ALP candidate resigns over gay slurs

A Queensland state election candidate for the Labor Party has been forced to resign just two days into the official election race after standing by comments he made that homosexuality and paedophilia are linked.

Peter Watson (pictured), the 19-year-old ALP candidate for Southern Downs, originally released a statement denying posting a series of homophobic comments on a website several years ago that described homosexuals as “social degenerates” that destroy society’s values.

But when interviewed by ABC Radio’s AM program this morning, he admitted he did indeed author them.

“I said that homosexuality and paedophilia were linked because there’s been some research done… and it’s been published by the Catholic Church, that suggests that 30 percent of male paedophiles are homosexual,” Watson said.

“I made the comments, so I do agree with them.”

The ALP state secretary Anthony Chisholm issued a statement saying Watson had originally told party officials that he didn’t write the posts.

“That’s what he told our officials at the time, clearly he has had a change of mind on those matters,” he said.

“Clearly the decision to ask for his resignation was the correct one.”

Watson, who has been a member of the ALP since he was 15, was the secretary of the party’s Warwick Branch.

He has now been officially expelled from the ALP.

“Clearly his views have no place in the Australian Labor Party,” Chisholm said.

Openly gay state ALP candidate for Glass House Ryan Moore, who’s also 19, told the Star Observer he would not be commenting on the matter.

“I am focused on Glass House and the party has taken the right action,” he said.