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A Tory minister’s homophobic
comments caused outrage at the Welsh Assembly in the wake of last
week’s Conservative gay youth summit.
Assembly Minister David Davies stormed out of an equal
opportunities committee meeting last week after his comments caused
offence, claiming his opinion was being stifled.
Davies’ outspoken comments came while Stonewall
Cymru, a branch of the UK-wide gay lobby group, discussed its annual
report.
He said it would be wrong for children to see books
by health authorities which “graphically described sexual acts
of a nature which I never imagined”.
He continued: “I wonder why you feel a homosexual
who is attacked has more rights in the eyes of the law than an elderly
lady or an elderly man?”
His comments were deemed offensive and aggressive
by the assembly and committee chair Gwenda Thomas said she would
have adjourned the meeting if Mr Davies’ behaviour had continued.
Stonewall Cymru member Tammy Speers commented afterwards:
“We are a bit surprised that you are trying to woo the gay
vote on Monday and come Thursday we get a completely different opinion
in a back room.”
And Gay Conservatives chairman James Davenport condemned
his colleague's remarks.
Davenport said: “Mr Davies comments are ill-advised
and ill-informed. [He] does not seem to want to be a member of Michael
Howard’s Conservative Party. If this is the case, he knows
where the door is.”
Davies, who has been selected by the Conservatives
to fight a parliamentary seat at the next general election, was
unrepentant after the meeting.
He said: “The questions, I didn’t think,
were that unreasonable. It became quite clear I wouldn’t be
able to get my opinion out.
“They were trying to shut me up. If I can’t
get my opinion out, there is no real point my being there.”
Sally Brooks at The Pink Paper 9 April 200
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