Comment 3 by AdrianTippetts :

This campaign is about CIVIL marriage. Nobody is forcing any church to bless, endorse, affirm any same-sex union, let alone hold a same-sex marriage.

At the moment there is a very nasty campaign against marriage equality, Coalition For Marriage, which is being run from the offices of the Christian Medical Foundation, in Borough, London SE1. It is not 'grass roots' at all. Its co-director is Colin Hart, founder of the Christian Institute, which has campaigned against EVERY piece of LGBT rights legislation, through the age of consent, LGBT people in the armed forces, Section 28, adoption, civil partnerships and now this. And this organisation has Charity status. Last year, this charity went on American Family Radio, warning that if the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell (the ban on gays in the US military) were lifted, it would be catastrophic for Christians, and that Christian servicepeople are suffering in the UK as a result.

Other co-signatories are Christian Concern, CARE (co-sponsors of a 'gay cure' event co-hosted by NARTH in London in 2009, and co-sponsors of the UK National Prayer Breakfast which takes place in Parliament in July), and members of Anglican Mainstream, whose website is a stream of anti-LGBT bigotry.

If the media invites George Carey or Colin Hart into the studio, they really must aske C4M about their real agenda. If they did that, people would know where the real intimidation was coming from, and who the real victims were. These groups represent a tiny minority of Christians, but their voice is way over-amplified, they are awash with funds, they know how do lobby and run the kind of slick PR campaigns that would make Max Clifford envious.

They are using the tried-and-tested tricks of American lobbyists such as the Family Research Council, NOM, etc. That's why it's more imortant than ever, that we secularists, humanists, decent well-meaning religious people joined forces - forget our philosophical differences for a later discussion over a pint perhaps - and agreed what we stand FOR and showed solidarity with minority groups like the LGBT community. And let your MPs know this too. Politicians tend want an easy life, and show little resolve in the face of loudmouths. We must not let that happen.

Same-sex marriage is just the start of it. Next it will be abstinence only education, creationism in science class, opt-outs in the workplace, ban on abortion, contraception and probably prohibition too.

If you are in the UK, may I urge you to sign your name on the petition to show support for same-sex couples to get married, at www.C4EM.org.uk? Especially if you are not gay. We're all in this together.

Many thanks, and hopefully in solidarity,

Adrian

Adrian, I've copied and posted your entire post, plus appropriate links, onto my Facebook. I also linked back to here and named you as author. It's an excellent post.

I wonder - how long before the CofE both apologises for its role in suppressing gay people AND claims credit for the abolition of homophobia?

How long before the Telegraph 'discovers' homophobes in Richard's lineage? Can someone contact Lusher?