Pooves and closet cases: January 2008 Archives

United Kingdom: The Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement has published a 10 page document criticizing the government's decision to appoint homophobic Christian activist Joel Edwards as an Equality Commissioner. Edwards has campaigned against equalities legistlation in the past, and the LGCM report uses his own words to demonstrate why Joel Edwards should not have been appointed to the Equality Commission and should resign. The report summarises the case against Edwards on page 1:

• Joel Edwards aggressively lobbies against law reforms introducing gay equality
• Joel Edwards promotes groups seeking to cure gay people
• Joel Edward’s organisation seeks exemptions from the very laws Equality Commissioners are charged with upholding

They note that the organisation he leads, the Evangelical Alliance, explicitly opposes any kind of fair treatment for lesbians and gay men.

a homosexual lifestyle is a choice and is not to be classified in terms akin to race or gender. [p.3]

Of course, Edwards regards such criticism as religious discrimination and whines I therefore find it a shame that the LGCM considers my belief system less equal than others and a barrier to my serving the British public. Of course, as a religious lifestyle is a choice, surely it's not deserving of any kind of protection anyway, at least not according to Edwards' reasoning.

Joel Edwards and The Evangelical Alliance: Opponents of human rights for lesbian and gay people [Word document]—Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement, 21st January 2008; Gay Christian group criticises new equality commissioner—The Guardian, 21st January 2008.