Have you ever looked into the rubbish the organisation and individuals in question have come out with in the past: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dEvGtwMNfw#t=38s There’s a lot more than than – just read the shitty articles by Waters and O’Brien in the Irish Times.

What has the Iona Institute said or done that is homophobic?

The Times says it all to be honest..

As a gay parent Jesco, I’ve never felt offended by Iona. Not once. I wrote them off as religious nuts years ago so they don’t bother me in the slightest.

I do find it amusing that everyone else takes them so seriously though. All they have is a point of view.

@Jesco… .They opposed every single progressive move in same sex civil rights from trans issues to adoption to same sex marriage, would you ask us what the KKK has ever done that was racist, I figured it was implicit in the MO

http://www.skepticink.com/humanisticas/2014/01/17/are-iona-breda-obrien-and-john-waters-homophobic-was-rory-oneill-right/#sthash.Yj8QRxlk

If you are actually interested in the question you asked, please read. In fact I’d encourage anyone interested in this topic to read this essay.

@ Ryan comparing Iona’s support for traditional marriage to the KKK is ludicrous in the extreme Iona is not lynching gays or burning crosses on people’s property they merely hold a different view on an issue!

Breda O’Brien: “Equality (for gay people) must take second place to the common good”

I’ll just leave that there

Sorry Sam but they don’t. ANY form of homophobia is wrong!! If you don’t like or agree with homosexuality that’s one thing but when the NATIONAL tv station is giving money as compensation because someone called them homophobic (when they clearly are!) it’s ridiculous!! I mean why can’t we sue the pants off these hate filled idiots when they say “can we cure gay?”or”it’s wrong and they’ll all rot in hell!”?
I lived in Vancouver a few years ago and my husband and I could walk around holding hands, kiss in the street and nobody batted an eyelid!! Why? Because over there everyone believes in live and let live.. Very simple really!! Then when I came home (although I don’t know why!) I was greeted by these hate filled, I can save you morans!! I don’t want to be saved thanks!! And I don’t want to stand around while these poison pushers get away with it!! Sunday.. 2pm outside the Gaiety!!
Btw I’m with my husband 14 years this year. So much for us ruining the sanctity of marriage!!

Michael, was it Kevin Moran or some other Morans? The Gaiety!?! Couldn’t have picked the Olympia?

They have raised, as opponents of Gay marriage, some very valid points Jesco. They just didn’t realize they were – indirectly – raising valid points and they have misused research on gay parenting, when in fact if they dug a little deeper they could have exposed much of the underlying issues with the research. Either they didn’t dig deep enough, or they in fact found what they were looking for but didn’t use it as it didn’t bolster their case.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Despite myself, I think John Water’s has much to offer. After the gay marriage referendum is done and dusted and passed, Gay men will still find themselves secondary secondhand parents. Married or not. They will be treated just the same as all other male parents – like shit.

When that happens, feminism won’t even be there to bluff, nor will many in the LGBT community, liberal authors, conservative authors – none of them will be there.

But Water’s probably will still be writing about unmarried fathers, and by default, despite himself, unmarried gay fathers too.

When they send solictors letters and claim damages (allegedly..better be careful!) from the Taxpayer funded broadcaster to stifle free speech on the National Broadcaster,- then Yes, people are justtified in taking them seriously, – irrespective of how amusng you find it.. When the do so damn hypocritically it is especially aggravating, ie The RTE apology (presumeably vetted/influenced by Iona) asserts that the use of th word “homophobic” attempts to end the debate, yet they go legal, – nice way to “end the debate”

When they lobby the Consituional Convention, politicians, national broadcasters etc. then Yes, people are justified in having concerns.

@Michael.

I know exactly what you mean. Exactly.

But Iona are helping gay marriage and rights. You couldn’t wish for better enemies. It’s quite funny tbh. I’ll stop short on calling them homophobic – just about though. We throw around terms like homophobic, misogyny, increasingly misandry too as if they meant much more than they do.

What’s important to me is that we don’t censor people or silence them. Censorship (and iona are laughably censoring others now} should not be entertained imo.

Chris,
Be careful. This could backfire.
Perhaps this might be the situation, campaigner speaks out of turn on TV and names a sitting member of the BAI linking him to an accusation of homophobia. Lawyers send letters, RTE take action as a result, and people complain to the regulator that RTE did the wrong thing in taking that action.
The public and taxpayer (I would argue) don’t care. They do when the broadcaster is censored, but here, the broadcaster acted to prevent further legal action.
The courts may eventually be asked to adjudicate on the issue, and an allegation that subsequently proves to be unfounded will not end up with the intended result.
If Iona needed a stick to beat the LGBT movement with, this could prove to be it.

I too have reservations about Jerry Buttimer Geraldine. He seems to me to be more aligned with Lab than FG politically. I think FG are happy to roll him out when issues such as LGBT rights are concerned for mass appeal, yet, I sense no substance from him and I’m inherently uncomfortable he’s become unofficial FG Government Minister for LGBT rights.