Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
EX-MLA’S ‘gay conversion’ storm support
Brigid and Owen leave three kids
COMMENTS Nelson Mccausland
PETER Weir defended a former party colleague in a row over sharing a post on Facebook it was claimed was about “gay conversion”.
Nelson Mccausland faced calls to resign from the Education Authority board for sharing an article from a Christian website about a man who claims to have been gay until he
“met Jesus”.
Other parties criticised the post and LGBT campaigners accused him of promoting “conversion therapy practices”.
But Mr Mccausland denied this, saying the article was about the “life-transforming power of the gospel” and the person interviewed “had not undergone any therapy”.
Mr Weir said: “I think the article that was shared by Nelson was one about the personal testimony of an individual who had found the Lord.
THERAPY
“I think possibly where people have conflated something is where the conversion of somebody to being a Christian has been equated to conversion therapy, which are two completely different things.
“And I noticed a number of representatives have accused Nelson of promoting conversion therapy.
“That clearly shows either they haven’t read the article before they’ve commented on it, or alternatively they are deliberately misreading or misleading people by that article.”
Asked whether he believed it was possible for someone to find Christianity and therefore no longer be gay, Mr Weir said: “I’m not going to get into theological debates in relation to that.
“I think there’d be people who would be much more expert within that.
“I think we do have to have a situation where people can share testimony, where people can actually share their beliefs in the public sphere.
“I think if we’re to say that whether someone agrees or disagrees with them that they’re not allowed to do that, I think that’s a very dangerous road to go down.
“What happens within anybody’s life or their own thoughts or feelings is a matter really for themselves.”
RETAIL bosses have warned the sector faces a “perfect storm” as new border regulations come into force in April with a raft of retailers still unable to serve customers in Northern Ireland.
Trade bodies and firms have called on the
Government to extend the current Brexit grace period amid continued uncertainty.
It comes as a number of major UK retailers – including Halfords, John Lewis, Fortnum & Mason and AO – remain unable to deliver products to customers here. Aodhan Connolly of the British Retail Consortium said: “Retailers have been making the situation work because they are bending over backwards to make sure they can serve people here.
“But they know that change is coming in April and then we could have a perfect storm.”
A COUPLE who died in a horrific car crash will be buried after a joint funeral service tomorrow.
Brigid Wilkinson, 21, was a passenger in the vehicle with her partner of seven years, 25-year-old Owen Mcmullan.
They were pronounced dead at the scene after a collision between a blue Honda and silver Ford on the Moyarget Road in Ballycastle, Co Antrim, just before 4.50pm on Friday.
The couple, who had been together for seven years, died within minutes of each other, leaving their three small children.
Brigid, originally from Ardoyne, North Belfast, and Owen, from Armoy, Co Antrim, will be laid to rest after a service in Ballycastle Parish Church. Brigid, a talented GAA player, was remembered by her friends and teammates at Antrim Ladies GAA.
They said: “We are devastated to hear the news of the tragic death of former Ardoyne and Antrim underage player Brigid Wilkinson.
“Brigid was a massive character with a heart of gold who was loved by all her teammates and mentors.
“Our thoughts are with her family, her three children and her Ardoyne family.”
Brigid moved from Belfast to Ballycastle in 2014 and the former
St Gemma’s pupil still kept in touch with her schoolfriends after settling into family life with Owen.
Shannon Quigley, a former classmate at Mercy College, Belfast, said: “Brigid was one of a kind and she’ll always hold a special place in my heart. We have so many special memories together – especially celebrating St Patrick’s Day, a day I’ll cherish forever.” Friend and former classmate at St Gemma’s, Leah White, added: “She was a funny girl who always had a smile on her face and really helped us through one of the saddest days when St Gemma’s closed down and we had to say goodbye to our amazing school and teachers. She will never be forgotten.” Police have appealed for members of the public to come forward with information about the crash or dash cam footage.