Gov’t officials sue paper for homophobic front page

Two government officials have sued fringe newspaper Makeleio over a front-page article equating homosexuality with pedophilia and attempting to link them to Dimitris Lignadis, the stage director convicted last week of raping two teenage boys.

Saturday’s article featured a photograph of Lignadis, surrounded by smaller ones of other public figures, including Alex Patelis, chief economic adviser to the prime minister, and Nicholas Yatromanolakis, deputy minister for contemporary culture. Both officials are openly gay. 

“Homosexuality is not bestiality and it is not a perversion. Equating homosexuality and pedophilia fuels homophobia and homophobic violence. Free speech does not include the right to libel,” Patelis posted on Facebook.

“Until today I ignored articles and headlines like today’s and did not engage further. But perhaps this gives the wrong message,” Yatromanolakis said.