IMMEDIATE 3.00pm Saturday 15th July 2006
The Gay Police Association have unwittingly sent up the whole idea of 'homophobic hate incidents' by reporting a man to the police for describing them as 'sexual perverts' in a letter to a national newspaper.
Christian Voice supporter Graham Wood sent the GPA an email attaching a copy of his letter to the Editor of the Independent. He received an email back from one Darren Goddard, a member of the GPA National Executive Committee, no less, saying that he had forwarded the email 'to my local police to have this recorded as (sic) homophobic hate incident'. Mr Wood was asked not to contact the 'Gay Police Assocation' (sic) further.
In his letter, Mr Wood described the GPA advert, with masterly understatement, as 'distasteful and banal' and spoke of the 'rightful priority of marriage and the family.' He described homosexuality as 'a disgusting sexual perversion' and went on to show that homosexuals are a tiny minority, '0.2% of all households'.
Stephen Green, National Director of Christian Voice, said today: 'The GPA advert complained about an increase in 'homophobic hate incidents' and they have just invented another one to add to their collection. If a robust but measured letter sent to a national newspaper can be regarded as a 'homophobic hate incident', then the qualifying threshold is laughably low.
'When author Lynette Burrows questioned whether homosexuals should be allowed to adopt children, her radio interview was also logged as a 'homophobic hate incident.' So was the request of Joe and Helen Roberts from Fleetwood in
Lancashire
for Christian literature to displayed in a library alongside homosexual propaganda. The Bishop of Chester was investigated by police when he suggested homosexuals could change and become heterosexual. A letter from me to the Chief Constable of Manchester Police complaining about police marching in full uniform in the London Gay Pride parade was also logged as a 'homophobic hate incident.' So was an article by journalist Richard Littlejohn. Are they all in the GPA statistics?
'It is all beyond parody and it is bringing the police into derision and disrepute. But for the GPA to suggest that expressions of legitimate opinion form part of a pattern of bloody attacks on homosexuals, as they did with their advert in the Independent, is thoroughly malicious. It must make us seriously question both their morality and their sanity.
The Gay Police Association receives an annual grant from the Home Office, apparently because, in the National Policing plan, issued by the Home Secretary, the police service are required in paragraph 4.14, to 'work towards increasing the trust and confidence of all sections of the community.' As the GPA has just destroyed the trust and confidence of the Christian community, perhaps we can look to the grant being withdrawn.
Text of Graham Wood's email exchange with the GPA:
Dear Mr Wood
Thank you for your email regarding the Independent Article entitled "In the Name of the Father" I have noted your comments and have forwarded your email to my local police to have this recorded as homophobic hate incident. Please refrain from contacting the Gay Police Assocation further.
Darren Goddard
National Executive Committee
Gay Police Association
http://www.gay.police.uk
mailto:darren.goddard@gpa.police.uk
Telephone / Fax 07092 700 211
-----Original Message-----
From: Graham Wood
Sent: 14 July 2006 10:48
To: info@gpa.police.uk
Subject: Independent Advert - GPA
I attach below a copy of a complaint sent to the editor of the Independent newspaper which expresses my own view, and I have no doubt, that of millions of others in the UK.
As one who once worked in the Police Service, and in common also with others who were once proud to be associated with it, it is a source of both sadness and anger to see a once honourable , public spirited and powerful force for law and order in the UK being degraded to the level of a third world cowboy outfit which the modern Police Service is fast becoming.
For the attention of the Editor Simon Kelner.
Dear Mr Kelner,
I write with regard to the so called 'Gay' Police Association's advert in the Independent entitled In the Name of the Father'.
Not only was the advert distasteful and banal, but for many Christians it was yet another example of an attack upon the rightful priority of marriage and the family in that the homosexual ethos being promoted is a disgusting sexual perversion and ought not to be tolerated in a civilised society.
I'm sure that the majority of taxpayers would far prefer that the 'Gay Police' brigade be more gainfully employed (with our, the taxpayer's, resources and money) in fighting real crime rather than the pretended grievances of a very tiny, but vociferous, minority of sexual perverts. (perhaps you were unaware for example, that fewer than 0.2% of all households in
England
and
Wales
are headed by a same sex couple? - 2001 Census) and homosexuals collectively are also an insignificant minority in terms of numbers in the
UK
. Why should the majority be subjected to the whingeing of this minority?
The question that the Independent should be asking is: why are our Police forces in the
UK
being systematically politicised, and why are they being made the instruments of fulfilling Government social policies on sexuality which are abhorrent to the majority of people in the
UK
? Perhaps such questions would be far too 'independent' and objective for the Independent to ask.
Sincerely
Mr G Wood
ENDS
