UK Edition
Prince George 'gay icon' article referred to as 'sick'
An article on a leading LGBT website has been branded 'sick' and garnered complaints after it drew attention to people on Twitter referring to Prince George as a 'gay icon'.
The piece was published by PinkNews after a picture surfaced of the four-year-old prince with his hands on his face in a helicopter in Germany last month.
A Northern Ireland politician has launched a complaint about the website.
Jim Allister, leader of the Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) party, has demanded PinkNews withdraws the article and apologises.
He said: "Sexualising a young child in this fashion is entirely inappropriate.
"In reality, the photo which prompted the piece shows a four-year-old boy who is smartly dressed and excited about being on a helicopter with his male father and female mother.
"To take an image of a little boy and to fantasise of him being an icon for a life defined by sex is outrageous and sick."
The article by Josh Jackman was published on 25 July with the headline: People think Prince George looks fabulous in this new photo.
It then goes on to describe the young prince as a "gay icon".
It said: "The monarch-to-be has always been cute and well-dressed, but one day before his fourth birthday, a photo of him excitedly holding his face changed everything.
"At least, that's what the people - sorry, his subjects - are saying."
Benjamin Cohen, the Chief Executive of PinkNews, said: "I’m surprised that Jim Allister is such an avid reader of PinkNews that he spotted a minor article from three three weeks ago to complain about today.
"Despite claiming to have written to me, I have not received any form of communication from Mr Allister, so I was surprised that he decided to issue a press release about a letter before actually having the courtesy to send it to the supposed recipient.
"Mr Allister’s letter contains a number of concerning points. He criticises PinkNews for not being a member of the entirely voluntary IPSO (the Independent Press Standards Organisation). At present, no national or global UK based digital media only publications are regulated by IPSO but there is a consultation on future regulations underway that PinkNews is participating in. Until this review has been completed, PinkNews and no other global digital media publications are regulated by IPSO.
"At no point did PinkNews state that Prince George is a ‘gay icon’- the article merely reported on a large volume of social media posts saying that he was. The article also explored what it means to be a gay icon and referenced other ‘gay icons’ such as the pop singer Ariana Grande.
"Mr Allister also appeared to claim that being gay is a 'life defined by sex;. This is an outrageous statement. I am gay and about to marry my fiancé, something Mr Allister opposes, and I can certainly say that my life is not defined by sex.
"I am also surprised that the media reporting on this story does not mention in its report that Mr Allister is a politician who has strongly opposed LGBT rights for as long as he has been involved in politics. Mr Allister opposed the decriminalisation of homosexuality and was the only member of the Northern Irish Assembly to oppose pardons of gay men convicted of offences that would not be crimes today. Mr Allister is not an impartial commentator on this issue, he is a person with a long history of opposing the rights of LGBT people."