Paisley Jnr ‘Should Apologise’ For Alleged Anti-Gay Words

A Minister in the Northern Ireland Executive, Ian Paisley Jnr, was under pressure tonight to apologise for allegedly saying he was repulsed by gays and lesbians.

A Minister in the Northern Ireland Executive was under pressure tonight to apologise for allegedly saying he was repulsed by gays and lesbians.

The Democratic Unionist Party’s Ian Paisley Jr has caused outrage with his apparent assessment that homosexuality damages society.

Sinn Féin representatives accused him of dangerous homophobia and demanded a complete withdrawal of the remarks.

The party is also understood to be examining whether Mr Paisley has breached his ministerial pledge of office.

Sinn Féin MLA Martina Anderson said: “Whatever about his personal beliefs, the fact is that he now has ministerial responsibility for this issue.

“Ian Paisley Jr should withdraw these comments and apologise. The fact is that comments such as this cause great harm and distress. They feed into the attitudes that fester and lead to homophobic violence.”

Mr Paisley, appointed a Junior Minister at Stormont, came under fire over comments in Hotpress magazine.