Dear David Coburn

I do not think it is false bollocks for me to have been part of the process is getting equal marriage recognised in three of the four parts of this family of nations. Plus I most certainly do not think it is false bollocks having got so far to still be facing down politicians and indeed one whole party who have some members who think that how you and I practice the outworkings of our sexual orientation should possibly not have been made legal in the first place.

In fact it takes real bollocks to stand up here in Northern Ireland in the political sphere where politicians, including some who also happen to meet you socially on occasion, will turn heel on you simply for being gay. That goes for the lesbians, the male to female post-op transexuals and indeed the drag queens. You may have heard of Panti Bliss (admittedly from the Republic of Ireland) who has faced down the same type of people who tried to tell the people of Ireland that the LGBT people cannot face homophobia, but those who attack us can. Yes, some of those men in frocks have real bollocks and stand up more for people with your sexual orientation far better than you seem capable of doing.

If I was sorry for wanting to be treated equally, something that Labour thought they were doing but actually while creating another class of individuals relationships that ignored an whole gamut of faults and created others, with civil partnerships I would have left it there. But it wasn't and some of society including a number of your party and many Tories looked upon it that way as something that was inferior, something segmented for a portion of society they wanted to ignore.

Therefore I make no apology for being someone to stand up to those who oppress, separate, entrap and belittle people who are different. All qualities which are more akin with the actions of Nazis than fighting for equality.

You can think that marrying the man of you live is not for you. That is your opinion.

You may think that civil partnership is enough for you. That too is fine.

But I have the real bollocks in also arguing that mixed sex couples who also don't want to get married should have the right to the legal protections that civil partnerships offer, but also that those whose love of the same gender should, if they wish to do so, marry the man or women of their dreams, just like everyone else in this United Kingdom.

Alsop for the record, should I end up ever getting married I will be wearing a kilt, not a frock, but I doubt that the UKIP's Scottish MEP can tell the difference.

Note David Coburn is the London-based gay UKIP MEP for Scotland. [Editors note] So many oxymorons in the one statement.