New Lib Dem leader Tim Farron has apologised after a tweet was sent from his Twitter account that compared gay people to fish and frogs and suggested homosexuality was curable.
The offensive remark came in response to a tweet from the British Humanist Association, who shared findings that “huge proportions” of health workers in the UK believe homosexuality is ‘curable’.
Replying to the post, a tweet from Mr Farron’s account wrote: “they can be, most sexual disorientation is caused by chemical leaching..check out the fish and frogs.”
The tweet has now been deleted and Mr Farron posted an apology.
I am investigating after a fake and malicious tweet appeared to be posted from my account this evening. I apologise for any offence caused.
— Tim Farron (@timfarron) July 23, 2015
According to research by the Stonewall charity, one in 10 healthworkers in the NHS and private health sector has been in a situation where a colleague has expressed the belief that being LGBT is curable. The proportion jumps to two in ten healthworkers in London.
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Mr Farron’s strong Christian convictions have prompted questions about whether he is in step with the rest of his Lib Dem colleagues on gay rights’ issues.
He abstained at the third reading of the bill to introduce same-sex marriage and voted against what became the 2010 Equality Act, which made discriminating against gay people in the workplace illegal.
He said during his campaign for the Lib Dem leadership that it was a matter of "regret" that this had been "misread" as him being "lukewarm" to equal marriage.
He has promised to put the fight for LGBT rights at the “top of my agenda”.
