Irish Senator Jim Walsh has suggested that the money being spent on the May referendum on same-sex marriage would be better used on HIV testing for gay people

Irish Senator Jim Walsh has suggested that the money being spent on the May referendum on same-sex marriage would be better used on HIV testing for gay people, reports the Independent.

Walsh resigned from opposition party Fianna Fail last week after attacking sections of the Children and Family Relationships Bill which extends guardianship and adoption rights to same sex couples and others. The bill passed on Tuesday with 122 amendments. Walsh had tabled a failed amendment calling for IVF methods to be primarily made available to married heterosexual couples.

Following his resignation on May 25th, Walsh said that he could not support Fianna Fail's stance on sex marriage referendum and legislation allowing gay couples to adopt.

Speaking in government upper house prior to resigning, Walsh said he had recently met a gay man who suggested that government spending in support of same-sex marriage referendum should instead “be used to provide free HIV testing to people who are homosexual, where there's an increase now in the numbers affected by HIV, it would be far better expenditure of money.”

Earlier this year, Walsh said there are “dangerous, vicious elements within the gay ideological movement”.

Watch Walsh talk about homophobia and his fantasy "gay ideological movement," AFTER THE JUMP…