Tim Farron apologises after tweet compares gay people to frogs
The newly elected Liberal Democrat leader said his personal Twitter account had been hacked
Tim Farron was forced to apologise after a tweet sent from his personal account compared gay people to frogs and fish and suggested that homosexuality was curable.
The message was sent in response to the British Humanist Association sharing an article about thousands of health workers in the UK believing that gay people can be "cured".
A reply from the leader of the Liberal Democrats account read: "They can be, most sexual disorientation is caused by chemical leaching…check out the fish and frogs." The tweet has since been deleted and no other unusual activity was detected on his Twitter account. Farron suggested his account had been hacked and apologised for any offence caused. "I am investigating after a fake and malicious tweet appeared to be posted from my account this evening," he later tweeted. The newly elected leader and devout Christian has previously come under fire for abstaining on a series of crucial gay rights measures, including the vote on allowing gay couples to adopt and the final reading of the same sex marriage bill. The Times has dubbed him the "illiberal democrat," arguing that his "consistent failure to embrace the quintessentially liberal idea that every person has equal moral worth should trouble his party". Last week, Farron failed to respond when Channel 4's Cathy Newman asked him three times whether he believed gay sex to be a sin. "To understand Christianity is to understand that we are all sinners," he said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
However, he has since told Pink News that he regrets some of his decisions regarding gay rights and has promised to put the fight for LGBT rights "at the top of my agenda".
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
A history of student protest at Columbia University
The Explainer Anti-Israel demonstrations at NYC's Ivy League university echo protests against Vietnam War and South African apartheid
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Trump is ruled in contempt'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Hainault sword attack: police hunt for motive
Speed Read Mental health is key line of inquiry, as detectives prepare to interview suspect
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Will Aukus pact survive a second Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question US, UK and Australia seek to expand 'game-changer' defence partnership ahead of Republican's possible return to White House
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Britain's biggest political donors
The Explainer With the 2024 general election set to be the highest-spending contest ever we look at who is giving to which party and why
By The Week UK Published
-
It's the economy, Sunak: has 'Rishession' halted Tory fightback?
Today's Big Question PM's pledge to deliver economic growth is 'in tatters' as stagnation and falling living standards threaten Tory election wipeout
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Why your local council may be going bust
The Explainer Across England, local councils are suffering from grave financial problems
By The Week UK Published
-
Rishi Sunak and the right-wing press: heading for divorce?
Talking Point The Telegraph launches 'assault' on PM just as many Tory MPs are contemplating losing their seats
By Keumars Afifi-Sabet, The Week UK Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published
-
How the biggest election year in history might play out
The Explainer Votes in world's biggest democracies, as well as its most 'despotic' and 'stressed' countries, face threats of violence and suppression
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published