LONDON (Sputnik) – Irish parents raise concerns following a protest over a “radical” sex education programme and the uncovering of Irish Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman’s links with controversial activist Peter Tatchell, President of the Irish Freedom Party Hermann Kelly said on Monday.
According to the politician, parents faced “wake up call” earlier in July when it came out that the minister for children was pictured at a Pride March in Dublin in 2018 with Peter Tatchell, who has been accused of trying to promote paedophilia over the last three decades. Kelly added that the Irish Freedom Party and the Irish people would not tolerate under any circumstances the imposition of a programme or legal framework that is either soft or actually promotes paedophilia through the country’s legal system or through its schools.
Commenting on the minister’s remark regarding his links with Tatchell, Kelly said that O’Gormans claim of ignorance made little sense, adding that the official’s branding of those criticising him as “far right” and “homophobes” was also unacceptable.
Tatchell himself has consistently proven to be a controversial figure worldwide following repeated incidents where he has appeared to endorse sexual activity with children, having written in the Guardian in 1997 in defence of a book, “Dares to Speak,” that it was “courageous” for challenging “the assumption that all sex involving children and adults is abusive.”
The Australian-born activist has also repeatedly called for the age of consent in the UK to be lowered to 14, having written an obituary in 1998 for the co-founder of the now defunct “Paedophile Information Exchange” (PIE), Ian Dunn. Tatchell is also the author of an essay appearing in the book “Betrayal of Youth” published by then PIE member Warren Middleton, although he has since claimed he was unaware of Middleton’s affiliations.
For his part, O’Gorman, wrote on Twitter last week that he had only met Tatchell “once and took a photo,” claiming he was “surprised to read some the quotes from the 90s, which I had not read before” adding that “any of those views would be completely abhorrent to me” and that Tatchell had since “clarified” that “what is being alleged isn’t his view.”
Protesters gathered in Dublin last Saturday to call for the resignation of the minister following the recent exposure of his apparent links with Tatchell. According to the politician, O’Gorman’s connection with the activist was entirely inappropriate given his past in allegedly “condoning paedophilia,” in the process blasting government plans to introduce new educational programs alongside laws that will make it easier for minors to legally change their gender.
The new coalition government of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and the Green Party have plans to introduce legislation to make it easier for teenagers to change their gender, which was proposed last month. Under the existing Programme for Government (POG) between the coalition parties, legislators will now “remove the need for a person aged 16 and 17 years to have two specialist reports before they can apply for legal gender recognition, by providing for self-declaration, with parental consent and by making mediation available on a voluntary basis.” The POG also promises to introduce an “an inclusive programme on LGBTI+ relationships” at the primary school level and onward.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
