Following last weeks revelations that the prospective Conservative candidate for Hove had historic links to a “gay cures” church network, Keith Taylor, the Green MEP for the South East condemns both Conservative candidates for Hove and Eastbourne for their links to the organisation.
Keith Taylor, Green Party MEP for the South East, has slammed the Conservative Party candidates for Eastbourne and Hove & Portslade, Caroline Ansell MP and Kirsty Adams, for their links to a notorious ‘gay cure’ church network in Bedford.
Last week Hove resident AJ Paterson told Gscene about the activities of the Kings Arms Church in Bedford revealing Kristy Adams the prospective Conservative candidate for Hove and Portslade was active in this church, as a public speaker in 2009/2010 and her husband was listed as a director of the organisation until 2013. AJ told of how she was driven out of the church for being a lesbian after members of the church had prayed over her and the leader of the church attempted to “drive the lesbianism” out of here.
Last week it emerged that Caroline Ansell the sitting MP for Eastbourne had received a donation from a “gay cure” charity, a member of the same group of churches.
According to the House of Commons register of MP’s interests – in which politicians declare the donations they receive – Ms Ansell accepted a gift of £8,470 for an intern from CARE in September 2016, four years after the organisation was exposed for bankrolling a 2009 conference in London that taught therapists and clergy to learn how to convert LGBT+ people to heterosexuality, a practise condemned by Britain’s mental health bodies.
Caroline Ansell, won Eastbourne from the popular Liberal Democratic candidate Stephen Lloyd at the 2015 election with a majority of just 733.
Mr Taylor, a member of the European Parliament’s Intergroup on LGBTI rights, said: “There is no cure for love. It is despicable that the Conservative candidates for Eastbourne and Hove have such close links with such a medieval idea.”
“A politician happy to condone shocking and despicable homophobia is not fit to serve in 21st Century Britain. Eastbourne and Hove are proudly open, tolerant and inclusive and their representatives must do everything in their power to ensure they are safe places where everyone is able to be themselves and love who they love. There is no place for intolerance.”
After initially refusing to answer questions about her views on LGBT+ people to the Argus newspaper, Kristy Adams’ office issued the following statement last week which fails to address if she thinks homosexuality is a sin: “I supported the government as they introduced same sex marriage four years ago and would vote against any attempt to repeal the legislation; I am committed to all forms of equality. I value acceptance of people of all backgrounds, sexes and sexuality. My personal view is that I can’t believe in 2017 that I would need to state the obvious, I have never been homophobic and find it disturbing to hear of people who are. The LGBTQ community in Brighton and Hove champion tolerance and fight injustice and I share their desire to make our community a place of acceptance; I am unambiguous in my support for the LGBTQ community.”
Caroline Ansell, said: “The intern from CARE was quite simply the best candidate for the job and I would hope that no-one would like me to discriminate against someone because they are a person of faith?”
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