Daily Mail in knee-jerk homophobic, sexist shocker!

How to react this rant by Melanie Phillips in today’s Daily Mail?

I mean, clearly it’s a reaction to Pride this weekend, right? It pushed her buttons, because although she makes the concession that G(LB?) people should be “tolerated” and not beaten up, she also thinks gay rights activists are responsible for the breakdown of the ‘family’* and that it’s Asking Too Much to want an end to discrimination in adoption and marriage, or that same-sex relationships are considered “equal” to different-sex (married) relationships.

We don’t really have to go much beyond this headline:

Hooray! The Tories are backing marriage – but they’re wrong to pretend all relationships are equal

I mean, it is simultaneously offensive and just ridiculous.

Phillips also manages to argue that demanding an end to discrimination in adoption and marriage amounts to discrimination against straight Christians.

She goes on to complain about how all the stigma has been removed from being a single mum and getting divorced (oh noez! how will the world keep turning if single mums aren’t being shamed in some way?!)

At least Phillips is giving us the opportunity to brace ourselves for the report which she says is shortly to shape the Conservatives’ “far-reaching policy to put marriage at the heart of family* life”.

And yes, you can chalk me up on the side of those totally unconvinced by the Tories ‘gay-friendly’, ‘we’re not the nasty-party’ makeover.

(Via Liberal Conspiracy)

* ‘Family’ is in scare quotes, because this is categorically not about supporting all families, just the nuclear, one-woman, one-man, plus children, plus marriage certificate, sort of family. Those who don’t fit this description don’t have families.