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Tag: Lord Maginnis

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  • Lords have voted to ban Lord Maginnis over homophobic bullying claims

    Lords have voted to ban Lord Maginnis over homophobic bullying claims

    Lord Maginnis, an independent Ulster Unionist Peer, was found to have broken conduct rules by using homophobic language according to an investigation by the Lords Conduct Committee. The punishment is an 18-month suspension from The Lords, although that suspension could be increased if he fails to undertake a designated course of bespoke behaviour change training and coaching.

    The Lords Conduct Committee, which made the investigation advised Lord Maginnis that he would need to take “behaviour training” or face an even longer suspension. Maginnis has refused to embark on the training, meaning that his suspension could run longer than a year and a half.

    Maginnis has denied bullying and called the Lords Conduct Committee’s report “ridiculous” when it was published last week.

    What did the investigation into Lord Maginnis find?

    Embed from Getty Images

    An inquiry into the Lord’s behaviour found that there were a series of complaints brought against Maginnis in early 2020.

    First, there was a report from a parliamentary security officer, Christian Bombolo, who reported that the Maginnis was “verbally abusive” after he was requested to show his pass to enter the Palace of Westminster on 7 January.

    Scottish National Party MP Hannah Bardell intervened and says that she was treated “rudely and aggressively”.

    On 11 February, Lord Maginnis apparently became “agitated” during a meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Armed Forces when not called upon to ask a question. He apparently addressed “rude remarks” to the meeting’s chair, Labour MP Luke Pollard.

    The 82-year-old Lord then complained about Mr Pollard via email sent to a number of parliamentarians – including the APPG chair, Conservative MP James Gray. The email apparently contained a “homophobic subject line” allegedly, “Discrimination by Homos” and contained “remarks about Mr Pollard which centred on his sexual orientation and were homophobic”.

    Lord Maginnis later discussed the incident with the media, using “disrespectful and derogatory” language about Mr Bombolo and “homophobic and derogatory” language about Ms Bardell.

    Labour MP Toby Perkins asked Lord Maginnis what had happened, and claimed that the peer answered by being “homophobic, aggressive and disrespectful, including by making further homophobic remarks” about Mr Pollard and Ms Bardell, the inquiry found.

    A few weeks later on 4 March, Lord Maginnis was embroiled in a “heated discussion” with Mr Gray at an APPG breakfast meeting after he was told he couldn’t attend due to his behaviour towards Mr Pollard.

    Who is Lord Maginnis?

    Lord Maginnis, was the Ulster Unionist MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone between 1983 and 2001. He had previously served in the Ulster Defence Regiment. He became a life peer in 2001.

  • Lord who likened gay marriage to bestiality faces 18-month suspension for homophobic bullying

    Lord who likened gay marriage to bestiality faces 18-month suspension for homophobic bullying

    Lord Maginnis who is an Independent Ulster Unionist, is facing suspension from the Lords after an inquiry found that he had bullied three MPs and one security guard, using anti-gay language.

    The Lords Conducts Committee has recommended an 18-month suspension, which is one of the longest ever handed down and will come into effect if it is voted for by Lords on the 7th December.

    An inquiry into the Lord’s behaviour found that there were a series of complaints brought against Lord Maginnis in early 2020.

    First, there was a report from a parliamentary security officer, Christian Bombolo, who reported that the Maginnis was “verbally abusive” after he was requested to show his pass to enter the Palace of Westminster on 7 January.

    Scottish National Party MP Hannah Bardell intervened and says that she was treated “rudely and aggressively”.

    Embed from Getty Images

    On 11 February, Lord Maginnis apparently became “agitated” during a meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Armed Forces when not called upon to ask a question. He apparently addressed “rude remarks” to the meeting’s chair, Labour MP Luke Pollard.

    The 82-year-old Lord then complained about Mr Pollard via email sent to a number of parliamentarians – including the APPG chair, Conservative MP James Gray. The email apparently contained a “homophobic subject line” allegedly, “Discrimination by Homos” and contained “remarks about Mr Pollard which centred on his sexual orientation and were homophobic”.

    Lord Maginnis later discussed the incident with the media, using “disrespectful and derogatory” language about Mr Bombolo and “homophobic and derogatory” language about Ms Bardell.

    Labour MP Toby Perkins asked Lord Maginnis what had happened, and claimed that the peer answered by being “homophobic, aggressive and disrespectful, including by making further homophobic remarks” about Mr Pollard and Ms Bardell, the inquiry found.

    A few weeks later on 4 March, Lord Maginnis was embroiled in a “heated discussion” with Mr Gray at an APPG breakfast meeting after he was told he couldn’t attend due to his behaviour towards Mr Pollard.

    In a normal workplace Lord Maginnis would be “shown the door”

    Speaking about the potential 18-month ban, Ms Bardell said,

    “I appreciate that an 18-month ban is a serious sanction and that Lord Maginnis’s return to the House of Lords will be dependent upon him undertaking ‘a designated course of bespoke behaviour change training and coaching’,” said the Livingston MP.

    “However I consider it likely that if this had happened in any normal workplace in the UK and someone behaved in such a systematically abusive, bullying and homophobic way, which the report clearly states he has, they would be shown the door.”

    The report said that the recommended suspension of 18-months, the longest ever dished out, should not finish until Maginnis has completed behaviour change training showing that he is “able to demonstrate a clear understanding of how his behaviour impacts on other people in the parliamentary community”. 

    Lord Maginnis has a history of unacceptable behaviour and comments towards LGBT+ people

    In June 2012 the Ulster Unionist Party whip was withdrawn from Lord Maginnis by party leader Mike Nesbit over his anti-gay remarks, where Lord Maginnis likened gay marriage to bestiality on Northern Ireland’s Stephen Nolan Show. Lord Maginnis said that gay marriage was, ‘a rung on the ladder’ to ‘other deviant practices’ and ‘Will the next thing be that we legislate for some sort of bestiality?’

    In 2012, Lord Maginnis was nominated by Stonewall for the Bigot Of The Year award and when approached by THEGAYUK for a comment he called the outlet an, “aggressive, perverse and corrupting influence on susceptible and vulnerable young people”.

  • COMMENT | Bigotry

    Oh dear oh dear. It seems Lord Ken Maginnis has been getting his Stonewalls and his THEGAYUK’s mixed up.

    As far as he is concerned, gay newsgroups, lobbying groups, pressure groups and charities are all the same – ‘an aggressive, perverse and corrupting influence on susceptible and vulnerable young people

    Having been nominated by Stonewall for their prestigious Bigot of the Year award, he got very hot under the collar when approached by TheGayUK for a reaction to his nomination and thus re-affirmed his credentials. If you, or indeed Lord Maginnis, are not sure what a bigot is, let me enlighten you. According to Merriam-Webster a bigot is a person who is obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices; especially: one who regards or treats the members of a group (as a racial or ethnic group) with hatred and intolerance. Guilty as charged, I say, but bigots, and particularly religious bigots, seem to get very upset when you point it out to them.

    We’ve been here before of course. Why only a couple of weeks ago Nick Clegg apologised to the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of Westminster over claims he was prepared to call the opponents of equal marriage “bigots” in a speech at an LGBT reception. Allegedly he never actually used that word, but even if he did wouldn’t he be just saying it like it is? Bigot is exactly the right word in this context. I just wish he’d had the courage of his convictions, but he doesn’t seem to have been very good at that recently, does he?

    It is certainly looking as if the church and its various representatives are losing the battle over gay marriage, and, as they do so, their attacks on the gay community have become ever more virulent and ever more ridiculous. Only recently, the Christian Institute came up with the not very Christian statement that, as we only represented a very small percentage of the population, we didn’t deserve the same human rights. The great thing is that the more outlandish their arguments become, the less likely it is that anybody, except their small band of blinkered followers, will take them seriously. Really, I am beginning to hope that it won’t be long before the church is so completely marginalised, that we will at last live in a secular country and the church will be completely separate from the state. What business has this outmoded institution meddling in the private lives of people who don’t believe in their teachings?

    So, why be outraged or offended by what Lord Maginnis has to say? He is a dinosaur, one of the last of a dying breed. He’s already been expelled from his own political party. It’s not surprising that the more marginalised he and his cronies become, the louder they will scream, but is anybody really listening anymore?

    Opinions expressed in this article may not reflect those of THEGAYUK, its management or editorial teams. If you’d like to comment or write a comment, opinion or blog piece, please click here.

  • Lord Maginnis Attack On Gay Publication

    The outspoken Lord Maginnis yesterday blasted both Stonewall and The Gay UK over his ‘Bigot Of The Year Award’ nomination.

    Stonewall announced the nomination at the end of last week. Stonewall describes a bigot as ‘An individual who has gone out of their way to harm, hurt or snub lesbian, gay and bisexual people in the last year.’

    At first the former Ulster Unionist, MP mistakenly thought that The Gay UK was nominating him for the award and blasted the LGBT daily magazine – as a ‘perverse pressure group’, ‘aggressive, perverse and corrupting influence on susceptible and vulnerable young people.’

    Editor and co-founder of the UK based online magazine, in an exchange of emails, explained that The Gay UK was in fact an organisation that was reaching out to both nominated bigots and heroes for their comment – not inferring that anyone on the list was or is indeed a bigot.

    “We’re absolutely outraged to be called a perversion,

    ‘The very idea that we are corrupting or influencing susceptible young people is perverse in itself. We are a respected organisation with a clear goal, which is to be the mouthpiece for the gay community in the UK and we take it very personally – as should every member of the LGBT community today, as this is tantamount to calling us perverts and potentially worse.’

    In June 2012 the Ulster Unionist Party whip was withdrawn from Lord Maginnis by party leader Mike Nesbit over his anti-gay remarks, where Lord Maginnis likened gay marriage to bestiality on Northern Ireland’s Stephen Nolan Show. Lord Maginnis said that gay marriage was, ‘a rung on the ladder’ to ‘other deviant practices’ and ‘Will the next thing be that we legislate for some sort of bestiality?’

    The Gay UK called for a public apology from the Lord last night, after it emerged that Lord Maginnis had forwarded private and legally privileged emails to members of the press.

    A representative for The Gay UK said,

    ‘It’s disgusting that in 2012, somebody in a respected position such as a Lord can make these comments about a portion of the community that we aim to represent.

    ‘An attack on us, is an attack on the gay community at large. Our website is community led by contributions from lesbian and gay writers and today is a sad day.’

    ‘Even after we had corrected Lord Maginnis that we were not Stonewall or the organisation that were running the Heroes and Bigot award, he replied, “As I neither know you or Stonewall I don’t think it’s for me to sort out the not-so-subtle differences. If you still want a comment my initial response is adequate from my perspective.”.’

    Stonewall was not immediately available for comment on Lord Maginnis’s accusation.