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A Bewilderingly Long List of Homophobic Scandals That Makes You Wonder Why UKIP Would Even Want to Be at London Pride

UKIP got invited to London Pride for the first time and people are pissed off. But why would they want to go in the first place?

(Image via Wiki Commons)

Yesterday morning, the official line-up for London's annual Pride parade was released, for the first time including UKIP's LGBT* group. They've been placed in the same section as the Alien Sex Club, Nandos and Kew Gardens. Sounds like my kind of party.

But some people have started losing their shit about UKIP's attendance; tweeting catty comments, threatening a boycott, and a petition calling for UKIP to be removed from the parade has attracted a fair amount of support.

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UKIP's LGBT* Chair, Flo Lewis, has hit back, seemingly confused as to why the queer community aren't keen on the Kippers. "What do they think we are going to do, dance them to death?" she wrote.

Lewis doesn't reckon there's any homophobia in the party, unlike her predecessor, who quit as UKIP's LGBT chair due to party's lack of "gay-friendly tone."

It all seems a bit OTT, right? I mean, aside from Stonewall pointing out UKIP were the only UK-wide party to offer nothing at all to the LGBT community at the General Election, are there actually any examples of homophobia in UKIP's fabulous, glittering history?

Well:

There was that time a UKIP parliamentary candidate described gay people as "fucking disgusting old poofters."

And that time Nigel Farage said that foreign-born HIV+ patients are to blame for sucking the NHS dry of resources.

That time Farage refused to deny that his manifesto's "conscience clause" would allow businesses to deny service to gay people on the grounds of religious belief.

That time Nigel wouldn't support gay marriage, saying, "I think we are opening a very big can of worms here."

That time Roger Helmer, UKIP MEP, said that being gay is "abnormal and undesirable" and not to be "celebrated", adding it was "not a lifestyle worthy of valid equal respect".

That time Roger Helmer said the NHS should fund "gay cure" therapy.

That time Roger Helmer compared same sex marriage to incest.

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That time Roger Helmer compared homophobia to not liking Early Grey tea.

Basically, Roger Helmer.

(photo author's own)

That time at UKIP Spring Conference where leaflets were handed out confusing LGBT people with vampires, informing us that gays are on a "recruitment drive" for "fresh blood".

That time an actual UKIP MEP said gay marriage supporters are " Equality Nazis".

That time Donald Grewar, a UKIP parliamentary candidate said, about gay marriage, that we need to "stand our ground" against the "fascist perverts" who threaten the "social fabric of our society".

That time a wannabe UKIP councillor declared "poofters" should be shot.

That time Nigel Farage defended the wannabe UKIP councillor who said "poofters" should be shot.

That time UKIP councillor David Silvester blamed widespread flooding on support for gay marriage, calling homosexuality a " spiritual disease".

That time Silvester told us homosexuality can be "cured through prayer."

That time the UKIP manifesto opposed teaching about gay relationships in primary schools, claiming it would "encourage experimentation".

That time Lord Christopher Mockton, former UKIP Deputy Leader, pointed out that gay men have over 20,000 sexual partners in their lives, that most gay relationships only last a few hours, and that HIV is gay men's "wages".

That time UKIP councillor Iain McLaughlan called it a "tragedy" that Section 28 was repealed.

That time UKIP PPC, Dr Julia Gasper, proclaimed that people "choose" to be gay, and as such need to "stop complaining" about persecution and "start thanking straight people" for giving birth to them.

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That time Gasper went on to say, "As for the links between homosexuality and paedophilia, there is so much evidence that even a full-length book could hardly do justice to the ­subject."

UKIP merch (photo author's own)

That time Gasper wanted to ban Grindr to stop gay MP's from "violating democracy."

That time a UKIP council candidate helpfully informed us that "gay folk" are "being used by forces of evil" to halt the UK Independence Party's progress.

That time a UKIP councillor hopeful claimed that exercise prevents you "becoming" gay.

That time a UKIP parliamentary candidate accused a gay Lib Dem of "deliberately catching" HIV.

That time a UKIP councillor said he was didn't understand same-sex relationships, and was "baffled" by lesbians.

That time UKIP PPC for Wallasey, Geoff Caton, wrote "Liverpool pride August 3rd being an arse bandit nothing to be proud of". I think that's meant to be an insult.

That time UKIP planned on appointing a "notorious anti-gay Christian preacher" to run in an election.

That time a UKIP candidate complained that a "homosexual donkey" tried to rape his horse.

That time a UKIP candidate said that any immigrants with HIV should not receive free treatment.

That time UKIP activist Jan Zolynaik reckoned "the percentage of homosexuals who molest children is very high and cannot be dismissed."

That time Nigel Farage made a joke about "fags" at a wedding.

That time a UKIP candidate reckoned Liverpool FC had been cursed by God for "promoting" homosexuality.

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That time Douglas Denny, UKIP parliamentary candidate for Portsmouth South and local branch chairman, called gay people "abnormal" and said he wished "they [would] stop trying to ram it down my throat."

Winston McKenzie (photo author's own)

That time Winston McKenzie, UKIP candidate for Croydon North, insisted it was " not healthy" for a child to be adopted by a gay couple.

That time we asked Winston if he still thought same sex couples adopting kids was "tantamount to child abuse." He did.

That time a UKIP candidate called David Cameron a "gay-loving nutcase".

That time a UKIP councillor referred to gay people as "perverts", asking, "Why on earth is this useless Government pandering to Puffs?"

That time an evangelical Christian called on us to "rise up" against the " cultural domination of the Gaystapo". He then became a UKIP parliamentary candidate.

That time UKIP donor Demetri Marchessini claimed gay people are incapable of love.

That time UKIP General Secretary, Matthew Richardson, referred to the NHS as "the Reichstag bunker of socialism" which wrongly provides "shemales" with the means to become "born-again virgins."

That time a UKIP candidate said gay people are "prisoners who need freedom."

Just a couple of things then, I guess. One question is whether LGBT people should let UKIP come to Pride. Another is, why do UKIP want to be there in the first place?

@MikeSegalov

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