British Activist Compares Suffering of Gays to Crucifixion of Christ

The publisher of the Pink News courts controversy with his statements.

BY Neal Broverman

March 04 2013 2:36 PM ET

Pink News's Ben Cohen

Benjamin Cohen, the founder of Pink News, said the persecution of LGBT people is comparable to the crucifixion of Christ during a BBC program focusing on Easter and Lent.

Cohen's statements were part of an upcoming BBC special on Easter and Lent that featured religious and cultural leaders discussing Easter and Lent. Cohen, raised an Orthodox Jew, said his childhood religion put him through hell.

"But do people of faith really want to reject their children for something which I believe they can't help?," Cohen asked on the show. "Just as, the Jewish authorities rejected Christ — for something he considered he couldn't help — being the son of God."

Cohen insisted gay people can not change their sexual orientation. "How different a situation is this to the questions and ultimatums given by some parents and some faiths to young gay people? Could Jesus have escaped his crucifixion by denying who he believed he really was?"

Another panelist, conservative Andrea Williams, called Cohen's statements "blasphemous."