Friday, April 29, 2011

I can't track down the section of Sentamu's interview which Newsround broadcast on Wednesday afternoon, but it seems the clip (see yesterday's blog) was most likely taken from his recent pronouncements about the Royal Wedding, and the benefits of marriage as against just living together. That particular bit isn't included in the Archbishop's own edited recording of the interview and accompanying transcript. Also missing from Archbishop Sentamu's edit is his comment about some people wanting to taste the milk before buying the cow.

The Archbishop of York's objections to gay equality are well known and on record. However Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who Newsround confused with John Sentamu, has very different views.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Desmond Tutu wrote
A student once asked me if I could have one wish granted to reverse an injustice, what would it be? I had to ask for two. One is for world leaders to forgive the debts of developing nations which hold them in such thrall. The other is for the world to end the persecution of people because of their sexual orientation, which is every bit as unjust as that crime against humanity, apartheid.

Archbishop Tutu says that a parent who teaches a child that there is only one sexual orientation and that anything else is evil denies our humanity and their own too.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu would, no doubt, be disdainful of any school or public institution that tolerated homophobia. CBBC has, in recent years, gone out of its way to invisibilise lesbian and gay people and issues. Which is a total disgrace.

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