‘Openly Gay’ Brexit Judge Smeared by British Press
By Dan Friedman November 4, 2016
The famously combustible British tabloids were incensed by a decision by the U.K. High Court of Justice on November 3, that a simple majority in a referendum was not enough to change the de facto British constitution and leave the European Union without ratification by Parliament.
Though the court, and most legal scholars, view the decision as straightforward, if abstruse, the Daily Mail called the three judges in charge of the decision — “Enemies of the People.”
It went on to launch personal attacks on the individual judges, deciding that Sir Terence Etherton, Master of the Rolls, should be vilified for being ‘openly gay.’
The Daily Mail seems appalled that an “openly gay” judge was allowed to make such an important decision… pic.twitter.com/ja8yREhpxq
— The Media Blog (@TheMediaTweets) November 3, 2016
Unlike the public anti-Semitism and dog whistles in this U.S. election cycle, the main attacks on Etherton — the U.K.’s first openly gay senior judge and, as Master of the Rolls, head of the civil judiciary in England and Wales — have not featured the fact that he is Jewish and married his partner, Andrew Stone in a shul, “in a traditional Jewish wedding ceremony at West London Synagogue.”
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30
