Letter: Sad to see thinly-veiled homophobia

I'm a gay man, born in Wellington but I moved, in the late 70s, to London.

Over the years attitudes and legislation have changed so, when I made the decision to move back to Telford two years ago, I wasn't too concerned about how my partner and I would be received.

We have many friends and have not encountered any homophobia and everyone has accepted us for what we are, a couple who have been together for many years.

How sad is it then that after two years of complete acceptance, we have recently witnessed the ugly face of intolerance and bigotry.

Even sadder is the fact that this comes from religious leaders and followers whom I would have thought should be setting an example by supporting acceptance and understanding in order to help achieve an inclusive rather than divisive society.

However, remarks from national and local church leaders and via the news and letters pages of the Shropshire Star about the proposal to allow same-sex couples to be married amount to little more than thinly-veiled homophobia.

Some of the language amounts to scaremongering.

The consultation makes it clear that marriages with a religious ceremony and on religious premises will continue to only be between a man and a woman. Same sex couples will only be allowed to marry through civil ceremonies.

My experience shows most folk are friendly kind and open-minded and don't care if those who wish to get married are gay or straight.

I'm glad that once again I'm a part of such a community but feel it is such a pity that there are still a few who seem to be unwilling to accept that it is not just heterosexuals who fall in love and may wish to marry.

I hope our elected local politicians are not among the narrow minded whose views appear to be rooted in the late 70s and choose to ignore the changes that have taken place in society since then.

MJ Phillips

Lawley