Teaching school children to be tolerant of gay people isn't "promoting homosexual lifestyles" and campaigning for marriage equality isn't threatening her "freedom of speech", which she ironically claimed in a letter to the editor.

Her argument that a child has a right to be raised by their biological parents seemingly ignores the multitude of children successfully raised by single parents and divorced parents.

She then goes on to stereotype mothers as having a "particular female trait of nurturing" and fathers a "particular male characteristic of playfulness", as though gay and lesbian parents are incapable of these qualities, despite overwhelming evidence that such children often have a very happy and loving upbringing.

Her arguments carry no weight in our more enlightened times.

Peter Rowney

Lemon Tree Passage