Editing Gerald Howarth (section)

=== Homosexuals ===
In 2000, he described the lifting of the ban on homosexuals in the military as "appalling" and went on to state that the "decision will be greeted with dismay, particularly by "ordinary" soldiers in Her Majesty's forces, many of whom joined the services precisely because they wished to turn their backs on some of the values of modern society".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/599810.stm |title=Services gay ban lifted |work=BBC News |date=12 January 2000 |access-date=22 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040702185243/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/599810.stm |archive-date=2 July 2004 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2005 he criticised the [[gay]] Labour Minister [[Peter Mandelson]] because his life-partner, Reinaldo Avila da Silva, a Brazilian translator who had been living in the UK for seven years, had received British citizenship. Howarth described Avila da Silva as Mandelson's 'consort', who was less deserving of citizenship than others.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.scotsman.com/news/uk/mandelson-partner-in-citizenship-row-1-1094452|title=Mandelson partner in citizenship row|website=www.scotsman.com|language=en|access-date=21 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170222061142/http://www.scotsman.com/news/uk/mandelson-partner-in-citizenship-row-1-1094452|archive-date=22 February 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 20 May 2013, whilst debating the [[Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill]], Howarth warned of "the aggressive homosexual community who see this as but a stepping stone to something even further." Howarth did not elaborate on what "something further" would be.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-22588954|title=Gay marriage: Deal to allow bill to proceed in Parliament|date=20 May 2013|work=BBC News|access-date=21 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130521014049/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-22588954|archive-date=21 May 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>