Methodist cleric and UUP stalwart back DUP gay welcome address

Both a prominent Ulster Unionist and a leading churchman have endorsed the DUP Lord Mayor of Belfast's decision to give a welcome speech to gay pride attendees.
By The Newsroom
Published 2nd Aug 2016, 07:30 BST
Updated 25th Aug 2016, 16:53 BST
Message posted by PSNI on Twitter on July 29, 2016, showing Lord Mayor Brian Kingston with unnamed members of the PSNI Gay Police AssociationMessage posted by PSNI on Twitter on July 29, 2016, showing Lord Mayor Brian Kingston with unnamed members of the PSNI Gay Police Association
Message posted by PSNI on Twitter on July 29, 2016, showing Lord Mayor Brian Kingston with unnamed members of the PSNI Gay Police Association

The UUP’s Jim Rodgers, a twice former Lord Mayor, plus Rev Brian Anderson, recent president of the Methodist Church in Ireland, each welcomed councillor Brian Kingston’s involvement in a gathering at the outset of the annual Pride Festival.

Councillor Kingston – a member of the Methodist church – had given a welcome speech to attendees at a gay pride-related drinks reception at the City Hall on Friday.

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Whilst Pride Festival organisers had claimed he was launching the festival at large on Friday, councillor Kingston himself said he had only spoken “at a pre-event drinks reception” where he “welcomed the attendees to City Hall and wished them an enjoyable evening”.

He stressed that this was different to launching the festival itself.

The News Letter asked long-standing UUP councillor Jim Rodgers, who has been Lord Mayor twice since the turn of the millennium, what he might have done in the circumstances.

He told the News Letter: “Well as far as I’m concerned, whenever you’re Lord Mayor, you put politics on the back burner.

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“You should be above politics, and you’re there to represent the whole city.

“You may not necessarily agree with what the organisation stands for, but it is your duty to welcome both people who live in Belfast or Northern Ireland, or further afield.

“I personally think that the present Lord Mayor did the right thing.”

He added that if he was in the Lord Mayor’s position, “I also would have gone down the same road”.

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Meanwhile Bangor-based Rev Brian Anderson, who had been the President of the Methodist Church in Ireland for 2015/16, also spoke favourably of his attendance.

He said the church does not “condone” homosexual practices, and that its doctrine rejects gay marriage.

However he added: “We as a church are looking into our understanding of human sexuality presently... The church is currently looking at it via committee, via our Faith and Order Committee – what it means to be human and sexual.”

Asked if this might lead the church to revise its position on gay matters, he said: “It’s not my place to pre-empt where it might end up.”

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Regarding councillor Kingston’s role at the gay pride drinks reception, he said: “I think Christians, which Brian as mayor is, need and should voice their opinions in all aspects of human society and public society.

“So I welcome his being there, and I welcome his involvement, and I respect his views.”

It was put to him that this event was one with which the church would seem to have some difficulties, or with which they might even disagree completely.

He replied: “I think we’d like to say there’s freedom of expression, and we’d uphold that. And while we may not agree with everything everybody does, we give everybody the right to express themselves.”

He said he would “be encouraging towards him [Brain Kingston] being involved in such things”.

Related topics:Jim RodgersMayorLord MayorDUPUUP