To be fair to the paper, they published an article I wrote in response to Myers’ tirade shortly after on March 27th. It addressed many of the factual inaccuracies outlined above and can be read here:

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/eoin-neylon-gays-deserve-equal-rights-not-bigoted-attacks-and-smears-3061668.html

Nope.

Press Ombudsman is a voluntary, industry “self-regulation” body. A newspaper is probably free to ignore it.

I know he’s just trying to get attention for his articles in an industry that’s in terminal decline but this was in bad taste and he should do the right thing and make a donation to Belong To.

That Myers is a plug of the highest order!

You were!

Ironically that is the day that his first child was born, he received employee of the month from the Irish Times and won 10k on a scratch card. You’ll never see him as happy again.

Couldn’t have said it better myself!

Typical Rosa that mediocrity abhors excellence . Meyers and Waters are ten thousand times the man you are. How dare you make I’ll founded scathing remarks . Those men are representative of what is best about Irish society . Good Christian values which are severely lacking in most posts on this topic.

@Sheila. Strong words there. Would you repeat them to his face over coffee and buns in Bewleys?

@Kieran I bet Sheila would too! She is always very articulate and passionate in her commentary here on the Journal. I bet Sheila would slaughter him and do it with style too!

I agree, Conor. She also posts under her real name and photo, unlike others who come here with a mask on.

I take it Sheila that your comment was a deliberate pun on the Indo’s radio adverts …
“before you make up your mind, open it!”

They will have to change it now to “Before you make up your mind, close it!”

I am sick to death of Meyers and the general right wing pro-government rag tag journalism that the Indo represents. Everything they say or do, has a pro-FFg/FF/Labour slant to it… Their efforts at articles that are supposed to ‘criticise’ Government budget cuts to the lowest income and most vulnerable familes in Ireland is sickening. Their hatred of the other parties/groups is breath-taking. Its not only Meyers and his ‘opinion’ pieces that attack the Gay community, Traveller community, minority community in the North, or any other minority is so right wing leaning, some historical figures from Europe spring to mind.
Their support for the war in Iraq and British foreign policy is also astounding. Unless you are a right wing, and in some cases (ultra right wing), you are always going to suffer the daily and weekly tirades that these journalists have the audacity to call journalism.

@Sheila Byrne You appear to me to be guilty of every bad trait you accused Kevin Myers of. Self opinionated, arrogant, closed mind, rude and insulting.
.

@Kieran MacCourt Conor Buggy Petr & Cal Mooney (hey where have you been?!)

I’d have no problem. I hate bullies, verbal diarrheas especially individuals that think they know better and more than the next person. I will not stay quiet when one human being degrades and threats another human being with contempt which Kevin Myers and Ann Mahon have done.

How dare they judge anyone. No right, no right at all.

@Aisling Brady,

You accuse me of having a closed mind, rude and insulting oh, and arrogant attitude. Well, either you’re not reading my post right or you’re just not making sense.

How can I have a closed mind by accepting my neighbour, fellow human being for who and what he/she is? I do not support liars, thiefs, murderers and bullys, and human beings that think they have a right to judge others. I would support same sex marriages every time! There are too many little children and teenagers that are homeless, dying, been beaten by both parents, mothers and fathers. Too many unwanted babies in this world that are unloved. There are many, many great people that are gay that could give a warm, healthy, happy, educated life to any of these children.

I’m not arrogant, I just told the truth! I’m not the rude one here and I certainly do not insult, 1,000′s of gay people like that verbal diarrhea that calls himself a journalist. Real journalist tell the truth, they are supposed to examine all sides of a story, they’re not there to judge another human being.

@Sheila Byrne – since when does calling someone “verbal diarrhoea” not count as insulting, rude behaviour? And if Kevin Myers has no right to criticise other people, why have you got that right? Is your opinion the only opinion that counts and if you must give your opinion why do you have to be so bad-mannered, rude and arrogant with it? When you stoop to name calling and verbal abuse as you have you have lost the argument.

@Aisling Brady

My opinion has as much right to be on this page as yours and Mr. Myers. I’m not here to be rude or to judge others. Mr. Myers doesn’t help with that! Many posts believe that he is totally wrong in his judgement of others. You notice, I’ve not judged anyone here, I’ve just stated a fact.

I stand and work with the minority in life every day. I don’t hide behind made up names when I post. I am proud of whom I have become and I am proud to be helping others when so many don’t care for them. I have nothing to hide. If you don’t like my posts or opinion, don’t read them. Simple as. Have a nice day (I mean that, I am not been sarcastic)

@ Aisling Brady

Should have read “Mr. Myers doesn’t need help with that”……

@Sheila. You wrote “Kevin Myers is nothing but” etc. That is a completely dismissive opening line and does not tolerate a contrary view. Point by point I disagree with your strong condemnation…
We are all “self opinionated” to some degree. I don’t see anyone’s mind changed in these posts after any arguments you or I put down.
Myers could legitimately claim your views as presented above are “obnoxious”. I certainly read them that way.
“Arrogance” is an unfair accusation. Myers is paid to opine in a renowned national newspaper and his views on most things are well known to be somewhat right of centre. Is he “arrogant” because you disagree with him? I’ve noted in some columns that he changes his position after being won over by counter- argument, sometimes years after opining contrarily. Not the actions of an arrogant person, I’m sure you’ll agree.
“Closed-minded” people do not ‘fess up and change their minds the way
Myers does.
You claim he is “rarely right in anything he writes.” He is, in fact, mostly factually correct in his writing. His opinion might not often be your opinion, but it’s hardly the same thing, is it?
Myers is” rude & insulting to many parts of our communities”? That is a subjective statement and one with which I would mostly disagree with. Perhaps you should take some of your own advice as meted put to Aisling Brady above and simply not read Myers.

The fact that this is being discussed at length is evidence of how well he is doing his job is my point. These three points he made below are either factually correct or least extremely arguable, so I say he is entitled to make them. They are not very palatable to the liberal PC agenda but it’s about time we dealt in facts and stopped pandering to these people. If he was making some unpalatable points that showed the adult male heterosexual in a bad light, nobody would bat an eye lid.

“The liberalisation of the laws against homosexual acts” had resulted in the “catastrophic reality” of “at least 250,000 deaths from AIDS”
“The record of every society shows that boys without a strong stable male figure in their lives are an express train heading for trouble”
Catholic adoption agencies have “closed rather than do something which they feel is immoral, which is to hand children over to homosexual couples”.

How is : “The liberalisation of the laws against homosexual acts” had resulted in the “catastrophic reality” of “at least 250,000 deaths from AIDS” factual?
AIDS in not a disease which is exclusive to homosexuals – are we still in the 80′s??

The record of every society shows that boys without a strong stable male figure in their lives are an express train heading for trouble” So two men bringing up a boy should have no problem keeping their son out of trouble going by Myers logic? oh and I’d like to see all those records he refers to.

I won’t even comment on the morals of the Catholic church!

Factual? arguable? – far from it

He often brings up similar points against the blacks and travelers for example. I remember one good article he did where he questioned why we were giving money to Africa for the last 50 years, when they are incapable of using it to better their society. Another time he questioned why we are nurturing the Traveler community when we should in fact be looking to stamp out the inhumanity and lawlessness in the culture.
Usually his articles are well researched and make some good points, you obviously don’t read him, you should, it might knock a bit of sense into you.

The other comment was for the thread below but you get the point. On your point there
1. over 50% of aids victims are gay so I think Myers makes a reasonable point, sad and all as it is.
2. He believes and evidence suggests that children are better off in a male/female family unit where possible, who could argue with that.
3. He is right about catholic adoption agencies, you might say well maybe they should not have catholic adoption agencies as they are anti gay, that would be a fair point, but pretending Myers is wrong here is burying your head in the sand.
Same point as before, you may not agree with them but how have can you say the three points above are not at least arguable in a fair liberal society.

@G – not sure what “G” stands for, or why you are en egg… but thats beside the point.

I assume Myers has some significant insight or knowledge into the status of AIDS in Ireland that medical people in Ireland do not? That he has experience in public health, epidimiology, population science, STI’s, drug abuse, etc? Also decriminalisation of homosexuality mainly occurred in the late 80s early 90s across Aemrica, Europe, Australasia and Asia, whereas in Africa and South America it was later than that again or not at all.

Because that “fact” he spouted about 250,000 homosexual deaths is pretty non sensical for Ireland. I assume he means globally rather than just Ireland. Approximately seventy (70) HIV infections in every ten thousand (10,000) are now thought to be the result of same-sex sexual contact (0.7 percent of total infections).

Given that the global death toll from AIDS has now passed twenty-five million since it was first described in the early 1980s, it may therefore be safe to assume that there have been in the region of a maximum of 175,000 AIDS related deaths amongst gay and bisexual men from the 1980s to present day. The estimated infection rate is based on a twenty-five year average. This included the period when he said it was still criminal in most countried globally.

Feel free to go and review the following website from the UN.
http://www.unaids.org/en/resources/presscentre/pressreleaseandstatementarchive/2011/november/20111121wad2011report/

G, are you and Kevin Myers arguing that if laws against homosexual acts hadn’t been lifted, gay people would obediently not have sex with each other? Are you arguing that the laws should be put back in place? Can you provide a link to your 50% figure? There are tragically high prevalences of aids in African countries which have draconian laws against homosexual acts. These high prevalences are occurring in the heterosexual community. Mr. Myers’ argument on this was weak and unhelpful at best; needlessly harmful and offensive at worst. The solution to aids is education on safe sex, not a return to intolerance.

@Shane Boyle-Simms

Agree wholeheartedly. Does Mr. Myers want to be put on the same level as cheap, short of the truth, so called journalist. There are a few great journalists and I feel sad for them when someone like Myers brings down his work colleagues.

We see it happening every day in media, papers, radio and TV. Some of them destroy people’s lives by suggesting untruths and assumptions. It has to stop unless they all want to be similar to cheap journalism eg. UK rags, tabloids and other rags around the world.

@ G ..ah no thanks..I don’t need to read any more hate filled articles about minorities ( yes I actually have read his articles) – I see enough of that every day. The only thing it “knocked” into me was disgust and disbelief that a newspaper would actually publish such damaging filth.

I’m not arguing Myers point for him, what I think is not relevant. I just think he is entitled to his opinion. What he is saying is that the liberal pro gay agenda has contributed to the world’s Aids epidemic. It’s hard to argue with that fact if you have any sense and I think he is entitled to raise it.
The counter argument could be something like the spread of aids is an unfortunate side effect of a much needed and fair equality agenda enjoyed by Gay people over the last few decades. However, the equality is a good thing and through education, less promiscuity, the use of condoms etc. this side effect can be overcome.

This would be a far more rational debate than just branding him a bigot and pretending he hasn’t raised something that is in essence factual.

In other words just because it may be factual doesn’t mean it is right, and you are entitled to argue back a case, but do it while accepting the obvious facts even if you don’t like them and it will make your case stronger.

Too true Sheila

But “G” the argument that is being made is that he was being sensationalist and not actually using real facts. He was distorting factual information to suit his opinion and not actually reporting the facts as they were.

It would be like me saying that “based on a survey of gay men, all gay men want to have children” when the survey might actually really say 60% of gay men want children. A real and impartial journalist reports the facts with sensationalising them.

Ok Conor, fair point but take the one about the catholic adoption agencies, it cannot be disputed that they will not under any circumstances adopt children to a same sex couple, it would be against everything they stand for and they would close their doors rather than do it. Who could seriously disagree with that?
Myers is perfectly entitled to point that out in an article, there is a thin line between distorting a fact and using it to bolster your argument, I’m sure at times he may cross the line a little but he is a journalist and his job is to push boundaries.
Pretending that he is lying or making up facts and calling him a bigot is a poor way of rebuttal.

@ G Can I just point out Article 8 of the press council code of practise:

Principle 8 − Prejudice
Newspapers and magazines shall not publish material intended or likely to cause grave offence or stir up hatred against an individual or group on the basis of their race, religion, nationality, colour, ethnic origin, membership of the travelling community, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, illness or age.

You might throw your eye over this also..might knock some sense into you:

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1989/en/act/pub/0019/index.html

Yes, and when you constantly pander to people with their pc agenda you nurture this sense being wronged and taking grave offense, this is what happens. He is a journalist, he wrote and article and gave some opinions, so you don’t agree with them, big deal, I don’t agree with loads of things. I take grave offense at having to pay an insurance levy because of that Sean Quinn con man but nobody gives a shit! Get over yourselves for god’s sake and learn to accept that not everyone has the same opinions as you. People are different, some are even gay but they are all equal and entitled to their opinion.

no wrong again people are not all equal! You really are misinformed…bored now reading your drivel.
good luck

It is not homophobic hatred . Why do you try to twist the truth . If you really understood Kevin’s message you would understand that he is not against gays but against the act of being gay . Who’s fair is it for the child who may also grow up gay because their parents are. It is unnatural and a sin against god and nature. If its right then why has it been declared a sin in the bible . The book of truth for five thousand years.

“Anti the act of being gay”. I don’t want to get into a philosophical debate here but isn’t the act of being the act of existing? Doesn’t it, therefore, stand to reason that if Kevin Myers is anti the act of being gay that he anti the existence of homosexuals? Which is pretty bigoted, in fairness.

Don’t waste your time Róisín. Liam’s type of Christianity means he is right and anyone else is wrong even if they have ungodly things like reason, science or even logic on their side. So let’s not pay him anymore attention because like a small child writing on the walls, that’s exactly what he wants.

The best fun read I have seen in The Journal this week – definitely blog of the week!

LOL while I have no clue who you are, your articulation is a joy to read!

Thank you, gentlemen. Your compliments have brought a brief suggestion of a smile to my countenance which hitherto today has been every bit as cold and mirthless as the surface of mars. The comments section of The Journal is fast resembling an electronic version of Pravda and I for one am pained to the back of my dentures with these workshy harpies who deem it appropriate to festoon your humble columnist in opprobrium and set upon his person the sundry orifices of state.

I also wish to make it clear that I have no objection to homosexuality per se, quite the contrary as it’s a little-known fact that I was a contemporary of the inscrutable James McNeill Whistler and a certain Oscar Wilde. We would oft-times while away the hours entertaining society ladies and salon-matrons with our dazzling witticisms and languid prose style, although I never remember any funny business being on the cards.

Yours,
Colonel A.J. Myarse

I find Kevin Myers to be quite obnoxious and his historical revisionism is far from refreshing.

Refreshing? Wow.

I suppose a troll is technically a change from journalism allright, but I don’t think I’d call it a refreshing change anymore than I’d call a shower of shit a refreshing shower…

As opposed to his other articles ?

I’m just surprised he didn’t blame United Irishmen and the 1798 rising for introducing homosexuality in to Ireland, along with its sister evil Irish Republicanism.

The man is one of the least credible journalists in Ireland. He assumes contrarian positions for there sake alone. If that means that as mainstream views change he has to contradict himself, then so be it.

He is an angry man and wants to take that anger out on everyone else. He should be pitied, not mocked. All he has in life is his hatred and poison.

i think you’re mistaking someone’s opinion changing over time (which happens to all of us) with contrarianism. He himself acknowledges that his opinions often contradict each other, which is what usually happens when anyone gives a non-trivial amount of consideration to controversial topics. One’s opinions are defined by nuance and detail rather than blanket dogma.

There are plenty of articles that I’d disagree with in strong terms, but at the same time, he has tackled subjects that most other journalists would be afraid to touch, in very concrete terms, such as the revolting leniency the state’s legal system shows towards recidivist paedophiles, rampant absenteeism in the HSE, welfareism and welfare literacy that has created the anti-social subculture that is highly visible in towns all over Ireland, the dysfunction that exists within the State’s planning bodies and the hypocrisy and moral bankruptcy of the IRA/provos, and the way in which the Irish state gives tens of millions in aid to Uganda while its government splurges on air-to-sea anti-ship fighter jets even though it’s a landlocked country which brutally discriminates against homosexuals.

He’s a character who attracts a lot of bile and loathing, some of it deserved (as is the case with the article mentioned in this piece), some of it not, but what I find interesting is how most of it comprises ad-hominem attacks rather than solid and reasoned rebuttals and critiques of his articles.

@ Mark – don’t knock it until you try it…

An inconvenient fact for the fragrant Mr. Myers and the conveniently brand-new-Twitterer, G, is that homosexuality was decriminalised in Ireland some significant time *after* the AIDS crisis took hold. Nevertheless, it wouldn’t take too much effort to find HIV+ heterosexual parents (whether a couple or single parents) successfully raising healthy children. Likewise, we all know of single parents who have been resoundingly successful in raising children to become full-rounded, decent human beings. Depending on your standpoint, you’ll find an argument to support your own bias. I applaud the Press Ombudsman’s decision but I am wearily predicting some self-pitying wound-licking in one of his next columns.

Just typical that Kevin speaks the truth about homosexuality and exposes the farce of same sex couples raising kids that religion haters persecute him. Leave him alone he has a right to air his opinion. He speaks for the many who have been silenced by those haters of religion.

Well said!

You are a bigot when you target another group with hated and intolerence which Myers did in his article.
I wonder if all you free speech happy clappers would be jumping to his defence if his comments were targeted at blacks or jews?? I doubt it. Yet when its an attack on gay people we are told “everyone has the right to freedom of speech” give me a break.

@Claire Murphy

Nobody is slandering Mr. Myers. I , just like him, am giving my opinion. He has insulted many, many people in this article. Maybe, before he wrote it, he should have spent time watching and listening to a same sex couple with a child and really get to know and understand people a bit more than he thinks he does.

There are too many little children unloved and not cared for in this world today. They have a right to be educated and loved just like any other child in this world. Many, many same sex marriages with children around the world today have a huge family circle just like “normal” couples! They have the cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents to help to guide these children in life. Nobody is here to insult Mr. Myers and as far as I can see and read, nobody has done that. We are entitled to show our thoughts and opinions just like him.

I do not go out of my way to insult anyone, I did not do that on this tread as much as a few of you above think I did. I just tell the truth. I don’t judge people like Mr. Myers which he has absolutely no right to do.

@Sheila. You write here that you “don’t judge people like Mr Myers”, you “just tell the truth” and you are not insult(ing) anyone” – do you mean like in this piece you penned earlier today?
“Kevin Meyers is nothing but a self opinionated obnoxious, arrogant closed mind individual and is rarely right about anything he writes. Just because he says it, it doesn’t mean it’s true. He’s rude and insulting to many parts of our communities. He’s a true example of a closed mind! Open it Kevin, you might learn something outside of your world”
Why don’t you point out to @Claire Murphy the bits in that paragraph where you are not judging Mr. Myers, the bits where you are not insulting him and the bits where you are just telling the truth.

The group in which AIDS is increasing the most quickly is actually amongst people who identify as heterosexual. So not so much with the factually accurate.

@ G

Just want to correct you on a few points you made. Mr. Myers is not actually speaking from “the silent majority” – he speaks, thankfully from the “vocal minority” thank God. I don’t mind journalists speaking their mind for two reasons. One, when they tell the truth and secondly, when they have bothered to check out both sides of a story, where they have actually spent time with people he accuses, gay couples, lone parents trying their best to educate their child and to show respect to all human beings to the best of their ability.

Nobody should be allowed give a damning opinion and a horrible judgement on any part of our society unless they bother to experience time spent with those people, watching and learning the real truth.

“the leftist organisation http://www.atlanticphilanthropies.org/ ”

Yes the sinister evil people who have been funding Irish Universities for the last few decades…… That well known communist Chuck Feeney cunningly setup a huge international business and then decided to use his money to fund educational establshments and charities in Ireland and around the world with a view to creating a left wing utopia where he would be First Citizen.

Or perhaps not.

@M o Se

I beg to differ! The comments here are genuine, not insulting and are certainly not insulting. Just because the majority of posts here are opened minded, live let live, honest good people, you cannot accuse them/us of the same thing Myers has done to 1,000′s of fellow humans.

Secondly, there’s nothing journal.ie or the people leaving posts here can do with how Mr. Myers looks. He was born that way, with that look. None of us are perfect. None of us have insulted his features. If he doesn’t like his natural look don’t pose for photographs. I don’t have a problem with how he looks. We all have our crosses to carry!

M O Se I am not sure what you are getting at with the East Germany analogy? Freedom of speech perhaps?

If this was Old East Germany which was exceptionally anti-religion and anti-catholic you M O Se would not have much of a voice to express the opinions you do here on the Journal which are motivated by your faith.

In East Germany both religious observance and affiliation are much lower than in the rest of the country after forty years of Communist rule.

Its actually a quite sinister development. The message is “watch what you say”. What Mr Myers said can all be backed up with studies and simple logic.

Would you like to expand on your simple logic?

Also, please provide more information about, or links to, these studies you mention.

Separating opinion from news is standard journalistic practice, and needs to be consistently applied. Also, statements not based on fact don’t add value to a debate.

Sorry what’s the gay agenda?

Can someone forward me a copy of the gay agenda? I lost mine there and need to know what our next step is after stifling free speech? Something about drinking the blood of the innocent I think?

Don’t worry dude, I have it right here.

1. Equal rights
2. Equal rights
3. Equal rights

The agenda has some other things aswell. I think I have “Buy Milk” on mine.

Are they being denied a right ? being a minority does not exclude people from practical considerations. e.g. People over a certain age are not aloud adopt.

Well yeah, several actually. The right to marry for one. The right to second parent adoption for another. The right to have a family really in general. Those are some pretty important rights being denied don’t you think? I mean, I’m sure you’d be pretty upset if they were taken away from you.

Motor vehicles, clothing and monogamy aren’t necessitated by education – are we simply ‘pretending that they are the norm’? You are a bigot, and cheap insults of Moninne Griffith’s name simply show you’re completely devoid of any cohesive, logical arguments.

The current state of society, in particular the sheer volume of juvenile offenders and anti-social behaviour, would indicate that “normal” couples aren’t doing a very good job at all.

Sean the state of society would imply that the dogooders are doing no good at all and if you want to take a look at the past where people were taught a bit of manners and were held to account for their actions instead of looking for someone to blame then it sort of shows where we went wrong

@Ann Mahon,

What exactly do you mean when you say “children should be afforded the comfort of being brought up in a normal mannor”? How dare you judge anybody. How dare you accuse a couple that are of the same sex, not being able to bring up children properly! Your opinion is insulting and of a very closed mind. These children have male and female relatives around them all the time, just like any other family, sorry, as you call it ‘normal family’. They have the support of huge family members around them! What is better for you Madam? To live in a loveless marriage of a male and female parents, who fight with fists or verbal abuse and hatred for each other, to allow innocent children to watch this all their lives and believe at the end of it that “this is what adult married life is supposed to be”?

I don’t think so Ms. Mahon. Your idea of a normal family has been preached to you by the church for too long. It’s time you opened your mind and stop judging others that you know nothing about! People that are gay do not choose to be! It happens. They realize at a very young age (personal experience 8/9 yrs old) that they are different. Sometimes in cases, they thought they were dying. At the age of 14/15 they realize that they are different, but aren’t we all. They can do nothing about their feelings, they were conceived by their Mothers and what happens inside the womb is nobodys fault.

You also insult lone parents in your post. How dare you. Go out your front door and find out what the real world is, not your world Madam.

Pure bigotry there Ann. Shame.

Ann, if you don’t like gay marriage, don’t get gay married. It’s none of your business. Although you consider yourself important enough to have the right to meddle in the affairs of strangers. Who are you again?

@sheila comment of the week!

‘What the hell is normal about 2 same sex couples pretending that they are the norm. That is against everything that human nature intended.’

Can’t actually believe i read that!

As for human nature, I hope she is as loud with her opinions concerning the intentions of other ‘human natures’ like allowing for world hunger and standing by the slaughter of women and children in wars which sees the innocence written off as ‘collateral damage.’

Ann I presume you’re just as vehemently opposed to single people adopting, or is this deemed to be ‘normal’ enough by you?

I wanted to reply to your comment with something articulate. However it’s been said previously and I have nothing left to add Ann, apart from the fact, that you are an ass!

I’m going to presume this was a troll because the idea that an oxygen-hog like you could actually exist in 2012 is really, really depressing.

Same sex couples aren’t “normal”? Heterosexual couples are “normal”? I’ve yet to meet a couple or single individual who, on getting to know them, I’d describe as “normal”. It sounds more like an insult than a compliment, to be honest.

“Children should e afforded the comfort of being brought up in a normal manner.”

There is no evidence that being raised by a gay couple has any detrimental effects on a child whatsoever. The only evidence is that children are better off being raised by two parents (whose gender and sexual orientation is irrelevant) in a stable, loving relationship than by a single parent of either gender.

“What the hell is normal about 2 same sex couples pretending that they are the norm.”

Homosexuality is as natural as anything else. Attraction to and mating with the same sex is nearly universal in the animal kingdom (of which our species, Homo sapiens, is a member).

” That is against everything that human nature intended.”

There is no intention behind human nature. Evolution is not conscious; it has no ultimate goal; it just is. Please present evidence that there is something wrong with homosexuality. If you can’t, then be quiet and stop humiliating yourself.

A word of advice for the older generations: sometimes handy to have opinions which are based on fact, not religious delusions.

I notice Ann hasnt responded yet to the questions.
Judging by her Facebook page she is busy being married, so its highly unlikely she’ll go off and have a gay wedding anytime soon.
I wonder does the idea of gay marriage threaten her notion of what her marriage is? If she was unable to get married for a reason outside of her control I am sure she might sing a different tune.

Its something I do wonder about, leaving aside religion etc, do straight people that oppose gay marriage feel that their marriages are under threat somehow, or that they are devalued? I am truly curious.

Wow. If homosexuality exists in nature how is it unnatural ? Please publish the considerable research that I presume you have conducted to come up with this hard facts.

@Johnnie : I love when people label their opponents as “do-gooders”. It shows that somewhere deep down, they know they’re in the wrong but rather than re-examine their views, they just want to lash out at those they know are right.

And where do you get the authority to tell people how to live they’re lives? Oh yes, that’s right you don’t have any.

Ann, I’m afraid you’re not exactly an intellectual giant are you? “That is against everything that human nature intended”. Nature doesn’t intend anything. Gay people are products of nature. Your claim is nonsense and the funny thing is that most homophobic bigotry comes from religions who think nature is magical.

Ann forgive them for they know not what they do. You are right to defend Kevin. These ill educated left wing types will drag this country to the gutter. They can’t handle the truth and would rather this country was turned into an atheistic pit of slime.

Liam, I’m an Atheist as regards the Catholic Church AND all the other religions. You are not an Atheist for the one religion, presumably the Catholic Church, you belong to. You ARE an Atheist with regards say the Hindu religion, are you not, and all the others like me?

What is an “atheistic pit of slime”? All an Atheist is is someone who knows there are no gods. Where’s the “pit of slime” come into it? You’re obviously in the same intellectual category as Ann.

Exactly. If we don’t have the likes of Myers to show us how the Gay lobby, in conjunction with SF/IRA are planning to taint our water supplies with Gay Virus, to make everyone bi at the very least, turning Ireland in to a giant incubator of single mothers giving up babies for same sex adoption.

Thanks Kevin. I salute your courage, your strength, your indefatigability.

Is that you, Madam Editor? I understand we’ve never seen eye to eye since you spiked my praiseworthy piece on the brave men (and women) of HM Artillery Corps 2nd division fighting the good fight against the Tallaght-ban in Iraq however trolling me on a public forum marks a new nadir. Be off with you, Fintan’s nappies need changing.

Colonel A.J. Myarse

Claire you just too stupid

Claire refreshing to see someone so young being so astute

People people people please don’t argue with Liam Foley. He displays the worst type if ignorant bigotry on the market. He uses religion as a reason against homosexuality and claims the country would be a slime pit if it became atheist. The place is a slime pit already full of good law breaking hypocritical racists who attend mass each week. But that’s ok cos they are Catholics. His argument a child would grow up gay with gay parents is beyond thick. And if he took some time to meet the gay community he would realize most of them are peaceful good people with alot more gospel in them than the vile specimens of which Foley is himself.