Cameron says C of E should accept ‘full equality’ for gays

David Cameron has said the Church of England should recognise “full equality” for homosexuals in a wide ranging interview for a gay lifestyle magazine.

The leader of the Conservative Party also said he supports an end to the National Blood Service rule which prevents blood donations from men who have engaged in sexual activity with other men.

His latest comments follow his remark last month that children should be taught that homosexual civil partnerships are just as valuable as marriage.

Mr Cameron told Attitude magazine that the Church of England should follow the Conservative Party’s example and recognise that “full equality is a bottom-line, full essential”.

Referring to his Party’s image, Mr Cameron said “I think we can look gay people in the eye and say, ‘You can now back us'”.

“We now support gay equality”, he added.

On gay adoption, he said “the ideal adoption is finding a mum and a dad, but there will be occasions when gay couples make very good adoptive parents”.

“So I support gay adoption.”

Interviewer Johann Hari, who is gay, pushed Mr Cameron on whether he had voted for gay adoption as an MP.

The 2002 Adoption and Children Act made adoption by homosexual couples legal.

The voting record shows Mr Cameron twice voted against gay adoption and then abstained or was absent for the final Commons vote on the issue.

Mr Cameron openly stated in January that any future Conservative tax reform for married couples would also apply to those in civil partnerships.

At the end of last month it emerged that Mr Cameron, in response to a question from gay lobby group Stonewall, told a forum that children should be taught that civil partnerships are as valuable as marriage.

He said at the time: “Should we teach them about civil partnerships being a way of same-sex couples showing commitment just as married couples show commitment? Yes we should.”

He has also said sorry repeatedly for his party’s support of Section 28 – a law banning local authorities from promoting homosexuality in schools.

During his first party conference as leader in 2006 Mr Cameron explained his view of marriage.

He said as far as he was concerned “it didn’t matter whether it was between a man and a woman, a man and a man or a woman and a woman”.