM clubs have always been in Edinburgh. Glasgow poofs are sissies.]

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