Threats made against AG

Attorney General Mark Pettingill was threatened with violence after he took a swing at opposition to equal rights for gay people on
biblical grounds.

Mr Pettingill said: “There have been some very hurtful things said about me -personally and even threats of violence made over this issue and I entirely forgive anyone who was aroused to such -sentiments. In like mind, I would ask your forgiveness. Lessons have been learned. There is much more that needs to be done in Bermuda I would like to get back to contributing to that work.”

Mr Pettingill declined to elaborate on the threats – but it is understood that one caller to a radio talk show said he should be doused in gasoline and set alight and that his wife and child were also threatened.

Mr Pettingill was speaking as he bowed to public pressure after initially refusing to apologise for the remarks, made during a debate in the House of Assembly last Friday.

He said: “On reflection, and after discussion with my people, including people of strong faith and those of non-faith, I appreciate that some of the words I spoke, the actual words, not some of the inaccuracies that have been attributed to me, that they were clearly hurtful to people in this community.”

Mr Pettingill said one senior pastor he respected had said he felt “wounded” by the comments, as did members of his congregation.

He added: “While I believe passionately in the right of free speech as a fundamental premise of our democracy, if what I have to say causes hurt or anguish to any individual, I am deeply regretful for that.

“I would say I am unequivocally sorry to anyone who felt that way as a result of what I did.”

He added that he had not been ordered to apologize by Premier Craig Cannonier or the Cabinet, but had made his own decision after gauging community feeling.

And he said: “I do not wish to have the flames of division fanned any more by sparks from words spoken by me.”

Mr Pettingill had told the Bermuda Sun earlier: “I spoke out against those who would use religion to deny those in the gay community their human rights. I offered my personal opinion which should not be construed to be the official position of the Government.

Freedom of speech

“For clarity, I exercised my freedom of speech and questioned how a 2,000 year old doctrine could be used in the modern, democratic world to deny a segment of our population protection enjoyed by other segments of our community.”

And he added that his comments were similar to those made by Shadow Public Safety Minister Michael Scott in the same debate.

He was speaking after the PLP went on the offensive, with Opposition leader Marc Bean calling on Premier Craig Cannonier to fire Mr Pettingill.

Mr Bean added that Mr Pettingill had slipped up on several occasions as Attorney General, including a failure to advise the Premier that accepting a trip on a private jet to discuss Government business was a breach of the Ministerial code of conduct.

Earlier, Shadow Community and Cultural Development Minister Michael Weeks demanded an apology from Mr Pettingill.

During the Friday debate, Mr Pettingill condemned anti-gay sentiment expressed in some religions and added that the Bible, while the Bible was “full of good stuff, full of good teachings, but also full of some scary, crazy stuff.”

He added: “We have moved on — it doesn’t mean we can’t bring wonderful teachings with us, but, boy, this is where it gets scary, when the Kool-Aid drinkers get hold of things and aren’t prepared to have any critical thoughts.”

Mr Pettingill said that he believed people had left Bermuda due to homophobia — and said the amendment, which passed, might encourage them to come home.

And he added: “What a wonderful thought — and I hope that for everyone that does, we have one homophobe that leaves and goes somewhere else.”

And he added that those who felt anti-gay discrimination on religious grounds was appropriate should “get up and leave and go somewhere else.”

Premier Craig Cannonier — who was in London for a summit meeting with UK PM David Cameron when the debate was held last Friday — distanced Government from Mr Pettingill’s remarks.

He said: “”I am convinced that the Attorney General was speaking on his own behalf, airing his own personal convictions.

“He was not, as alleged by Mr Weeks, speaking on behalf of the Government of the One Bermuda Alliance party.

“As I have stated many times before, this Government will continue to make decisions in the interests of the whole, which are centred on care for the well-being of all Bermuda’s people.”