ILGA defends gay family exhibition at Euro Parliament as second MEP complains
A leading gay rights group has said it “regrets” that two MEPs have objected to an exhibition highlighting the legal and social discrimination faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-led families.
Last week Cyprus representative Marios Matsakis complained after he, along with all 785 MEPs, received an invitation to the launch of the exhibition of 12 posters entitled Different Families, Same Love, at the Parliament earlier this month.
Lithuanian MEP Šarūnas Birutis has also complained and accused gay rights advocates of “agressive” tactics.
“Sexual minorities lobbyists are particularly actively working at the European Parliament with an aim of legalising child adoption by same-sex couples,” he said.
“Modern pluralistic society can respect individual choice, opportunity to live as one likes, however it cannot be acceptable to equalise cohabitation of sexual minorities to normal families and moreover – to legislise child adoption by such couples.
“As the posters were exhibited even at the European Parliament, one can conclude that an aggressive lobbying campaign has begun.”
ILGA-Europe, the group behind the poster exhibition, said both MEPs, “could not see the love and humanity shared by the families displayed in the exhibition and the message contained that human rights are for all. We hope that these events will give another opportunity to reflect on the indivisibility of human rights.”
The groups also condemned the way Mr Matsakis’ office in the Parliament was targeted.
The entrance to his office in Brussels was plastered with plastered with posters advertising the exhibition and others were pushed under his door.
Mr Matsakis has written to the President of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pöttering, about the incident.
“Mr President, I am not writing to you to complain, as such actions do not cause me any real problem as such.
“I am writing to you because I strongly suspect that the homosexual lobby is most probably planning to re-initiate a campaign to allow homosexual couples to adopt children.”
In fact gay people and couples can already adopt in many EU countries.
ILGA-Europe said it “wishes to dissociate itself from the irresponsible actions taken around Mr Matsakis’ office and to condemn such inappropriate behaviour.”
The LGBT families exhibition has been created to raise awareness and draw attention to the legal and social problems LGBT families and their children experience in Europe.
It was displayed at the European Parliament on December 10th, International Human Rights Day, which marked the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Click here to see all 12 images of LGBT families and the captions associated with the images.
