SDLP Councillor Gerard Diver has called on Deputy Mayor of Derry and Strabane Council, Alderman Thomas Kerrigan, to withdraw remarks made about homosexuality and the LGBT community.
Last week the DUP deputy mayor caused outrage after he said homosexuality was a “sin” and likened it to drugs.
Cllr Kerrigan said that “once you try it (homosexuality) you are hooked on it like drugs.”
But Councillor Diver hit back, saying: “It’s clear that Alderman Kerrigan’s remarks are completely outdated and out of step with the views of most people in Derry and across the North.
“Those who identify as LGBT do not do so by choice and the notion that any amount of prayer, or anything else, can ‘cure’, ‘heal’ or in any way redefine who a person is, is deeply offensive.
“I would call on Alderman Kerrigan to reflect on the damage that such comments have on the LGBT community.
“Being a person of faith and supporting LGBT rights are not mutually exclusive, indeed I believe that love, compassion and equality are very Christian values.
“We must all do whatever we can to support people in our community regardless of their race, religion or sexual orientation.
“In that regard, I believe Alderman Kerrigan has let the people of Derry and Strabane down as our Deputy Mayor and that he should reflect on his comments in the days ahead.”
