£2,000 a day for single sex marriage campaign groups
GAY rights groups leading the charge for same- sex marriage get nearly £2,000 a day i n public f unding, figures have revealed.
Three organisations – Stonewall, the Equality Network and LGBT Youth – have received £ 720,000 this financial year under the Scottish Government’s equality drive.
All three have been at the forefront of the battle to legalise gay weddings, sparking claims of a ‘ cosy relationship between campaigners and the Holyrood machine’.
The huge sums outstrip public grants for Christian organisations, with previous figures suggesting they received only £600,000 over a ten-year period.
The 2001 census put the number of Christians in Scotland at 3.3million, while Stonewall estimates there are about 300,000 lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) Scots.
Last night, gay rights groups said the public funds were spent on tackling hate crimes and discrimination, with campaign money coming directly from supporters.
But a spokesman for the Scotland for Marriage group said: ‘The
‘Cosy relationship with Holyrood’
sharp-suited lobbyists pushing for marriage to be redefined are awash with taxpayers’ money.
‘This issue has never come from the streets, it has come from the very cosy relationship between campaigners and the Holyrood machine. These lobby groups are almost an arm of the state and taxpayers are footing the bill.
‘Ordinary people who struggle to pay their bills want their tax to be spent on essential public services, not t his eli t i st sideshow of meddling with marriage.
‘Scotland for Marriage is a grassroots campaign t hat hasn’t received a penny from public funds. We stand on our own two feet because we have the backing of over 40,000 people who care about marriage.’
Gordon Macdonald, Scotland’s parliamentary officer for the Christian group CARE, said: ‘Government money should be targeted at those in society who need it most.
‘ Vulnerable people, such as children i n care, people with disabilities and the elderly, depend on the government for support.
‘Tackling homophobic bullying is important but LGBT campaign groups should not receive a disproportionate sum of money to do so when the latest official figures demonstrate that they represent 1.5 per cent of the total British population.’
Currently, gay couples in Scotland can enter a civil partnership that carries full legal rights but the ceremony cannot be conducted on religious premises.
The Scottish Government wants same- sex couples to be able to marry in church for the first time.
In an initial consultation, more than two-thirds of respondents opposed the plan, but ministers are pressing ahead regardless.
The new figures show the Equality Network received £355,000 in 2012-13 from the Scottish Government, while LGBT Youth Scotland was handed £265,000 and Stonewall Scotland received £100,000.
That is up by £138,567 since 200910, although more than £800,000 was handed out in 2007-08.
Tim Hopkins, director of the Equality Network said: ‘We are proud of our record in helping make Scotland a better place, not just for LGBT people, but for all. Our campaigning work is funded by donations and our work for equal marriage law is supported by two-thirds of Scots in every opinion poll on the subject.’
Colin Macfarlane, director of Stonewall Scotland, said: ‘ We’ve never sought, nor do we receive, any government money for our campaign activity. Our campaigns on equal marriage have been funded solely by thousands of our supporters across Britain.
‘ We agree with Scotland f or Marriage that people want money to be spent on public services and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are taxpayers who deserve the same level of treatment as everyone else when accessing key services.’
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘Scottish Government funding for equality groups is provided to help tackle homophobia, reduce discrimination and improve equality – campaign work is funded by donors or fundraising.’
He added: ‘The Scottish Government is providing over £5million between 2012 and 2015 to organisations which aim to tackle racism and religious intolerance.
‘Of this, £768,000 has been allocated to faith projects and £360,000 to Interfaith Scotland, which plays a co- ordinating role across different communities.’