Picture: Ξεροτήανα Πάφου/ Facebook
A bishop in Cyprus has sparked outrage after he suggested that gay people only exist because women have anal sex when they are pregnant.
Neophytos Masouras of Morphou, who represents the Church of Cyprus, made the statement back in June while he was reportedly talking at a primary school in the village of Akaki.
The Cypriot LGBT+ group ACCEPT shared a YouTube link on Facebook featuring the bishop’s unfounded claims and asked in response, “How are lesbians created?”
[Homosexuality is] a problem, which is usually transmitted by parents to the child. It happens during the parent’s intercourse or pregnancy. It follows an unnatural sexual act between the parents.
To be more clear, anal sex. [Saint Porfyrios] says that when the woman enjoys that, a desire is created, and then the desire is passed on the to the child.
A clip of the bishop’s speech, without subtitles, can be viewed in the Facebook video below.
Homosexuality was decriminalised in Cyprus in 1998 and the country has banned any discrimination against LGBT+ people, but conservative attitudes still prevent gay people from adopting and serving in the military.
