Speaking ahead of today’s Assembly debate on same sex marriage North Antrim MLA and TUV European candidate Jim Allister said:
“One of the great myths of the debate surrounding same sex marriage is that it is an equality issue.
“Even when the Labour government was bringing in civil partnerships back in 2004 Jackie Smith stated: “The whole point, however, is that civil partnership is not civil marriage, for a variety of reasons, such as the traditions and history—religious and otherwise—that accompany marriage. It is not marriage” (House of Commons, 9th November 2004).
“Yet now, as many predicted, civil partnership is being used as a stepping stone to full “marriage”.
“Far from this being a genuine equality issue, it introduces the very real prospect of the rights of churches coming under threat.
“Whatever may be said about protecting churches and faith groups the reality is that once we have same sex marriage attacks upon the right of churches who refuse to perform such unions will become the next “equality” issue.
“Marriage benefits society in many ways – not least because it includes the possibility of procreation.
“TUV is a party committed to traditional family values and will continue to resist attempts by the homosexual lobby to introduce the oxymoron which is same sex marriage to Northern Ireland.”