White Shogun
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The Times October 05, 2006
And the gays went in two by two . . .
By Simon de Bruxelles
A councillor's joke about the sexual leanings of Noah's beasts has caused a storm
David Clutterbuck, 72, said that his remark was not intended to be offensive and denied claims that he was homophobic.
IT WAS supposed to be a joke, but colleagues in a politically correct town hall failed to see the funny side when a Tory councillor suggested that nowadays Noah would have been unable to insist on taking only animals of the opposite sex in his Ark.
David Clutterbuck, 72, is facing calls to be sent on "compulsory equality training" after his quip was added to a group e-mail about the bureaucratic obstacles Noah would have to overcome in the modern world. [snip]
Richard Smith, leader of Bournemouth Borough Council, said: "I think it is appropriate for Councillor Clutterbuck to recognise that he has caused offence to a minority group of people and he should apologise to them. I also think it would be a good idea for him to go on a course of equality training, although I don't think it should be compulsory."
But Mr Clutterbuck, who has been a councillor for 19 years, was unrepentant yesterday. He said that he had found the original e-mail amusing and merely replied in a similar tone.
"I was merely stating that another problem Noah would have come across today was having all animals of the same sex. The animals went two by two for obvious reasons, but to appease the equality people he would have had to have some gay animals on board.
"It wasn't aimed at homosexuals at all and it wasn't meant to be offensive. It was done as a joke and I haven't done anything wrong.
"I am not going to apologise or go for retraining, it is an absolute nonsense.
"This kind of political correctness is crazy and is completely and utterly beyond me.
Full article
And the gays went in two by two . . .
By Simon de Bruxelles
A councillor's joke about the sexual leanings of Noah's beasts has caused a storm
David Clutterbuck, 72, said that his remark was not intended to be offensive and denied claims that he was homophobic.
IT WAS supposed to be a joke, but colleagues in a politically correct town hall failed to see the funny side when a Tory councillor suggested that nowadays Noah would have been unable to insist on taking only animals of the opposite sex in his Ark.
David Clutterbuck, 72, is facing calls to be sent on "compulsory equality training" after his quip was added to a group e-mail about the bureaucratic obstacles Noah would have to overcome in the modern world. [snip]
Richard Smith, leader of Bournemouth Borough Council, said: "I think it is appropriate for Councillor Clutterbuck to recognise that he has caused offence to a minority group of people and he should apologise to them. I also think it would be a good idea for him to go on a course of equality training, although I don't think it should be compulsory."
But Mr Clutterbuck, who has been a councillor for 19 years, was unrepentant yesterday. He said that he had found the original e-mail amusing and merely replied in a similar tone.
"I was merely stating that another problem Noah would have come across today was having all animals of the same sex. The animals went two by two for obvious reasons, but to appease the equality people he would have had to have some gay animals on board.
"It wasn't aimed at homosexuals at all and it wasn't meant to be offensive. It was done as a joke and I haven't done anything wrong.
"I am not going to apologise or go for retraining, it is an absolute nonsense.
"This kind of political correctness is crazy and is completely and utterly beyond me.
Full article
