Born of Mary

Toothy Christian busybody and self-appointed guardian of the nation’s morals Mrs Mary Whitehouse has died at the ripe old age of 91.

Many lesbian and gay activists who remember her virulent homophobia may say “good riddance”, but the Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association (GALHA) has good reason to be grateful to her.

Following the opposition to her successful private prosecution of Gay News for blasphemous libel in 1977, Mrs Whitehouse frequently referred to “a humanist homosexual lobby” and, though none existed at the time, her action led to one. In 1979, the Gay Humanist Group was born and, subsequently renamed the Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association, it has become one of the longest-established and flourishing national lesbian and gay campaigning organisations in the UK.

GALHA secretary George Broadhead commented: “With the possible exception of Baroness Young, Mrs Whitehouse’s undoubted personal charisma and high profile in the media have not been replaced, but her bible-based homophobia is as widespread and influential as ever. Christian pressure groups like the Evangelical Alliance and the Christian Institute still exercise considerable political and (through their allies in the media) public influence. One has only to consider the religious opposition to the lowering of the age of consent for gay men and the repeal of Section 28 to realise that all that Mary Whitehouse stood for is still alive and flourishing.”