Ulster Unionist MLA Doug Beattie has said his Stormont motion on banning on gay conversion therapy that caused a DUP revolt shows the two parties are very different.
But he insisted the motion – believed to have been a factor in DUP politicians staging a coup against Arlene Foster – was tabled “to do the right thing” rather than for political gain.
Mr Beattie told Belfast Live former party leader Mike Nesbitt was “absolutely right” when he said during the debate that it showed there can never be unionist unity.
A majority of MLAs backed Mr Beattie’s motion last month urging Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey to introduce a ban before the end of the current mandate.
But the debate exposed a deep split in the DUP when Mrs Foster was joined by just four party colleagues in abstaining on the substantive motion.
Most DUP MLAs voted against, citing concerns over restricting religious freedom in areas such as private prayer.
The abstentions angered religious fundamentalist elements of the party and are believed to have contributed to an unprecedented move to oust Mrs Foster as DUP leader.
A no-confidence letter was signed by a majority of her MLAs and MPs, prompting Mrs Foster to announce plans to resign as DUP leader and Stormont First Minister.
(Image: Justin Kernoghan/Belfast Live)
Conversion therapy is regarded as practices which attempt to change someone’s sexuality or gender identity.
Mr Beattie said: “The intent of the motion was to say that conversion therapy is harmful, it’s wrong and it should be banned, and that we should not look at the LGBTQ community as needing a fix or a cure.”
The Upper Bann MLA described as “lazy” people who consider his party to be “DUP-lite”.
He argued the Ulster Unionists are different from the DUP “in multiple ways” including their policies on education, justice and Troubles legacy issues.
But he added: “That motion wasn’t about trying to differentiate between us and the DUP. That motion was about doing what we thought was right regardless.
“That’s why we brought it forward. It was not for political gain.”
While there was widespread support during the Assembly debate for ending conversion practices, the reach and scope of future legislation was a matter of contention.
Mr Beattie said it will be up to the Communities Minister to consult with stakeholders and form a legal definition of conversion therapy for MLAs to further scrutinise.
“I think anything that tries to change somebody’s sexual identity is wrong, and anything that is used in a harmful, coercive, subversive way with an intent to do so is wrong,” he said.
“Now the argument I guess that everybody has is about private prayer, pastoral care, spiritual beliefs. They are not conversion therapy unless they have an intent to do what I’ve just said, and that is change the sexual identity of an individual.”
(Image: Justin Kernoghan/Belfast Live)
He added: “Nobody’s saying ban private prayer, but private prayer shouldn’t be about causing harm.”
Mr Beattie appeared at odds with his party leader Steve Aiken when asked who Ulster Unionist voters should transfer to down the ballot in future elections.
Mr Aiken in an interview with Belfast Live earlier this year said he would encourage people to vote Ulster Unionist and then transfer to parties who “believe in the Union”.
He said “things have moved on” since the 2017 Assembly election when then leader Mr Nesbitt revealed he was giving his second-preference to the SDLP.
However, Mr Beattie said voters should look at the individuals and their policies.
“It’s a more complicated question than just saying vote down the list of unionists. That’s the easy thing to do. It’s the lazy thing to do as well,” he said.
“You have to make sure the people who are standing are the right people with the right policies who are going to help the people of that constituency.”
He said it “doesn’t make sense” for the UUP to be “saying don’t transfer to anybody apart from unionists”, adding: “It won’t help unionism in the long term.”
But when asked about how his answer differed from Mr Aiken’s, the Upper Bann MLA said that “of course we want to be voting for pro-Union”.
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“The point that I’m making is, is that people out there look at somebody and if somebody is not trustworthy, if somebody is not going to represent them, I would not expect or order anybody to vote in a particular way,” he said.
“So actually, I don’t think my answer is that much different from Steve’s in many ways.”
Mr Beattie also stood by the UUP joining other unionist parties in calling for Chief Constable Simon Byrne to resign after criticising the PSNI’s handling of the Bobby Storey funeral controversy.
The demand preceded an eruption of several nights of rioting and street violence in mainly loyalist areas in which dozens of police officers were injured.
Mr Beattie said the decision was based on numerous issues and was “made after a lot of deliberation”.
“So in hindsight, no I don’t think it was the wrong decision or the wrong timing or anything like that,” he said. “When unionists raise and issue it’s all classed as stoking tensions, but if anybody else raises an issue they’re just raising an issue.
“I don’t understand why people think it’s not right for unionists to raise what they think is a genuine issue but at the same time say there should be absolutely no violence whatsoever.”
