Christian Ineichen. | Photo: Facebook/Christian Ineichen
A Swiss politician is in hot water for a homophobic tweet he sent in response to a pro-marriage equality message.
The Christian Democratic People’s Party’s (CVP) president in Lucerne, Christian Ineichen, tweeted the bizarre message after his colleague endorsed same-sex marriage.
Michael Kaufmann tweeted a response to a call from former Swiss President, Ruth Metzler-Arnold, calling for marriage equality.
His response said that since the country introduced civil partnerships for same-sex couples, it would seem ‘Ruth Metzler is convinced that the time has come to discuss further gender equality steps’.
Seit der parlamentarischen Beratungen zur eingetragenen Partnerschafts sind rund 15 Jahre ins Land gezogen. Alt-@CVP_PDC-Bundesrätin Ruth Metzler ist davon überzeugt, dass die Zeit nun reif ist über weitere Gleichstellungsschritte zu diskutieren. #EhefuerAlle pic.twitter.com/IC69EpaVRb
— Michael Kaufmann (@TheDudeLebovski) 6 May 2018
That’s when Ineichen decided to join the fray telling Kaufmann, ‘we should stay within the limits of biology’.
He tweeted: ‘Man +woman: works. Woman+Woman: somewhat works. Man+Man: does not work’.
Kaufmann called Ineichen’s response ‘unchristian’.
Ineichen quickly backtracked on his tweets saying he was referring to family planning, not marriage equality. He has since deleted his Twitter account.
‘Woman can organise a pregnancy. But two men simply cannot make a child together,’ he told Swiss news site Watson.
‘I believe family policy should be guided by the rules imposed by biology,’ he told regional daily Luzerner Zeitung.
Ineichen had accepted ‘new ways of living and partnership models’ but ‘found it difficult when that suddenly means turning the whole idea of families on its head’.
He also admitted his party did not share his views.
‘Backward-looking’ views
LGBTI advocates condemned his comments including, Free Democratic Party’s Marco Baumann. He is also a representative in Lucerne and a board member for gay rights group Pink Cross Switzerland.
He told The Local the CVP in Lucerne was showing its ‘backward-looking, deeply conservative face’.
Even though Switzerland recognizes civil partnerships, it does not have full marriage equality. Same-sex couples still don’t have equal rights when it comes to tax, fertility, welfare and adoption.
But on 17 May a parliamentary legal affairs committee will review whether the law can simply be changed to allow marriage equality, or if a constitutional amendment is needed.
