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Accuse Ex-Defense Minister of 'Hypocrisy & Homophobia' Senior Tory Widely Tipped as Future Conservative Leader |
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Compiled By GayToday
Following Mr. Portillo's revelation of his past gay relationships, Peter Tatchell of OutRage! said: "Michael Portillo is a hypocrite and homophobe. Despite his own gay relationships, he has consistently opposed gay human rights and has never shown any sympathy or support for the gay community. "Portillo is no friend of queer people. He voted for Section 28, against an equal age of consent and, as Defense Secretary, he enforced the ban on lesbians and gays in the armed forces. "His homosexuality should not be used to bar his selection as a Tory candidate. It is his homophobia that renders him unfit and unworthy to hold public office." Just before the 1997 General Election, OutRage! erected a giant billboard in Portillo's constituency emblazoned with the words: 'Portillo Screws Queer Soldiers', and simultaneously leafleted local voters about his anti-gay record in Parliament. The preceding summer of 1996, on the occasion of the annual Pride March, OutRage! erected the same billboard at the end of Whitehall, near the House of Commons, in protest at his policy, as Defense Secretary, of witch-hunting of lesbian and gay military personnel.
"What a pity Michael is still refusing to say anything positive about gay life and relationships. His continued unwillingness to express any empathy for the lesbian and gay community shows that he remains a cold-hearted, compassionless homophobe. "If he really cares, why doesn't he speak out against antigay discrimination? "Portillo has not changed. His dismissal of his past homosexual affairs as youthful experiences implies that he views gay relationships as an immature indiscretion", said Tatchell. "He has evaded the truth for a quarter of a century. How do we know he is now telling the truth when he claims that he has not had gay sex since he entered public life? "It is very unusual for someone who has had an eight-year gay affair, as Portillo had with Nigel Hart, to suddenly cease being homosexual. "Even if they subsequently marry, these men tend to have occasional, discreet gay relations throughout the rest of their lives. I would be extremely surprised if Mr. Portillo has, as he claims, never had sex with a man in the last 25 years", said Peter Tatchell. |
