Exclusive: Hardeep Singh Kohli: ‘Gays should suffer marriage like everyone else’

Illustrated rainbow pride flag on a white background.

Scottish writer and broadcaster Hardeep Singh Kohli has said gay people must suffer marriage too, in a tongue-in-cheek interview conducted as part of the Equality Network’s It’s Time campaign.

Speaking from Ashton Lane in Glasgow’s West End, Kohli said: “In terms of equal marriage I’m quite a passionate and firm believer that if heterosexuals have to suffer being locked in a loveless, sexless and hateful relationship then gays, lesbians and the rest should all have to suffer it too.”

On a more serious note he added: “People say: ‘Why do you support equal marriage?’ Well I say to you, why don’t you? Why don’t you support something that fundamentally affords opportunity to everyone in society? People aren’t the same, everyone’s different, but there should be an equality of opportunity.”

The Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Bill is currently being considered by the Scottish Parliament’s Equal Opportunities Committee who will start taking oral evidence on the bill next Thursday.

Once the committee has finished its inquiry it will report back to the Scottish Parliament, and a Stage One vote will be held in November.

Scottish National Party leader and First Minister Alex SalmondScottish Labour leader Johann LamontBreakfast TV star Lorraine Kellythe leader of the Scottish Conservatives Ruth Davidson, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie, Hollywood actor Alan Cumming, and former Scottish Socialist Party MSP Colin Fox and Scottish Green Party Co-Convenor Patrick HarvieTV presenter Carol Smillie and comedian Susan Calman and Coronation Street actor John Michie  and singer Sharleen Spiteri have all recorded videos for the Equality Network’s It’s Time campaign.

The campaign is modelled on PinkNews’ Out4Marriage campaign.