A BIZARRE row over whether the majority of male giraffes are gay is the latest issue to split Jeremy Corbyn’s top team.
Shadow Equalities Secretary Dawn Butler triggered the extraordinary public spat as she defended the teaching of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues in schools.
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She cited research showing 90 per cent of male giraffes are attracted to their own gender as part of her argument against critics who claim LGBT lessons could turn children gay.
Speaking at an awards ceremony by the online LGBT newspaper PinkNews, Ms Butler said: “Ninety per cent of giraffes are gay. Let’s just accept people for who they are and live as our true, authentic selves. Being who you are is not a disease.”
But one of Mr Corbyn‘s senior advisers publicly lashed out at Ms Butler on Twitter and cited different research that disputes her claims.
Lachlan Stuart, who advises the Labour leader on domestic policy, said the way male giraffes behaved with each other is “not gay behaviour”.
The aide, who bizarrely declared giraffes were his “favourite animal,” wrote: “There’s no romance. No courtship. No affection. No pair bonding.”
He referred to studies that said the apparent homosexual behaviour by male giraffes was actually done to assert authority.
And in an astonishing attack on Ms Butler Mr Stuart said there was no truth in her claim that nine in ten male giraffes are gay and said it was “a ludicrous, offensive, homophobic claim to make.”
Writing on Twitter, he asked her: “Do you get why it’s completely f****** offensive?”
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