As America goes to the polls to elect the 44^th President of the United States, a previously little known gun totting social conservative, with hard-line views on abortion, gay rights and creationism have caused a media storm, breathing unpredictability into an otherwise electorally forgone conclusion.

Whilst the Palin factor has generated headlines and column inches across the States, and the world, across the Atlantic, this wee spot in Europe has been contemplating another, less famous, evangelical fundamentalist female politician, with equally uncompromising views of the society in which we live.

And so it was this summer, that Iris Robinson, the wife of the First Minister, embarked on an astonishing series of attacks directed at the provinces gay community.

She appeared on BBC Radio Ulster one June morning to belittle the forthcoming Belfast Pride parade, insisting, unsurprisingly, that neither she nor her husband would be in attendance as it was an abomination.

Less than a week later a young man was severely attacked in Ballyduff on the outskirts of Belfast in what the police described as a homophobic attack.

Two days after this attack Mrs Robinson was back on the same BBC show to insist that she had a psychiatrist who worked with her who had a track record in curing’ gay people from their lifestyle choices’.

The inference was clear – this young man was attacked because he was gay, so Iris’s solution was not to challenge the societal homophobia which manifests itself so violently, but challenge the victims of such brutality to change their ways, thus no longer making them a target.

Not content to simply dispense her, albeit questionable, Bible based moral guidance to the LGBT population of Ulster, Mrs Robinson offered a legal -social commentary, by proclaiming during a House of Commons Grand Committee debate that there can be no viler act, apart from homosexuality, than the abuse of innocent children.

Overnight she surpassed the folksy, you betcha, social conservatism of Palin and became something all together more disturbing a hate mongering ayatollah on a moral crusade.

Northern Ireland is, of course, not alien to such medieval bigotry. Last year a joint University of Ulster / University of Queensland study placed the province as the homophobic capital of the west. But the Robinson saga clearly indicated a shift within wider society from passive indifference to outright horror that political leaders in a community with a history such as ours could still hold such a propensity for hatred towards a minority.

An online petition calling for the Prime Minister to censure Mrs Robinson attracted 18,000 plus signatories. Similarly the Belfast Telegraph conducted its own poll, which, on a parochial level, showed some 70% of respondents in favour of her resigning.

These actions, whilst not materialising into some formal governmental reprimand, clearly helped harness broad public opinion and mobilise and unite the gay community over Pride week, culminating in a parade attracting over 7,000 participantSeand featuring representatives of every political party in Northern Ireland, save, of course, Mrs Robinson’s Democratic Unionists.

Northern Ireland’s last acceptable prejudice was finally being challenged across the socio-political spectrum.

Paradoxically, despite the best efforts of the DUP and their cohorts, the gay community in Northern Ireland is thriving, particularly outside the established scene in Belfast and Londonderry.

A new bar has recently opened in the border town of Strabane, whilst regular club nights have arrived in the towns of Newry and Bangor.

And our new gay rugby side, The Ulster Titans, despite the DUP minister for sport decrying their creation as sporting apartheid, walked away with the shield at their inaugural participation at the gay rugby World Cup. Success was hailed with a three part BBC NI documentary celebrating their achievements. The documentary wasn’t voyeuristic, but rather in the typical Ulster fashion of celebrating all achievements emanating from the province regardless of sporting code or sexuality.

Meanwhile governmental funding has provided a development officer for the sector, working to establish and encourage local social and support groups in Craigavon, Lisburn, North Down and the Causeway coast.

This funding, which has underpinned the significant advances the community has made over the last number of years, is due to expire in April. It was allocated by direct rule ministers, before devolution, and as it comes to an end few of us hold out for sensible funding solutions from a DUP led executive.

We wait with baited breath for the publication of our devolved administrations Sexual Orientation Strategy in the coming months, but in this austerian age the excuses for a fledgling executive who can’t even agree to hold a meeting, are all to ready to justify withholding further funds to the community sector.

Famously Tony Blair sympathised with the plight of the moderate nationalist party the SDLP during protracted peace process negotiations, when he noted that their negotiating gravitas was hampered by the fact the did not process a paramilitary wing.

So too the gay community, which has been something of a forerunner in cross community relations in a still divided Northern Ireland, has been underfunded and marginalised by the, perceived, more pressing issue of bridging the sectarian divide.

The new political dispensation does not allow for Protestant Catholic feuding, but political expediency dictates a common enemy is useful particularly for a party whose bread and butter is bible bashing dogma. Just as Palin can deflect questions over her experience and record by playing the God card, Mrs Robinson shored up support from the evangelical core of the Democratic Unionists for her husbands succession of Ian Paisley as leader of that party. The party was not secularising or losing its moral compass by power sharing with Sinn Fein.

Robinson, like Paisley, hates the gays.

Governor Pailn may represent the cliched view of small town America, but Mrs Robinson has exemplified the finest traditions of small minded Northern Ireland.

Given that there has been a 175% increase in homophobic motivated incidents in her own constituency over the past year is it not reasonable to presume that by saying the things she has said the local MP could be stoking tension, giving a degree of kudos to those whose attitudes which are similar to Mrs Robinson’s manifest themselves not over the airwaves, but through acts of violence?

Hate crime law is vague at present, and as such there remains the possibility that by claiming gay people are worse than paedophiles the MP for Strangford is inciting hatred, even if she herself does not throw the punch, petrol bomb or brick.

Aristophanes said that under every stone lies a politician. Under the boulder of homophobia in Northern Ireland still remainSean entire party of government.

Press release from the Intergroup on Gay and Lesbian Rights of the European Parliament
25 September 2008
For immediate release
“Members of the European Parliament condemn the attack at the opening of the Sarajevo Queer Festival.”
Yesterday the opening of the Sarajevo Queer Festival was brutally attacked and 6 people had to be taken to hospital. The festival is a first of its kind organised in Bosnia-Herzegovina, but unfortunately it has caused negative tensions in the society. Many extremist groupSeand politicians have openly called for violence against homosexual and transgender people.
“We strongly condemn the attacks against the Sarajevo Queer Festival. It is a cowardly behaviour to challenge the views one disagrees with by violence”, said Michael Cashman, President of the Intergroup. “I also need to point out that Bosnia-Herzegovina wants to become a member of the European Union and the country should clearly show that it is ready for membership. AuthoritieSeand society at large must show that they can respect the rights of gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender people not just in law, but also in practice. Respect for Human rights is at the heart of EU membership”
Sirpa Pietik inen, Vice-President of the Intergroup for the EPP-ED added, “ReligiouSeand political leaders should be aware that the violence of yesterday is a result of their homophobic speeches. They must understand that is not acceptable. Politicians should have the courage to stand up against any kind of violence and protect human rights of every citizen.”
ENDS
For further information on the Intergroup please visit our website:
http://www.lgbt-ep.eu
Representatives of European Parliament’s Intergroup on Gay and Lesbian Rights:
President: Michael Cashman MEP (UK/PSE)
Vice-President: Lissy Gr ner MEP (DE/PSE)
Vice-President: Sophie in ‘t Veld MEP (ALDE)
Vice-President: Ra l Romeva MEP (G/EFA)
Vice-President: Sirpa Pietik inen MEP (EPP-ED)

Wee (upstart) took an interest in Pride Cornwall partly because it is a new matter. And partly because we have received reports over the past year about misbehaviour on the part fo the po9lice and social services in the County.
I went down to Truro, with my new camera, (maybe I should have read the instructions), to see the Pride for myself.
Either our reports are of very isolated events, or the Pride committee decided that a point could be made better with a smile than with a scowl. I had a chat with Andrew Jolly (‘… as in Father Christmas…’ as he put it. Clearly a man who has heard all the ‘jokes’. I think he was slightly puzzled about my making a bit of a big deal about ‘solidarity’. He said that there had been 500 on the Pride ‘march’, and that the big even that evening was sold out. It had been a most successful Pride.
The one fly in the ointment had been a number of people sitting down in the street at the start of the event. They object to a homosexual demonstration in ‘their’ city. (The possessive seem to irritate Andrew, but that is the style of ‘Bible’ Protestants. They handed out a fairly non-specific glossy tract. They are the Truro Evangelical Church. It has connections with a League of Independent Evangelical Churches. As they did not ask their colleagues about the country to help them, they are (probably) not going to be a long-term nuisance for Pride. (But they will need watching. The Christian Institute may feel the need to provide them with lots of money).
I was on the parade, and talked to an took photographs (which may never be accessible) of lots of people. Starting with a large … jolly… man wearing a black kilt. I asked him if it was a Cornish kilt. ‘No, it’s a Gay kilt!’ I photographed Patches a very handsome greyhound (with traces of border collie?). And a very handsome young man called Richard.
Richard was dressed in ‘Elizabethan’ costume. I didn’t ask if it was some particular ‘Elizabethan’ – these adventurous chaps tended to turn into mass-murderers if they put foot on Irish soil. There were a fair number of people in ‘uniform’ including the man who seemed to be Master of Ceremonies. He wore a modern (British) army Lieutenant’s jacket (but no shirt – and very nice it all was too). He should award himself another pip for this year’s work.
I mention this as a simple observation, there were two people in wheel-chairs on the march (I am not entirely sure if the ‘walk’ was described as a ‘march’). As you may gather from other reports I’m not over-fond of the word, in this context anyway. There were probably more women than men, and lots of dogs (not all as fabulously beautiful as Patches). There were also lots of nice young men (not all as… well…).
The Polis were not out in large numbers. ?Before the Christian Institute got the head-bangers out in Belfast, the RUC / PSNI loved Pride. They had to be out in large numbers because ‘marches’ are contentious in NornIrl. But Pride was just a wee Dander with friendly people (and they got paid for it!).
We had to climb a hill at the end of the parade. ?Proving that the committee is made up of under-forties. There was also a very narrow path into the park which was our destination. It made for a spectacular, near medieval sight as banners had to be carried at odd angles. They were the banners of Pride, Unison, the PCS union, and the Gay Gordons, from London. (A passer-by tried to put on a sour face, and rather succeeded, until he started steppin’ and leppin’). There were other banners.
One major oddity was that the drum band was at the very back of the parade. It was a rather good drum band, made up entirely (I think) of young fellas. They weren’t just at the back. Their sound was hidden behind a float. Live music is invaluable on this sort of demonstration. They should have been at the front. This is not just a bee in my bonnet. Orange Lodges, which know a lot about parades, go to great trouble and expense to procure the services of decent bands.