WE LIVE IN A DIFFERNT WORLD

"We live in a different world. Censoring it is pointless and, in the long term, damaging." Bryn Grieg, WA Senator, Australian Democrats.

Yes, thank you Senator for your comments. I have been musing on your words for a while now, when I came across this article from the New Zealand Herald. Apparently, the recently appointed leader of the Anglican Church in New Zealand, Bishop Whakahuihui Vercoe, believes homosexuality is "unnatural and immoral and looks forward to a day when a better society, in his view, will find it unacceptable."

The surprise comes in the response. The newspaper, for givingthese comments prominence, has been received the following typical comments:

- As a gay man, I am deeply offended by your headline

- How dare you publish that rubbish on your front page, unless of course you ... are as bigoted, homophobic and out for cheap controversy as your Maori interviewee.

etc etc etc

Well, what about censorship, get your laws off our bodies, blah blah blah. Maybe you're only allowed to say one thing about gays - that you think they are incredibly marvellous and wonderful, witty and urbane, and be all accepting and tolerating and stuff, otherwise SHUT UP!!!

What happened to free speech? freedom of expression? freedom of the press? Remember, "Censoring it is pointless and, in the long term, damaging"

This is not a far-right neo-nazi e-zine we're speaking of, it's NZ's major newspaper.

Read the editor's own defense at http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=3571337&thesection=news&thesubsection=dialogue