How dare Peter Tatchell brand Ann Widdecombe a bigot – she stood by me | Politics | News
Peter Tatchell’s comments following the death of Ann Widdecombe were, in my opinion, extremely unpleasant. It is neither courageous nor compassionate to reduce a lifetime of public service to a single word, “bigot,” on the day someone’s death is discovered. This is just for revenge. Of course, he has the right to his opinions. But one should not think that he speaks on behalf of all homosexuals. I am gay. In 2015, when I appeared before the world media after the raid on my home during Operation Midland, I said words I never expected to say publicly: “I am a homosexual. I am not a murderer. I am not a pedophile.”
This was not a declaration born of emancipation; It was something born out of necessity. I kept my personal life private for decades. I had to come out because of the toxic implication that has haunted gay men for generations: the false and deeply offensive association of homosexuality with child abuse. Operation Midland resurrected these prejudices in the most devastating way imaginable. Those who campaigned loudest for equality might have been expected to understand what was going on.
Instead there was silence. When I was tried for gross indecency in 1987, few voices from the organized gay rights movement came to my defense. There was again little public support when I described the behavior of the Metropolitan Police during Operation Midland as a “gay witch hunt”. Some LGBT organizations seemed willing to distance themselves from me rather than oppose an investigation that trampled on the principles of justice and due process they so often advocate.
I’ve often wondered why. Would the reactions be different if I were a left-wing former MP rather than a Conservative? It’s a question that deserves to be asked.
In contrast, Ann Widdecombe, whose views on homosexuality I did not always share, showed me a humanity that transcends political labels and ideological differences. He stood by me when many people, even the people who were expected to do it, chose not to. He offered special encouragement, public support, and practical assistance at a time when association with me carried significant personal and political risk.
This is why Peter Tatchell’s attempt to define him solely by the positions he has taken on gay rights is deeply misleading. Human beings are more complex than slogans. They must be evaluated in the round.
Ann and I disagreed on important issues. But while my life was ruined by false allegations, he defended justice rather than profit. This speaks more eloquently about his character than any nickname.
The irony is hard to miss. Those who speak most passionately about tolerance can sometimes prove remarkably intolerant of those whose views differ from their own.
Tatchell is entitled to criticize Ann Widdecombe’s political background. He has no right to assume that his decision represents every gay person, especially those of us whose lives have been changed by injustice and who remember who was on our side when it really mattered.
Harvey Proctor, former Conservative MP for Basildon and Billericay and campaigner for victims of false allegations
