10-Jun-06
Thanks, Bronny, for the following snippet from Toni Hassan’s interview with Sydney Anglican Archbishop Peter Jensen on the ABC’s Radio National Religion Report (June 7, 2006)

Hassan: … [M]any argue from a rational point of view that homosexuality is a variant, it’s neither moral nor immoral … Could you at all be irrational? Could you conceive that perhaps you’re just not facing the facts of how this has come to be practised in modern life?

Jensen: I’m pretty surprised at the question I think. Please explain yourself, what do you mean, homosexuality is, what did you say? I’m not even sure what you’re saying.

Hassan: Well that is something that - and I didn’t want to mention Justice Kirby - but that is what he said, that this is something that is neither moral nor immoral.

Jensen: Sorry, I’m not going there.

Hassan: … Last year a [homophobia mapping survey the Australia Institute] produced showed that Catholics, Anglicans and Uniting Church members are the most tolerant, in fact only a third say homosexuality is immoral. So are you out of step, even with mainstream laity? Is there that risk? …

Jensen: Well you see, I’m very interested in the choice of words which you’ve used. You draw the distinction, you say that homophobia …, if you regard homosexuality, the practice of homosexuality as immoral, then that’s evidence of homophobia. Well I think that’s an astonishing presupposition … Do you have questions that - ?

Hassan: What sort of questions would you like?

Jensen: Turn it off.

Hassan: You want me to turn it off?

Jensen: Yes.

The interview recommenced ‘after some time’, but what happened here? Jensen’s an old campaigner and should have been able to handle questions like these in his sleep. It might pay Anglican moderates and strategists in the gay and lesbian community to have a long, hard look at this interview. Nothing’s sweeter than an opponent with lots of ‘no-go’ zones.

Filed in: Sexuality