1 Gay, Muslim and trying to come out of the closet 1/06
2 Police Force Named Britain’s Most Gay-Friendly Employer 1/06
3 Lesbian poet wins UK prize 1/06
4 British Member Of Parliament Caught In Gay Sex Scandal 1/06
5 Lesbian soldiers tie the knot 2/06
6 Sir Ian McKellen, actor and activist, to receive top award 2/06
7 Oscar Wilde’s grandson protests anti-gay show in Russia 2/06
8 Another Gay Iranian Faces Deportation from England to Iran 3/06
9 Gay Pride comes to London 7/06
10 Homosexual and ‘passionate about Islam’ 7/06
11 Refusal to distribute fire safety advice 7/06
12 London lesbian couple will not appeal marriage ruling 10/06
13 News from Pride London 11/06
14 London: 1 in 10 gay men now HIV positive 11/06
15 Gay ‘weddings’ top 15,500 in UK 12/06
16 High court rejects lesbian’s claim of parental rights 12/06
From the Times Online
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1974216,00.html
January 07, 2006
1
Gay, Muslim and trying to come out of the closet in UK
by Ben Hoyle
The conservative mainstream is forcing Islamic homosexuals into sham marriage and a secret sex life. The marriage proposal described the prospective groom as a successful and devout second-generation British Pakistani who would pride himself on showing duty and kindness to his new family.
But it was the finer details of "Muslim Man" offer, recently posted in an internet chatroom, that might concern his future in-laws and lead them to see their own daughter in a new light. "I am looking for a bi- Muslim woman," he wrote. "Someone who aspires to stability whether that is as husband and wife, or as husband, wife and same-sex partners."
In the week that Sir Iqbal Sacranie, Britain’s most senior Muslim figure, described homosexuality as a harmful, immoral vehicle for spreading disease, the internet remains the only place where many gay or bisexual Muslims can truly be themselves. Sir Iqbal is regarded as a moderate and his comments were the latest in a long line of similar statements from mainstream Islamic leaders.
These have in turn provoked outbursts of Islamophobia from sections of the gay community, with some activists at the Gay Pride parade last year berating Muslim marchers as "suicide bombers" and a gay magazine categorising Islam as an "army doctrine". Trapped in the crossfire, the vast majority of gay, lesbian and bisexual British Muslims live secret double lives or never acknowledge their feelings.
The Times contacted members of this underground community this week. Their testimonyreveals a world where thousands of lives have been wrecked by sham marriages, elaborate deceptions, unacknowledged HIV and crippling loneliness.
‘Zac’, 24, from Lancashire, has been prevented from living as a gay man. He told The Times how his parents had forced him into an arranged marriage with his Pakistani cousin in the hope that it would "make me straight". His wife is now pregnant with his son. He is trapped at home, consumed with frustration and resentful of his parents.
‘Raz’, 21, is a second-year politics student at the University of Birmingham. Like Zac he describes himself as a good Muslim who goes to the mosque regularly. "I think there’s a lack of understanding among people like Sacranie. They think homosexuality is a choice but if it was, why would I choose to make my life so much more complicated?"
"At the end of the day it comes down to whether you want to lead the gay life or the 2.4 children life. If I was going to get married I wouldn’t consider telling my parents about my sexuality at all because no good would come of it and it would really upset them."
Ibrahim Ismail, sexual health co-ordinator for South Asian and Muslim men with the Naz Project in London, said that Sir Iqbal’s remarks could become a self-fulfilling prophecy, promoting the spread of sexually transmitted disease by terrifying more gay men into living secret, unsafe sex lives. “It will drive them underground, undermining the fight to improve sexual health," he said, quoting the example of a secretly HIV-positive man who infected his pregnant wife with the virus.
"His family disowned her but he preferred to let them find him a new wife and put her at risk than come clean about his HIV status and explain he had caught it from other men."
Mr Ismail said that many British Muslims still lived lives rooted in denial. But among the tales of struggle and compromise there are grounds for optimism. A handful of Muslims are believed to be among the hundreds of gay men and women who have taken out civil partnerships in the past month.
The country’s other top Muslim, Dr Zaki Badawi of the Muslim College, has urged gay Muslims to take advantage of their financial benefits so long as they are not sexually active.
Most importantly, organisations such as Imaan (www.imaan.org.uk) and the Safra Project (www.safraproject.org) are slowly establishing themselves as havens for gay Muslims to share their experiences and receive support and advice.
January 15, 2006
2
Police Force Named Britain’s Most Gay-Friendly Employer
Less than a decade ago Staffordshire police were rated the most homophobic force in the country after going on a clandestine operation to arrest gays suspected of having public sex. Today, the force is being honored as the most gay-friendly force in the country and the best place in Britain for gays and lesbians to work. The honor was bestowed on the force by Stonewall, Britain’s largest LGBT rights organization.
Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index named IBM as the second best place to work. But, the Royal Navy, which sought out Stonewall’s help in becoming more inclusive failed to make the top 10. The dramatic turnaround for the Staffordshire police was the result of a concerted effort by the force. After it received heavy criticism for seeking out cruising gays in parks and public washrooms and arresting 21 men, many of them married, the force worked with local gays to make the department a model for gay inclusion.
It adopted a policy of hiring gay officers and fast tracking the best to senior positions on the force. Today one in 10 of the force’s 2,309 police officers is gay. Officers are entitled to have paid parenting leave if they or their partners adopted a child, and they are allowed to attend up to three gay pride festivals a year on paid time. While IBM came in second in the top 10 list, the Department for Work and Pensions and Manchester city council tied for third place.
3
Lesbian poet wins UK prize
In the latest triumph for lesbian U.K. writers, Scotland’s Carole Ann Duffy wins the Eliot Prize for "Rapture." Carole Ann Duffy has won a prestigious award for her latest collection of poetry. The writer won the T.S. Eliot Prize for "Rapture," her collection of love poetry. She will be awarded 10,000 pounds sterling (approximately $17,500) for the book.
Panel members said the book was "coherent and passionate." " In the language and circumstances of our day and age, it reanimates and continues a long tradition of the poetry of love and loss," David Constantine, chairman of the judges, said. Based in Glasgow, Duffy has fast made a name for herself as one of the U.K.’s strongest and most talented writers. As well as poetry, she has also won praise for her various plays. In 1995, she was made an OBE (Officer of the British Empire). This latest accolade is the latest in a string of awards given to prominent lesbian writers.
Jeanette Winterson, author of "Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit" was given an OBE in this year’s honors list, while Ali Smith, also a Scottish writer, was awarded the Whitbread Novel of the Year award this month for her third novel, "The Accidental."
January 23, 2006
4
British Member Of Parliament Caught In Gay Sex Scandal
by Peter Moore, London
Mark Oaten, a top member of Britain’s Liberal Democrats, resigned his position in the party after it became public on the weekend that he had been having an extramarital relationship with a male prostitute. The Liberal Democrats are Britain’s third largest party. Oaten rose to prominence in the party following the July terrorist bombings in London. He had been the party’s critic on home affairs.
But it was Oaten’s out of the home affair that landed him in the spotlight when the News of the World published an expose on the affair including an interview with the 23-year old hustler who told the tabloid that Oaten had been a regular client for six months.
Oaten announced he was stepping down as critic within hours of the paper going to press.
" I would like to apologize for errors of judgment in my personal behavior and for the embarrassment caused firstly to my family but also to my friends, my constituents and my party," said the father of two. He did not say if he would seek re-election. British LGBT civil rights group OutRage said that Oaten is not the only gay in the Liberal Democrats. Apart from the tiny Greens Party, the Liberal Democrats are considered Britain’s most pro-gay political party, but they have only one out gay MP – Stephen Williams (Bristol West) – a little known backbencher.
" Mark Oaten is not the only Liberal Democrat MP who has had sex with men," said OutRage spokesperson Peter Tatchell. "We are disappointed that so few Lib Dem MPs have chosen to come out." Tatchell said OutRage will not be outing any of the gay Liberal Democrat Members of Parliament because "none of them are hypocritical or homophobic."
"If the nation’s political leaders feel they need to lead double lives to hide their sexuality, then parliament is clearly not doing enough to combat the social homophobia that keeps so many gay men and lesbians in the closet," said Tatchell.
The News of the World story came just two days after after he pulled out of the race for the party leadership.
News24.com
http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_1873888,00.html
February 2, 2006
5
Lesbian soldiers tie the knot
London – A lesbian couple has become the first in the British army to tie the knot under the country’s new civil partnership laws, say reports on Thursday. Sonya Gould, 19, and Vanessa Haydock, 18, both privates in the Royal Logistics Corps, exchanged vows before friends and family at the register office in Chippenham, Wiltshire, in the west of England. Haydock said: "It was wonderful to get married and being the first was the icing on the cake. We want to be together forever." While they were the first homosexual couple in the British army to get hitched, they were not the first in the armed forces as a whole, after two Royal Air Force women sealed their civil partnership before Christmas last year.
A spokesperson for the defence ministry said: "As an equal opportunities employer, the armed forces seeks to reflect the diverse community it serves", which until February 2000 banned gays and lesbians from the armed services. " We are pleased that serving personnel who are registered in a same-sex relationship now have equal rights to those enjoyed by married couples." Same-sex civil partnerships became possible on December 5 last year after a new law came into force allowing gay and lesbian couples to obtain the same rights as heterosexuals in areas such as employment, pension and inheritance.
8 February, 2006
6
Sir Ian McKellen, actor and activist, to receive top award
Gay actor Sir Ian McKellen is to receive a top award at this year’s Berlin Film Festival, which opens this week. The Lord of the Rings star will receive the festival’s Golden Bear Award for his lifetime achievement, according to the Hollywood Reporter. After originally becoming a star of the stage, Sir Ian became a driving force in cinema in recent years, with roles in both mainstream blockbusters and small independent films. He is also known for his long-term campaigning passion for gay rights, having helped found Stonewall to tackle Section 28.
The Berlin Film Festival opens tomorrow and runs until the 19th February. The festival is known for its celebration of gay films, with the Teddy award given to the best gay film every year. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the award and will see around 40 films compete for the title. GAY.COM will also sponsor the award this year.
February 12, 2006
7
Oscar Wilde’s grandson protests anti-gay show in Russia
The grandson of playwright Oscar Wilde has asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to work against anti-gay portrayals in the Russian media. In his letter to the president, Merlin Holland protested a program that aired last week in Moscow and had an "overtly homophobic nature." The program "clearly intended to convince the Russian public that homosexuality is the affliction of a depraved and decadent minority in Western Europe, a minority whose aim is to cause trouble in Eastern Europe by marching for its human rights," Holland wrote.
The television program Holland criticized was shown on a station that is heavily influenced by Moscow’s mayor, Yuri Luzhkov, who has announced support for a ban against pro-gay demonstrations. Holland, who is not gay, urged Putin to encourage "balanced media coverage" for an upcoming convention in Moscow for the International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO). The event is set for May, and Holland plans to attend.
" Homosexuals are not terrorists; they are not murderers; they are not fanatics who take hostages to achieve their goals," Holland wrote. "They are simply human beings who are asking that their rights to normal lives be recognized."
Oscar Wilde was imprisoned in 1895 because of his homosexuality. He died in 1900.
U.K. Gay News
http://www.ukgaynews.org.uk/Archive/2006march/2201.htm
March 21, 2006
8
Another Gay Iranian Faces Deportation from England to Iran
U.K. Gay News reports today that yet another young gay Iraniian is living under threat of deportation from the United Kingdom back to Iran, where he would face immediate arrest by the police, and quite possibly execution, for being gay.
Today’s report follows the March 16 Doug Ireland report (see Report #5 in Iran News & Reports 2006 page) on Mehdi, a 26-year-old gay Iranian who faces a deportation hearing in the U.K. on March 28. Two gay Iranian exiles in the U.K. committed suicide in the last two years when they were ordered deported back to Iran, in fear of the torture and execution they knew they would face there at the hands of the authoritarian religious government.
The young man in this new report, called Ramin in the UK Gay News article for security reasons, and now in his mid-twenties, was a college student and visitng at his boyfriend’s apartment four years go when plainclothes basiji — the religious para-police used by the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to enforce its lethal anti-gay morality campaign — raided it.
They knew Ramin was gay. The basiji "are the worst kind of police,” Ramin told UKGN. “I was so scared, and knew I had to do something very fast.” Ramin literally fled for his life, escaping over the rooftops and going to a sympathetic uncle. He could not go to his immediate family. ‘They might have tried to kill me if they knew I was gay,’ he admitted. One of the problems was that, as is traditional in Iran, Ramin had become engaged at birth to an Iranian girl – a distant relative – who was born on the same day. ‘We were exactly the same age, we grew up together, went to the same school – she was my best friend. As I gay man, I didn’t want to let her down.’
Ramin journeyed secretly to the north west of Iran and then set off on a 3-day hike over the mountains and across the border into Turkey. ‘I knew that I could not stay in Turkey as there is homophobia there as well,’ he said. So he traveled to Istanbul where he planned his escape into a European Union country. He stowed away with three others on a lorry carrying farm machinery, the driver not knowing of their presence. And for three long days he endured a journey to an unknown destination. It was winter. It was cold.
‘I asked myself at the time if it was all worth it,’ he said. ‘There was one period on the journey when I went about 18 hours without food or water – and it was so cold.’ After three days, the lorry reached its destination. Ramin got off and found himself in Dover. He was spotted by a security guard and hand over to the British authorities.
He was treated well by British immigration, he said. ‘I did not speak English then. Through an interpreter, I applied for political asylum. ‘They were very friendly and I was sent to a hostel for a good night’s sleep – and some food,’ he said. ‘And in the hostel, I was treated very well.’
Ramin was allowed to stay in the short term. After two months, he was called to the Home Office immigration facility in Croydon. ‘Although it was very busy there, they did try to help me,’ he recalled. “I was interviewed and asked how I managed to get out of Iran and to England. ‘It was at this interview I told them I was gay.’ The interviewing officer was a Muslim woman. ‘She told me that there was not enough evidence,’ Ramin said. ‘She just didn’t believe me – there is not enough evidence,’ he repeated. He was expecting the worse. And sure enough a letter from the Home Office arrived. It refused him asylum.
Then came the appeal procedure. And Ramin was allocated a solicitor who he said ‘was not very good I was not even told that I had a tribunal appeal, so I missed that. And when I questioned the solicitor, I was told that they were sorry, but they forgot to tell me.’
A year after his arrival in the United Kingdom came Ramin’s one and only day in court. ‘Again, I was disappointed with my legal representation. It was as though they had little time for my case,’ he said.
In an ironic twist to Ramin’s story, he got involved with an Iranian Christian organisation. ‘They told me that I could be cured of being gay and they promised me that if I went along with them, I would be able to stay in England,’ he said.
He admitted that he was confused. ‘I was desperate for help,’ he said. ‘Even this Christian group failed to turn up in court.’ The judge postponed the court hearing for a month. But when the case was resumed, there was no help for Ramin. The judge found for the Home Office and not long after came the letter saying he was going to be deported. Up to then, Ramin had not made contact with the gay community. But he then started getting contacts. ‘To be honest, I thought that I would be let down by them as well,’ he said.
Ramin was proved to be wrong. Two years ago, he met “Bill” – again, not his real name. It was not long before the couple became partners. Through the gay community, Ramin met an immigration advisor.The result now is that his case is “under investigation”. Even so, Ramin fears a knock on the door – or a letter arriving. ‘I love my country, but not the political system,’ he said. “If there wasn’t a problem of me being gay, I would never have left.’
He is well aware of reports from Iran in the past year of hangings of gays in Iran. ‘Yes, it goes on,” he insisted. “The religious courts do execute men and women because they are gay. The basiji see to that.’ For now, Ramin and Bill live together happily in suburbia, and are about to celebrate two years together as partners. That, they both consider, should be enough evidence for the Home Office."
July 1, 2006
9
Gay Pride comes to London
by Jeremy Lovell
London – Thousands of gays, lesbians and transvestites from across Europe paraded through central London on Saturday to proudly state their sexuality. Amid a fleet of gaudily decorated floats with blaring music, whistles and dancers the marchers flowed down the shopping magnet of Oxford Street, past Nelson’s Column and down to the Houses of Parliament watched by the amused and the bemused. "It has been great. Everyone was very accepting. There was no abuse, just support," Europride local organiser Emily told Reuters.
"This is a great public relations exercise for the gay and lesbian world." Organisers had hoped the blazing sunshine and the fact that the march did not clash with the England versus Portugal World Cup match would bring up to 500,000 onto the streets. But police said in the end just 40,000 took part in the incident-free event whose theme was "Pride against Prejudice".
Last year’s London Gay Pride march — an annual event in the city for more than 30 years — attracted some 250,000 people even though it coincided with the Live 8 concert in Hyde Park. While pink was predominant on Saturday — including a forest of red, white and pink, instead of blue, Union Jacks — it was by no means the only colour in a kaleidoscopic show. Costumes ranged from skimpy briefs to outfits evoking Brazil’s Mardi Gras, with a scattering of cowboys, sailors, soldiers, police, fairies, goths and even everyday garb. Banners declared "Pride" and urged people to come out of the closet and declare their sexuality, and there was even one declaring "No to Islamophobia. No to homophobia".
MSNBC
http://msnbc. msn.com/id/ 13712248/
July 6, 2006
10
Homosexual and ‘passionate about Islam’
Britain’s gay Muslims struggle with sexuality, religion, and discrimination
by Jennifer Carlile, Reporter
London – "Oh my god, I’m a sinner," Ubaid said he once thought of himself. I kept praying and wishing I weren’t gay, hoping it was a phase, and that if I kept praying I’d be saved," he said. Ubaid, who asked that his last name not be used, was born in London to a close-knit and devoutly Muslim Pakistani family. "I have always been passionate about Islam," the 30-year-old said, explaining how he struggled to resolve his religion with his sexuality.
Several years after deciding not to enter into a marriage arranged by his parents, he is now secretary of Imaan, the United Kingdom’s only gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender Muslim group. Imaan’s members feel like they are targets of both a wider society that discriminates against Muslims, and a Muslim community that sees homosexuality as a Western disease. "Now we’re dealing with Islamaphobia within the gay community, and Muslims who say gays can’t be Muslims," Ubaid said. Despite discrimination, Ubaid has found away to forge his own path and has reconciled his attraction to men with his love of Islam.
‘Not acceptable’
Imaan, which means faith in Arabic, has around 300 members, most of whom have not told their families that they are gay. While members vary in how rigidly they keep to Islamic practices like praying five times a day and eating halal food, Ubaid said Imaan is for people who believe that they can be gay and Muslim. If they were raised in a Muslim family but have renounced the religion, Imaan probably would not appeal to them.
The group was started in 1998 as a branch of the U.S. gay Muslim group, Al-Fatiha, after its American members visited London. It serves as a support network, and is a meeting place for people to pray together and celebrate Islamic holidays. Imaan hosts conferences that deal with such topics as culture, Islamaphobia, non-Muslim partners, HIV and Islam, relatives of gay Muslims, and trans-sexual Muslims. And some members take part in gay pride events.
On July 1, around 25 Imaan members rode atop a float in the EuroPride 06 parade in London. With banners reading "Gay Muslims unveiled" and flags of the United Kingdom and from across the Islamic world, they waved cheerfully at the crowd. While they didn’t hide themselves in rainbow burkhas as they did the previous year, most were still reluctant to give their names or be photographed for fear of reprisals.
Although the group’s membership is on the rise, gay Muslims are not accepted by the wider Islamic communities of any country. In fact, Iqbal Sacranie, who served as the Muslim Council of Britain’s general secretary until this June, told the BBC in January that homosexuality is not acceptable, and that Britain’s introduction of Civil Partnerships did not augur well for building the foundations of society. In 2001, a fatwa was issued against Al-Fatiha, the U.S. gay Muslim umbrella group by al-Muhajiroun, an international organization that seeks the establishment of an Islamic caliphate.
Marriage plans
"I tried not to be a sinner all my life, and then I thought, here I am, I’m going to go to hell," Ubaid said of when he came to terms with his homosexuality. "Looking back, I’ve always been gay, but I didn’t realize it until my mid or late teens. I’d never had a girlfriend or been attracted to the opposite sex. But, as sex is never talked about (in Muslim circles), it never really occurred to me until I got out of high school." Ubaid, who has always prayed regularly at the mosque, fasts for Ramadan, and does not drink alcohol, began dating men.
"But, the prospect of marriage kept coming up and my family wanted me to get married," he said. I decided that I would get married for their sake," he said, adding that he considered dating men on the side. "However, when Al-Fatiha (the American Muslim group) came along and I met gay Muslims who’d been married, I realized I just couldn’t do it. Up to that time, I’d only been thinking of myself, my family, my culture. But, then I started taking into consideration that I’d be destroying someone else’s life, making a wife miserable, and possibly the children miserable if I did that," he said.
Coming out
Ubaid began rejecting his parents overtures for him to get married. They couldn’t understand his resistance and he failed to give them a reason. If they found out he was gay, "I thought they might lose it, might kick me out of the house, and although my parents have never physically hurt me I thought they might, or I’d be sent to Pakistan and forced into marriage." After hiding his homosexuality for so long, it came to the surface in an instant.
"They found a (gay) magazine in my bag in my room and they questioned me about it," he said. "And I came out. I didn’t bother to hide it. I said, ‘I am gay and this is who I am.’" Ubaid said his family do not accept his homosexuality and continue to ask him about marriage, but "they still keep me under their wing, and still love and nurture me as they always did before."
‘Educating both sides’
Ubaid insisted that his words not be misused to slander Islam as a repressive or hostile religion as he feels very strongly about most aspects of the faith. However, he said he hoped that the Islamic world would become more open to discussions on sexuality and more accepting of those who are not heterosexual.
"Judaism and Christianity have moved on over the years and allow dialogue to take place, but sex isn’t talked about full stop (in the Islamic world)," he said, adding that non-Muslim gay men often ask him why he’d be part of a religion that doesn’t accept him, and noting a rise in Islamaphobia within the gay community. "It’s a case of educating both sides," he said. "If the Quran teaches you that everything God created is beautiful, then why would he create a type of person who’s always oppressed?" "We’re all equal in the eyes of God."
www.icdumfries.icnetwork.co.uk
http://icdumfries.icnetwork.co.uk/othernews/news/tm_objectid=17470529&method=full&siteid=77296&headline=-death-threats–in-gay-march-row-name_page.html
July 29, 2006
11
Refusal to distribute fire safety advice
A rebel fire crew facing disciplinary action for refusing to hand out leaflets at a gay march have received death threats, according to reports. Extremists have bombarded firefighters at Cowcaddens station in Glasgow with abusive calls, according to the Scottish Daily Mirror. It follows their refusal to distribute fire safety advice at June’s Pride Scotia march in the city.
The Advocate
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid37451.asp
October 13, 2006
12
London lesbian couple will not appeal marriage ruling
A lesbian couple announced in London Wednesday that they will not be going through the appeal process for legal recognition of their marriage. Celia Kitzinger, 50, and partner Sue Wilkinson, 52, who wed in Vancouver in 2003, said they can no longer financially afford challenging the British legal system, reports Bloomberg News. "We will continue to fight for equal marriage rights for ourselves and for other same-sex couples,” the couple said in a statement. "As we cannot pursue a legal challenge, we will campaign in other ways instead."
A British court rejected their case in July, ruling that Europeans view marriage as a means for procreation, where both "maternal and paternal" figures are present. The ruling added, "To accord a same-sex relationship the title and status of marriage would fail to recognize physical reality."
"Steve" <newsletter@mail.gaytoz.com>
To:"Richard Ammon (GlobalGayz.com)" <micamm@yahoo.com>
13
News from Pride London
13 November 2006
Dear Richard,
Just a reminder that you and your colleagues are invited to the:
Pride London 2007
COMMUNITY FORUM
at City Hall
Wednesday 15 November, 6pm
Map / Access: http://www.london.gov.uk/gla/disabled_access.jsp
. . . . . . . . .
This year Pride London organised what has been heralded as the most successful ever in the capitals’ 35 year old Pride history. Over 600,000 people packed the streets of Soho, lined the parade route from Oxford Street to Victoria Embankment and filled both Trafalgar and Leicester Squares to capacity. Over 80 different events took part during the EuroPride Festival Fortnight from street parties, art events, theatre, film, dance and opera. Pride also hosted the Prides Against Prejudice conference attended by delegates from across Europe. The festival climaxed in a massively successful gala on Sunday 2 July at The Royal Albert Hall produced by Sir Ian McKellen and starring Sir Elton John.
The Pride London team are already hard at work on next year’s festival with Pride Day scheduled for Saturday 30 June 2007. The board aim to maintain exactly the same event footprint as this year with the parade again starting in Oxford Street at 1.00 pm. London’s free pride event is aimed at the LGBT community and the board want as much feedback as possible so that we can continue to grow Pride as a world-class event. The Pride team are hosting their annual Community Forum at City Hall on Wednesday 15 November at 6pm. This is your chance to hear plans for next years pride and to give the board your views on the festival.
If you would like to attend please email your name and contact details to:info@pridelondon.org or just turn up at City Hall.
You an your colleagues may also be interested in the Gay Business Association’s
LGBT BUSINESS MASTERCLASS
Tuesday 22 February 2007, 9-5pm
Full day for LGBT professionals, start-ups, charities and gay business entrepreneurs
http://www.gba.org.uk/workshop.htm
Jason Pollock
Chief Executive, Pride London
Please note Pride London’s NEW ADDRESS and phone number:
Suite 1.18,
344-354 Gray’s Inn Road London WC1 8BP
Tel: 020 7164 2182
info@PrideLondon.org
www.PrideLondon.org
A company limited by guarantee registered in England no. 5061574 Registered Charity no. 1104774
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Pride London 2007 – 30 June 2007
Gay New Zealand.com
http://www.gaynz.com/news/default.asp?dismode=article&artid=3993
November 20, 2006
14
London: 1 in 10 gay men now HIV positive
One in ten gay men in London is now infected with HIV, with one in 25 across the UK carrying the virus. New figures, released this week, are expected to show that almost 8,000 people were diagnosed with HIV last year, increasing the number of people living with the virus to around 70,000 in the UK. The annual report of the Health Protection Agency, the government-funded health watchdog that will release the official figures this week, is expected to highlight the rise in infection not only among gay and bisexual men but also among heterosexuals.
Doctors warn that, with the virus no longer seen as a killer, many young people are not practising safe sex. One government source said there was increasing concern that people who grew up after the AIDS scares of the late 1980s no longer saw the virus as life-threatening. But around a third of people with HIV are unaware that they are carrying the virus, and there is fresh concern that some people are now carrying a cocktail of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, chlamydia, syphilis and gonorrhoea. The Terrence Higgins Trust, the charity that has launched campaigns to raise awareness of HIV, warns that some HIV-positive people were afraid to seek treatment for other sexually transmitted diseases, as they feared that they would be accused of practising unsafe sex. "Despite all the campaigns, HIV is still something that people think they will not get," said a spokeswoman for the charity.
"One of the problems is that if you have got one sexually transmitted disease it makes you more susceptible to others and more infectious. Someone could start off with gonorrhoea, then they contract HIV and that will amplify the transmissibility for the disease and also make them more infectious."
BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/6206320.stm
December 12, 2006
15
Gay ‘weddings’ top 15,500 in UK
More than 15,500 gay and lesbian couples united in civil partnerships in the first nine months after new laws were brought in the UK. There were 15,672 partnerships between December 2005 and September 2006, the Office for National Statistics said. There were 14,084 partnerships in England, 537 in Wales, 942 in Scotland and 109 in Northern Ireland. Almost 2,000 partnerships took place last December when the Civil Partnership Act 2004 came into force.
The act gives same-sex couples rights in areas such as employment and pensions, but the partnerships are not officially regarded as marriages. On average, 1,621 partnerships took place each month between January and March and this fell to 1,498 between July and September, said the ONS.
London popular
England staged 84% of all ceremonies while Northern Ireland held just 1%. London hosted 25% of partnerships in the nine months after December 2005. More men have so far chosen civil partnerships, making up 62% of partnerships in England, 57% in Scotland, 56% in Northern Ireland and 51% in Wales. However, the ONS said the ratio between men and women appeared to be changing.
"The gap between the proportion of male and female partnerships in England and Scotland appears to be reducing over time," the ONS said. In London, there were around three times as many male partnerships as female partnerships. Meanwhile, Peter Tatchell, of campaign group OutRage, has called on Chancellor Gordon Brown to protect the benefit rights of gays and lesbians in his pre-Budget report on Wednesday. He claims rule changes introduced when the Partnership Act became law has resulted in the removal of social security benefits from thousands of same-sex partners who have not taken out a civil partnership, including those who plan not to. Mr Tatchell wants benefit claimants in cohabiting same-sex relationships to be given transitional financial protection.
The Associated Press
http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061209/APN/612092164
December 9, 2006
16
High court rejects lesbian’s claim of parental rights
Boston — The state’s highest court has rejected a lesbian’s attempt to establish parental rights with her former partner’s biological child, noting the woman failed to adopt the child during the 18 months she and her partner were together after the child’s birth. The woman from Middlesex County argued that she deserved to be a legal parent because she and her former partner effectively formed an agreement to raise the child together, The Boston Globe reported.
She also argued she should at least be considered a de facto parent with visitation rights because any time she missed with child while working, she made up for with the parentlike giving of money as the couple’s primary breadwinner. The couple broke up in the early 2000s, before gay marriages began in Massachusetts in 2004. The full names of the child and the parties were withheld by the court. In a unanimous opinion written by Chief Justice Margaret Marshall, the court said the woman hadn’t met the state’s requirement for legal parental rights or proved the emotional bond was so strong she deserved court-ordered visitation.
The court also said the woman never adopted the child, which would have given her the same rights as the biological mother, and didn’t spend enough time with the child to establish parental rights. Marshall wrote that though the plaintiff may love the child and the child may benefit from time with her, "these facts are insufficient, in themselves, to accord the plaintiff parental rights." A lawyer for the biological mother, John Foskett, said the court’s opinion shows that courts now apply child-protection measures equally, regardless of the couple’s sexual orientation.
Attorney Elizabeth Zeldin, who represented the plaintiff, said her client is deeply upset by the ruling, especially because the biological mother has said she planned to end temporary court-mandated visitation if she prevailed in the SJC. "It’s very sad for this child," Zeldin said.
Another attorney for the biological mother, Regina Hurley, disputed that the biological mother intends to end all contact between the child and the plaintiff. Hurley said the biological mother, like all parents, "will determine what’s in the best interests of her child."
