Yorkshire councillor told to apologise or resign after accusing activist of homophobia

Coun Darryl Smalley, Liberal Democrat City of York councillor for Rawcliffe and Clifton Without, accused Kerron Cross of homophobia in a Twitter exchange across June 13 and June 14.

Mr Cross, who finished third in the 2005 general election seat of South West Hertfordshire, ruled himself out of the upcoming by-election in Selby and Ainsty. He said: “Yes, I live in York and work in Selby. No, I’ve not put myself forward for the forthcoming parliamentary by-election.”

In a now-deleted tweet, coun Smalley replied: “‘Cause of your homophobic views m8?” [sic].

When asked to clarify the allegation, coun Smalley said it related to tweets from 2011, 2012 and 2013. The first tweet, directed at X-Factor Star Frankie Cocozza, read: “Bored of Bum Boy. #XFactor.”

A Tweet from 2012 read: “So believing marriage is between one man and one woman (the dictionary definition) is ‘homophobic’? #bbcqt.”

Lastly, in 2013, Mr Cross tweeted: “Can I just check, are the LGBT people I know that oppose gay marriage also considered bigots and homophobes?“Support isn’t universal.”

Coun Smalley said: “As an out bisexual councillor, I find them offensive. We all grow as individuals and society is slowly becoming more tolerant. “If Kerron apologised for his past comments, I’m sure that would be appreciated.”

Mr Cross said the tweet regarding Frankie Cocozza was in relation to the singer showing a tattoo on his buttocks.

“As a long-time campaigner for LGBT+ rights and as a long-time fundraiser for Stonewall, I find the false allegations deeply offensive,” Mr Cross said. “A quick search of my social media would show people that it is clearly untrue and not reflective of my actual views.

“Indeed, I have close relatives in my family who are LGBT+ who I have always supported, publicly and privately. I also find it ironic that the repeated false allegation from Darryl Smalley came on a day when I was taking part in events promoting awareness of LGBT+ rights and also separately raising awareness of the importance of men’s mental health.

“Such deliberate false and misleading allegations take a great toll on individuals and their families. People who hold public office should think through the effects of their actions which greatly impact others.”

Mr Cross also ran as a district councillor for Labour in Wakefield but lost on two occasions in 2018 and 2021. He was communications director for the former archbishop of York John Sentamu between 2009 and 2013, who recently stepped down from the Church of England for failing to act on allegations of sexual abuse.