NICOSIA – A poll on Cyprus that found 33 percent support same-sex couples having children and the head of Sigma TV saying same-sex marriage was a kind of dictatorship drew a fierce reaction from the rights group Accept LGBTI.

Chrysanthos Tsouroullis, CEO of the station, appeared on a program there to talk about the findings of an IMR survey that he said indicated most people want couples to have children naturally.

He said he recognized the gay community’s struggle and that he while he supported LGBTQ+ rights that same-sex couples having children “is now going to the other extreme, this is a reverse dictatorship.”

He added that, “This will not happen without a discussion,” without clarifying what he meant, said The Cyprus Mail, noting that a bill submitted by the Green party seeking to allow adoption for people in civil partnerships – including homosexual couples – has been tabled to parliament for discussion.

He was appearing with the station’s host Petra Argyrou, who said that, “The Lord created all things in wisdom,” in what the paper said was an apparent nod to earlier comments by Tsouroullis that “nature must be respected.”

The newspaper said that two complaints have been filed to the journalism ethics committee about the survey and his comments, the subject a hot-button issue on the island as it is Greece.

Social media responses were intense, especially over the “reverse dictatorship” comment that drew anger from critics that it was hate talk but he argued the debate isn’t over gay rights but those of children.

In a later show on the station, Accept LGBTI chairman Nicolas Tryfon said coverage of the survey was problematic and focused only on the negative findings and said it was homophobic, depicting gays as unnatural.

Tsouroullis then called in and denied he is homophobic but that he’s opposed to a child having two mothers or two dads and not a mother and a father and that he respected Tryfon’s position.

Accept LGBTI said it doesn’t have any “ulterior motive” and that, “A healthy environment for a child is love, support and security. Heterosexual families do not automatically mean a healthy environment and this is proven by thousands of studies. It’s arrogant to think that just because someone is straight this automatically makes them a better parent to their child than a gay parent.”