Gay rights campaigner and Liberal MP Warren Entsch says an apology from the head of the Australian Christian Lobby would not make up for his "highly offensive" comments on homosexuality.

Jim Wallace has come under intense criticism after comparing the health impacts of smoking cigarettes to the health of homosexuals.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard condemned the retired SAS commander's comments and cancelled her plans to speak at the Christian Lobby's national conference next month.

Mr Entsch has told PM that Mr Wallace's statement was "stupid, spiteful and disgusting" and that an apology would not be enough.

"When I read this I thought that Jim Wallace must have been hibernating under a rock or in a cave somewhere in the deep, dark depths of the wilderness of Tasmania, maybe on the western coast somewhere, and is suddenly awakened from an absolute sleep from probably 1,000 years ago," he said.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-09-06/christian-lobby-gay-comments-27spiteful2c-disgusting27/4247364

 

Archbishop Jensen stated that the lifespan of practising gays is significantly shorter than the ordinary so-called heterosexual man (Anglican archbishop backs Christian lobby's gay views, September 11). What he forgot to add was that it's in his power to lengthen the lives of gay men. Many studies in 2010-2012 proved that married men live longer than unmarried men. So Dr Jensen should stop his opposition to gay marriage if only for health reasons.
And it's not only those in academe who hold that view. My wife regularly points out that this is one of the many advantages of being married to her.
Stewart Reed Neutral Bay

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/letters/how-dr-jensen-could-improve-gay-mens-health-20120911-25pdv.html#ixzz269uZYikh
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Dr Jensen said while he did not agree with everything ACL leaders said, Mr Wallace had ''given us an opportunity to talk about something significant, namely the question of health risk''.

The Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, pulled out of speaking at the Christian lobby's national conference in response to Mr Wallace's comments last week, which she described as ''offensive'' and ''heartless''.
But Dr Jensen said: ''It's very hard to get to the facts here because we don't want to talk about it, and in this country censorship is alive and well.
''As far as I can see … the lifespan of practising gays is significantly shorter than the ordinary so-called heterosexual man … what we need to do is to look at why this may be the case and we need to do it in a compassionate and objective way.''
The chief government whip, Joel Fitzgibbon, dismissed same-sex marriage as an ''11th order issue'' as a fourth bill to legalise gay marriage was introduced to Parliament yesterday. The latest bill, co-sponsored by the Labor senators Trish Crossin, Gavin Marshall, Louise Pratt and Carol Brown, is expected to be debated and voted on next week.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/anglican-archbishop-backs-christian-lobbys-gay-views-20120910-25ogi.html#ixzz269urzvQ4
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Little known about health of gay community

Despite claims by conservative church leaders about health and the gay community, there is almost no information available on the relationship between longevity and homosexuality.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-09-12/little-known-about-health-of-gay-community/4256010?WT.svl=news3