Theresa May, the new Home Secretary and the Minister for Women and Equalities, says that she has changed her mind and is now in favour of same-sex couples adopting children.
Mrs May’s announcement comes in the wake of a new Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition document which reveals that the Government is committed to pushing homosexual ‘rights’ on other countries.
During an appearance on Question Time last night, when Mrs May was challenged about her voting record on homosexual issues, she claimed to have changed her position.
Changed
She said: “If those votes were today, yes, I have changed my view and I would take a different vote.”
Mrs May has recently faced intense pressure because she has previously voted against some homosexual ‘rights’ legislation.
And press reports claim that one internet site has gathered almost 70,000 signatures calling for Mrs May to be sacked as the Minister for Equalities because of her voting record on homosexual issues.
Adoption
In 2002 Mrs May voted against same-sex adoption, and in 2000 she voted against the repeal of Section 28, a law which banned local authorities from promoting homosexuality in schools.
She also missed votes on the controversial Gender Recognition Bill, which allows transsexuals to be legally recognised in their desired sex.
But speaking last night Mrs May added: “On gay adoption I have changed my mind… because I have been persuaded that when you are looking at the future for a child, I think it’s better for a child who is perhaps in an institutional environment, if they have an opportunity of being in a stable, family environment – be that a heterosexual couple or a gay couple”.
But research suggests that children brought up by same-sex parents tend to do worse in terms on education and social adjustment.
The coalition government released details of its programme for government yesterday.
Commitments
The programme, entitled The Coalition: our programme for government, contains a number of commitments to advance homosexual ‘rights’.
It says: “We will use our relationships with other countries to push for unequivocal support for gay rights and for UK civil partnerships to be recognised internationally.”
The programme for Government also contains a number of other commitments including a pledge to promote “better recording of hate crimes” against homosexual and transgender people, and a commitment to tackle homophobic bullying in schools.
However, the document says nothing about addressing the widely recognised problem of the marginalisation of Christians in the UK.
Deselected
Last month David Cameron deselected one of his party’s parliamentary candidates because of his views on same-sex conduct.
Philip Lardner, who was also suspended from his job for expressing his views, had expressed his views on homosexual conduct on his campaign website.
A homosexual news website report Mr Lardner as saying: “I will always support the rights of homosexuals to be treated within concepts of (common-sense) equality and respect, and defend their rights to choose to live the way they want in private, but I will not accept that their behaviour is ‘normal’ or encourage children to indulge in it.
Promotion
“The promotion of homosexuality by public bodies (as per ‘clause 28′/section 2a in Scotland,) was correctly outlawed by Mrs Thatcher’s government. Toleration and understanding is one thing, but state-promotion of homosexuality is quite another.”