British Member Of European Parliament Tweets “Why Is It OK For A Surgeon To Perform A Sex-Change Operation, But Not OK For A Psychiatrist To Try To ‘Turn’ A Consenting Homosexual?”

Sunday, reports the Guardian, Roger Helmer, the Member of European Parliament for East Midlands posted to Twitter “Why is it OK for a surgeon to perform a sex-change operation, but not OK for a psychiatrist to try to ‘turn’ a consenting homosexual?” The tweet, presumably posted, according to Helmer as a question regarding the ban on psychiatrist offering reparative therapy, was immediately condemned, Labour Party MEP Michael Cashman, who chairs a European parliament group on gay rights, calling Helmer’s ignorance “breathtaking” adding that Helmer “fails to understand the distinct issues of gender identity and sexual preference. Homosexuality is not something that needs ‘curing’ unless you want to escape the awful persecuting environment which is created by statements like Helmer’s.” Cashman also said that Helmer’s ridiculous remarks were an embarrassment to Prime Minister David Cameron, and that Cameron must take immediate action. “"David Cameron made much of his 'apology' for the Tory party's discrimination of gay people through Section 28 and he claims that his party has changed,” he said. “If he is sincere, he must take action against Helmer. If he does nothing, he will be condoning Helmer's view and proving that the Tories are still the nasty party without the guts to stand up for minorities." Helmer, who, incidentally, refutes climate-change, said of the response to his question “"I am always surprised by the instant indignation of a strident minority. I am making a comparison between a lifestyle choice of a homosexual who would prefer not to be a homosexual and a lifestyle choice of a woman who would prefer to be a man ... It seems to me that in both cases it is what they call a valid lifestyle choice."