Minister hits back at web ‘abuse’ by ‘far right’ groups
THE Minister for Children has hit out at ‘homophobic abuse’ he has received on social media in recent days from ‘far-right’ groups.
Roderic O’Gorman said he has been subjected to abuse stoked by ‘far-right’ Twitter accounts that reposted a photo of him with British human rights and LGBT activist Peter Tatchell at Dublin Pride in 2018.
Mr O’Gorman said that Dublin Pride was ‘the first and only time’ he had met Mr Tatchell, who has attracted criticism over a 1997 letter he wrote to the Guardian newspaper about underage sex.
In a statement posted on Twitter, the minister said he was looking forward to starting his new Cabinet role, but added that there were claims being made about him online that he could ‘not allow to stand uncorrected’.
‘I met Peter Tatchell once and took a photo. That was the only time I have met him,’ he said. ‘I knew of him as someone who stood up for LGBT
‘Those views would be abhorrent to me’
people in countries where their rights were threatened.
‘I was surprised to read some of the quotes from the ’90s which I had not read before. Any of those views would be completely abhorrent to me.
‘I’m glad to see he’s clarified and explained that what is being alleged isn’t his view.’
Mr Tatchell said the 1997 letter, which stated that some of his friends had made a ‘conscious choice’ to have sex with an adult when they were under the age of 13, had been edited before publication.
‘While it may be impossible to condone paedophilia, it is time society acknowledged the truth that not all sex involving children is unwanted, abusive and harmful,’ read the letter.
Mr Tatchell tweeted last week regarding the letter, saying: ‘My Guardian letter of 1997 was edited.
‘It still said paedophilia is “impossible to condone”. This means I condemn it. I oppose adults having sex with children.’
Actor and Travellers’ rights advocate
John Connors called for Minister O’Gorman’s resignation in a video where he accused Mr Tatchell of being a ‘paedophile apologist’.
In the video posted on Twitter, Mr Connors said that Minister for Children inviting Mr Tatchell to an Irish Pride parade should be the ‘political scandal’ of the year.
However, Mr O’Gorman has denied inviting Mr Tatchell to the Gay Pride Festival two years ago.
‘This should be the political scandal of the year,’ Mr Connors said. ‘I am talking about Roderic O’Gorman and the Green Party’s association with Peter Tatchell who has been trying to lower the age of consent in Britain for the past 30 years down to 14.
‘This is disgraceful, the Green Party invited him over and marched with him during Pride. Now instead of addressing this, Roderic O’Gorman has now played the victim card and claimed homophobia.
‘He needs to resign from his position,’ added Mr Connors.
However, in a subsequent tweet, the actor accepted Mr O’Gorman’s statement on the matter and said that he would ‘move on’.