A DUP MLA has been criticised for sharing a Facebook post that urges the LGBT community to turn away from their “sinfulness”.
West Tyrone MLA Thomas Buchanan shared a post from an American woman who claimed she was gay until she embraced Christianity.
An image alongside the post includes a rainbow flag and reads: “Many people try to excuse their sin by saying ‘I was born this way’, which is why Jesus said you must be born again.”
In the lengthy message, the woman said she “lived a homosexual lifestyle for several years” and attended Pride parades, but God “opened my eyes to my sinfulness”.
John O’Doherty, director of LGBT advocacy group the Rainbow Project, criticised the online post and reiterated calls for Stormont to bring forward legislation banning so-called gay conversion therapy.
“We are disappointed but not surprised to see DUP MLA Tom Buchanan once again sharing anti-LGBTQIA+ messaging on social media,” he said.
“Mr Buchanan would be better off listening to the lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ people in his local constituency, including those whose lives have been immeasurably impacted by conversion therapy, than sharing posts like this.”
Mr O’Doherty added: “We urge the new DUP leadership to pro-actively engage with LGBTQIA+ people from across Northern Ireland and not limit themselves or their vision for Northern Ireland to these outdated and life-destroying beliefs.”
Alliance councillor Stephen Donnelly accused Mr Buchanan of spreading of “anti-LGBT propaganda”.
He tweeted: “LGBT people in West Tyrone deserve better than having their very existence opposed by DUP MLAs elected to lead our community.”
The DUP has been approached for comment.
Mr Buchanan, a Free Presbyterian, faced similar criticism in 2019 when he shared online an article claiming a gay woman was “rescued” from her sexuality through Christian prayer.
In 2013, he also came under pressure after telling a group of secondary school pupils in Omagh that homosexuality is “an abomination”.
An internal DUP dispute over a Stormont motion on banning conversion therapy is believed to have been a factor in party members staging a coup against former leader Arlene Foster.
But last month in a TV interview, new DUP leader Edwin Poots said he thinks gay people are born that way and he does not believe “you can fix or cure” people of their sexuality.
Mr Poots told the BBC’s Nolan Show: “I don’t believe that you can fix or cure people of their sexuality. People’s sexuality is their sexuality.”
When asked if he thought gay people were born that way, Mr Poots replied: “I probably do, yes.”
