Gay UK News & Reports 2008 Jun-Sep

by Tony Grew
Former NBA player John Amaechi will be Amnesty International’s first sporting ambassador at the Beijing Olympics this summer. The 37-year-old, who is the only basketball player in the history of the NBA to come out of the closet, is attending the Games as a BBC commentator. The exact scope of his additional role for Amnesty is unclear, but Amaechi has already urged athletes to speak out about China’s record on human rights. "To gag athletes is outrageous," the British basketball star told The Guardian. "Since when are equality of opportunity, basic human rights, since when have these things been political? I won’t allow any official to tell me that these are political issues and I cannot go there. My experience of the world having lived in eight countries is that human rights are not political, they are fundamental. I’ve read the Olympic charter and it is quite clear that it expects from athletes something more than being hugely talented beasts of burden. It expects that sport be more than entertainment of the masses. During their Olympic bid Beijing said the Games would be used to improve the human rights situation in China. They opened the door to that scrutiny and by aligning myself with Amnesty I hope that we can help hold those promises to account."

Amaechi, who grew up near Manchester and pursued his professional career in the US and Europe, claimed that being an ambassador for human rights in China is "the most Olympian thing to do."

"Athletes in their best light could be holistic role models, not simply regarded for how they swim or run or kick." The Amaechi Basketball Centres Foundation is the focus of much of the athlete’s charitable work. It aims to increase participation in physical activity by building affordable, quality facilities and making expert coaches and mentors available to young people. The charity built its first sports centre in Manchester. Amaechi chose to come out last year in an autobiography, Man In The Middle.

Read our exclusive interview with John Amaehi here.

pinknews.co.uk
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-7857.html

June 6, 2008

2
Rainbow flag to fly over second British embassy

By Tony Grew
Warsaw holds its Pride parade tomorrow, and in a mark of solidarity the Rainbow flag will fly next to the Union flag over the British embassy in the city. The parade, the end of a week of events called Equality Days, will pass by the embassy. The Rainbow flag will fly over the embassy building from this afternoon to Monday morning. Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Poland, Ric Todd, will raise the flag over the British Embassy building on Aleje Ujazdowskie at four this afternoon. Last week the Rainbow flag flew over the British embassy in Riga to mark that city’s Pride event.

"The UK remains committed to promoting the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people overseas," said Mr Todd. "This small gesture is a symbol of the British embassy’s commitment to equality and acceptance for all. This weekend’s Pride March will be a celebration of diversity in Poland, Europe and beyond. I particularly hope participants travelling from the UK will enjoy the festivities."

It is common for the Rainbow flag to fly from municipal buildings to mark Pride or other events such as the annual International Day Against Homophobia, but it is thought that last week marked the first time a British embassy has displayed it. In May the Foreign and Commonwealth Office confirmed its commitment to engage with foreign governments about the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans people. It issued an ‘LGBT Toolkit’ to its 261 embassies, high commissions and other diplomatic posts. The kit contains information on the official British policy on gay rights and instructions in how to "provide added value to equality and non-discrimination work." It covers a wide range of issues, from decriminalisation, sexual health, reproductive rights and health education to bilateral work with other countries. The document states that LGBT activists are often targets for persecution and that the FCO should ensure these people are "included among human rights defenders concerning whom the UK will lobby and will engage the support of other governments, especially EU members."

A spokesperson for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office told PinkNews.co.uk: "The UK remains committed to promoting the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people overseas. Last December the FCO adopted a programme of action for promoting the human rights of LGBT people abroad. This made clear that sexual orientation cannot be a qualifying factor in the application of human rights. We have now worked with partners to develop a programme to guide our embassies overseas. This programme has now been sent to all our diplomatic posts worldwide. We will continue to engage with our posts to promote the rights LGBT people across the world."

pinknews.co.uk
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-7846.html

June 6, 2008

3
Gay youth to picnic in Soho Square

by Tony Grew
London’s largest gathering of LGBT youth will take place in the centre of the city later this month. The capital’s next generation of gays will gather in Soho Square on Friday 20th June for the ‘OutZone Summer Picnic’. Organised by The OutZone Youth Project and PACE Youthwork, the annual picnic is part of the Pride celebrations, in the run up to the main Pride London 2008 event on Saturday 5th July. The OutZone Youth Project and Youthwork Service are part of PACE, founded in 1985.

"The event was originally developed as a way to help young men, to feel more confident about ‘being themselves’ in public spaces," said PACE Youthwork Service Manager Andy Higgins. "It was also promoted as a safe and facilitated introduction to central London’s ‘gay scene’ – which they often perceive as an intimidating and threatening environment." The event now in its 6th year and has been opened up to friends and family of LGBT youth. "We thought it would be an excellent idea to make it into a community event by having their families, and straight friends come along to enjoy the evening," explained Mr Higgins.

Senior Youth Worker Jo Gate Eastley added: "It always astounds me how many young people turn up to our mid-summer picnic, come rain or shine. Pride London celebrations would not be complete without this event. Last year we attracted a particularly high number of lesbian and bisexual young women, and we’re hoping to see similar amounts of girls enjoying the summer sunshine, along with the boys, this year." The event is aimed at young people aged 25 and under and participants may be asked to prove their age and identity.

paulcanning.blogspot.com
http://paulcanning.blogspot.com/2008/06/another-gay-asylum-seeker-to-be-sent.html

June 8, 2008

4
Another gay asylum seeker to be sent back to torture or death

The Home Office wants to send another gay asylum seeker back to torture and possible death — and is again claiming that ‘discretion’ means they can do it. Prossy Kakooza is a 26-year-old lesbian woman who fled Uganda after suffering vicious sexual, physical and verbal attacks due to her sexual orientation. She has an English Literature degree and would like to teach here. Uganda’s government is violently anti-gay, newspapers and religious groups are engaged in witch hunts and asylum campaigners have reported that returnees on arrival in Kampala have been immediately taken to a torture centre. While in prison Kakooza was subjected to multiple rapes and branded with red hot meat skewers on her thighs by drunken police officers.

"I’m still receiving counseling at a rape crisis centre," she said. "I have nightmares every night and I don’t think I will ever get over what happened to me." Kakooza also said that she often thinks of her girlfriend, Leah, who remains in prison. "I was lucky I got out. I can’t bear to think of what is happening to her there."

The Home Office has done this before to gay Ugandan torture victims. For example, in 2005 Kizza Musinguzi who was jailed by the Ugandan government for his gay human rights work and subjected to four months of forced labour, water torture, beatings and rape faced the Home Office saying that the abuse he was subject to did not constitute persecution. In Harmondsworth asylum detention centre he was abused and denied medical treatment.

There is considerable evidence that asylum seekers have been subjected to severe physical abuse from contractors hired by Gordon Brown and Jacqui Smith’s Home Office. UK Lesbian & Gay Immigration Group carries many harrowing stories of the UK’s treatment of gay asylum seekers like Prossy. Most of those returned simply disappear to unknown fates. Others have committed suicide here rather than be returned.

Makes you proud to be British.

pinknews.co.uk
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-7965.html

June 15, 2008

5
Gay artists faces deportation after asylum claim is rejected

by Jane Rochstad Lim
An openly gay artist could face torture after his claim for asylum has was dismissed by the Home Office. Babakhan Badalov (Babi) from Azerbaijan arrived in the UK in 2006 after being repressed and persecuted in his home country. Azerbaijan legalised homosexuality in 2000. However, the Muslim country is still a very conservative society and homosexuality remains an extremely taboo subject. The 49 year-old internationally-renowned poet and artist’s work got him into trouble with the law. He was often critical of the government and members of the regime. He claims his sexual orientation also caused him both physical and mental grief and he endured years of bullying.

Babi’s family’s denial of his sexual orientation even led to one of his brothers threatening to kill him as he had shamed the family. After fleeing to the UK, Babi was detained in four different detention centres for thirty-two days before being moved to Cardiff. As a result of the beatings and bullying, Babi has only eight teeth remaining and faces a number of mental health problems such as anxiety, panic attacks, suicidal tendencies and insomnia. There is a petition and campaign website dedicated to his case. Babi’s case, like the other high profile LGBT asylum seeker cases, highlights the problems faced by LGBT people in the asylum system. It has been under increasing pressure and is seen as falling below the standards of a civilised nation. A recent 12-member Independent Asylum Commission said that it failed to give sanctuary to people who genuinely need it.

Lord Ramsbotham, a former chief inspector of prisons, told the BBC: "We are concerned at the level of the treatment of children, the treatment of women, the treatment of those with health needs, particularly mental health needs, torture survivors. The system is improving all the time, and we commend the strenuous efforts by Border and Immigration Agency to deal with these claims more effectively." The volume of people seeking asylum in the UK has fallen sharply and last year there were just over 23,000.

The report has shocked many MPs. The then-Tory Shadow Home Secretary David Davis called the report a "shocking indictment of the asylum system under Labour." Peter Tatchell, a Green party candidate for Parliament and gay rights activist, went as far as saying that the system is filled with "homophobic and transphobic bias." "The government seems more interested in cutting asylum numbers than in ensuring fairness and justice for LGBT refugees who have fled arrest, imprisonment, torture, vigilante attacks and attempts to kill them." he added.

The head of the Border and Immigration Agency, Lin Homer, told the BBC: "I totally refute any suggestion that we treat asylum applicants without care and compassion. We operate a firm but humane system, supporting those who are vulnerable with accommodation and assistance. But we expect those that a court says have no genuine need for asylum to return home voluntarily, saving taxpayers the expense of enforcing their return."

Recent high profile asylum cases include: Jojo Yakob. In April, members of the Scottish Parliament called on the government not to deport the gay teenager to Syria. Also in April, a decision to deport Mehdi Kazemi, a gay teenager from Iran claiming asylum, was resisted by more than 60 peers. Mr Kazemi, now 20, was studying in England and applied for asylum after his boyfriend was arrested and reportedly executed in Tehran. The boyfriend named Mehdi as a homosexual, and police turned up at his father’s house with a warrant to arrest him. His asylum application was unsuccessful in the UK, so Mehdi fled to Holland. The Dutch authorities ruled he should be returned to the UK. He successfully petitioned the Home Secretary to reconsider his case and has been given leave to remain.

BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7455187.stm

15 June 2008

6
Anger at Anglican gay ‘wedding’

The Reverend Martin Dudley who performed the service said he had no regrets Traditionalists in the Anglican Church have been angered after two gay clergymen exchanged vows in a version of a marriage ceremony. The service, at St Bartholomew the Great Church in the City of London last month, used formal rites. The Reverend Peter Cowell and the Reverend Dr David Lord were already civil partners. Critics say the ceremony flouted guidelines, but the vicar who conducted it said church rules were not broken. The couple are said to have exchanged vows and rings in front of hundreds of guests in the event thought to be the first of its kind in the Anglican Church.

‘Erosion of respect’

Anglicans worldwide are split over homosexuality and conservatives have condemned the service – which had no legal status – as blasphemous. Critics say the wording of a traditional wedding expressly defines marriage as being between a man and a woman. The service was conducted by the Reverend Martin Dudley, who told the BBC he had not broken any instructions issued by the bishops.

"It wasn’t a gay church wedding, it was the blessing of two people who have contracted a civil partnership. They wanted more than I was able to give – they wanted something more like a wedding. I was not willing to do that because I believe that marriage is the union of a man and a woman. Therefore we had to negotiate the form of the service, the words that were used, so that I could say them with integrity, but they also found that they expressed their love for each other and their commitment to each other. But what we actually did was to celebrate in the context of holy communion, of a solemn celebration of the eucharist, their love for each other."

But the Reverend David Banting said Mr Dudley and the couple were in rebellion against the teachings of the Church, and the guidelines and authority of the bishops and archbishops. "There is bound to be consequences. It is very difficult to exercise discipline in the Church of England because things have gone such a long way down this sort of track. But yes, I would expect there to be consequences."

The Archbishop of Uganda, the Most Reverend Henry Orombi, told the Sunday Telegraph: "The leadership tried to deny that this would happen, but now the truth is out. "Our respect for the Church of England will erode unless we see a return to traditional teaching."

But liberals in the Church say the Bible should be reinterpreted in line with contemporary experience. Under Church of England guidance, gay priests can enter civil partnerships as long as they remain celibate. Guidance also says that gay couples who ask a priest to bless their partnership must be treated "pastorally and sensitively".

services.inquirer.net
http://services.inquirer.net/print/print.php?article_id=20080615-142815

June 15, 2008

7
Two gay priests ‘marry’ in London church — report

Lonfon, United Kingdom (Agence France-Presse) – The Church of England said Saturday that two gay priests may have broken its rules, after a newspaper report that they exchanged vows and rings in Britain’s first ever church "wedding" ceremony. The Sunday Telegraph said clerics Peter Cowell and David Lord "married" at one of England’s oldest churches — Saint Bartholomew the Great in London — last month, using one of the church’s most traditional wedding rites. The couple had registered their legal civil partnership status before the ceremony. The Church of England does not allow same-sex ceremonies in church, although some blessings have been carried out. A Church of England spokesman told AFP they had "no reason" to believe that the ceremony did not take place but added: "What we seem to have here is a fairly serious breach of the rules by an individual or groups of individuals."

News of the ceremony could not come at a worse time for the worldwide Anglican communion, which risks a damaging split because of member churches’ diverging attitudes towards homosexuality, particularly amongst clergy. Conservative churches, mainly in Africa, have been odds with their more liberal, Western counterparts since the ordination of an openly gay American priest, Gene Robinson, as a bishop in 2003. That led to a moratorium on further ordination of gay clergy but the subject is expected to be divisive issue at the Lambeth Conference of Bishops, chaired by the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, in the coming weeks. The Sunday Telegraph quoted the Archbishop of Uganda, the Most Reverend Henry Orombi, as saying that the ceremony, performed by a vicar using the marriage liturgy with readings, hymns, and a Eucharist, was "blasphemous." He called on Williams to take decisive action if the Anglican communion is not to "disintegrate." "What really shocks me is that this is happening in the Church of England that first brought the Gospel to us," he told the newspaper.

The Church of England spokesman said he hoped the news would not affect relations between member churches, stressing: "The Church of England has not changed its rules (on the subject) at any stage." The Bishop of London, Richard Chartres, in whose diocese the ceremony took place, was unavailable for comment, his spokesman told AFP.

pinknews.co.uk
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-7984.html

June 16, 2008

8
Bishop to investigate following gay priest’s resignation for "marrying" his partner in church

by Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
One of the gay priests who caused controversy over the weekend for marrying his partner, also a member of the clergy in what was in effect the first gay marriage in a British church has resigned. The Bishop of London is to investigate the incident. Rev Dr David Lord an Anglican priest based in New Zealand said it "felt it appropriate to lay down his clergy license" last night. The Reverend Peter Cowell and the Rev Dr David Lord exchanged vows in what is legally a "blessing ceremony" at St Bartholomew the Great in the City of London in May. A civil partnership ceremony can not by its very nature can not take place in a religious institution although it is legally permissible for a blessing ceremony to take place in one. Indeed., the Liberal Judaism movement has offered services within Synagogues for some time. In this instance a full Church of England ceremony has taken place although technically gay clergy may only "marry" if they provide reassurance that they will abstain from sex.

The Bishop of London, the Right Rev Richard Chartres, said such services are not authorised in the Church of England. He has asked the archdeacon of London to investigate. The Rev Martin Dudley, who officiated at the service told the Guardian: "I am surprised and disappointed by the fuss. It was a joyful, godly occasion. Why turn it into a controversy? It was not a rally or a demonstration. "Nor is it the first time there have been prayers, hymns or readings following a civil partnership. It may be that this ceremony had rather more knobs on. It may also be the only one we know about." He said that he had written to the Bishop of London for the official view on such services two years ago. The bishop replied saying he would be grateful for such services not to take place.

The ceremony is in effect no different to the blessing that Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall received from the Archbishop of Canterbury after they held a civil ceremony at Windsor’s Guildhall. Mr Dudley added: "It just seems to me to be utter hypocrisy to deny the fact that there are significant numbers of gay men and women within the church and significant numbers of gay clergy. It seems to me that Jesus would have been sitting in the congregation."

The Archbishop of Uganda, the Most Reverend Henry Orombi is highly critical of the Church leadership’s approach to homosexuality. He told the Sunday Telegraph: "The leadership tried to deny that this would happen, but now the truth is out. "Our respect for the Church of England will erode unless we see a return to traditional teaching."

Mr Dudley who conducted the service said: "You can’t allow the cultural and theological prejudices of the Bishop of Uganda for example, to govern how we are going to go forward in a very diverse community where the law and society accepts homosexual relationships in civil partnerships." Andrea Williams, a campaigner from Christian Concern for Our Nation told the Press Association: "It’s the role of the church to show that marriage is a lifelong commitment between a man and a woman. The church should set the standard that God has given for marriage and not reflect the direction in which society is going. "When the Civil Partnership Act was passed the Government stated quite clearly that this was not marriage but a civil partnership. In this we see two men trying to stretch what people said the law was intended to mean."

pinknews.co.uk
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-8002.html

June 17, 2008

9
Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of York condemn gay marriage service

by Adam Lake
The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of York have condemned the recent partnership ceremony of two bishops held over the weekend.

A joint statement released this afternoon reads: "We have heard the reports of the recent service in St Bartholomew the Great with very great concern. We cannot comment on the specific circumstances because they are the subject of an investigation launched by the Bishop of London. On the general issue, however, the various reference points for the Church of England’s approach to human sexuality (1987 Synod motion, 1991 Bishops’ Statement- Issues in Human Sexuality- , Lambeth motion 1:10, House of Bishops’ 2005 statement on civil partnerships) are well known and remain current. Those clergy who disagree with the Church’s teaching are at liberty to seek to persuade others within the Church of the reasons why they believe, in the light of Scripture, tradition and reason that it should be changed. But they are not at liberty simply to disregard it."

One of the gay priests who caused controversy over the weekend for marrying his partner, also a member of the clergy in what was in effect the first gay marriage in a British church has resigned. The Bishop of London is to investigate the incident. Rev Dr David Lord an Anglican priest based in New Zealand said it "felt it appropriate to lay down his clergy license" last night. The Reverend Peter Cowell and the Rev Dr David Lord exchanged vows in what is legally a "blessing ceremony" at St Bartholomew the Great in the City of London in May.

A civil partnership ceremony can not by its very nature can not take place in a religious institution although it is legally permissible for a blessing ceremony to take place in one. Indeed, the Liberal Judaism movement has offered services within Synagogues for some time. In this instance a full Church of England ceremony has taken place although technically gay clergy may only "marry" if they provide reassurance that they will abstain from sex. The Bishop of London, the Right Rev Richard Chartres, said such services are not authorised in the Church of England. He has asked the archdeacon of London to investigate.

pinknews.co.uk
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-7998.html

June 17, 2008

10
Survey reveals that 41% of HIV infected men are unaware of status

by Adam Lake
A recent survey has revealed that HIV positive men who are aware of their diagnosis are more likely to have unprotected sex then men who are unaware of their status. The survey, which took oral fluid samples from over 3500 men in gay bars, clubs and sauna’s around the UK, found that 9% of men who took part in the survey were HIV positive. The surveys were carried out in Glasgow and Edinburgh by the MRC, and in London, Brighton and Manchester by the UCL Centre for Sexual Health and HIV Research. Of the 3501 men who took part in the survey 318 (9%) were found to be HIV infected and of these 131 (41.2%) were unaware of their status. 92% of those who were found to be HIV infected have previously had and HIV test and 62.3% thought that they were still HIV negative.

The results also found that men with undiagnosed or diagnosed HIV positive status were more likely to have unsafe sex then men who were HIV negative. The results show that although persuading more men to find out there status is important, more work needs to be done to persuade men who are aware or unsure of their HIV status to practice safer sex. In all five cities, trained fieldworkers distributed anonymous, self-complete questionnaires, and oral fluid collection kits to collect samples to be tested for HIV antibodies. The comparable questionnaires included demographics, HIV testing history, perceived HIV status, and experience of STI’s in the previous year. Questions on sexual behaviour included number of partners, partner type, and knowledge of partners’ HIV status.

The survey found that HIV-negative men were generally younger than undiagnosed and diagnosed HIV-positive men. The majority of the men surveyed had some education beyond secondary school, but this was significantly lower among the men diagnosed with HIV. There was a similar pattern for employment, with fewer men with diagnosed HIV being currently employed. Curiously, undiagnosed men were more likely to report their most recent HIV test was in the 12 months prior to the survey than HIV-negative men, but were less likely to report never having tested. Men who were aware of their HIV-positive status reported the highest levels of sexual risk.

The research also adds that these results may only be the tip of the iceberg, stating: "It is possible that men who only have safer sex could have been more willing to participate in the surveys than men who do not, therefore underestimating actual levels of sexual risk behaviour. There is no way to determine this but the anonymous, self-complete nature of the surveys hopefully limited this bias."

The report concluded: "The suggested reductions in new HIV infections that would result from decreases in undiagnosed infection rely on an assumption of lower sexual risk among those aware of their HIV-positive status, as well as the likely reduction in infection amongst those well controlled on antiretroviral therapy, However, in our study, it was men who were aware of their HIV-positive status who reported the highest levels of sexual risk, and the higher likelihood of unprotected anal sex with two or more partners among men diagnosed over a year earlier, suggests that maintenance of safer sex behaviour may be problematic for men living with HIV."

Terrence Higgins Trust’s Will Nutland, who is the Strategic Lead in Health Promotion for the sexual health charity, told PinkNews.co.uk: "All of the data shows that at the point of HIV diagnosis it is men who practice unsafe sex who are more likely to be found to be HIV positive, Men who are testing positive for HIV infection are more likely to be practicing unsafe sex, I don’t believe it is the case that men start to practice unsafe sex after their find out their status. What is most concerning about these results is the large amount of gay man who are unaware of their HIV status, The Terrence Higgins Trust is about to review our policy on this but we believe that men who have sex with men should have at least one annual sexual health check up and those in high risk groups should be thinking about having three or four."

Earlier in the year THT announced that it is to offer a range of paid-for sexual health tests and treatments by post. THT by Post offers testing and treatment for chlamydia and gonorrhoea, testing for HIV and treatment for genital herpes and non-specific urethritis.

pinknews.co.uk
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-8008.html

June 18, 2008

11
LGBT Christian group describe Archbishops’ condemnation as "indefensible"

by Adam Lake
The Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement (LGCM) has said it supports last week’s blessing of a same sex couple in church. In a strongly-worded statement the group compared the Archbishops’ "prejudiced" stance to those who refused to end the slave trade. Yesterday the Archbishops of York and Canterbury condemned the ceremony.

The LGCM said: "The disregarding of manifestly unjust official Church teaching has a long and honourable tradition of its own. It has encompassed, for instance, campaigns against slavery, the use of unauthorised liturgies, remarriage of divorcees, and the ordination of women. All have come to pass and are now considered integral to the life of the Church, and all suffered a great deal of opposition form the Archbishops of the day."

Yesterday the The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of York condemned the recent partnership ceremony of two bishops held over the weekend: "We have heard the reports of the recent service in St Bartholomew the Great with very great concern. On the general issue, however, the various reference points for the Church of England’s approach to human sexuality (1987 Synod motion, 1991 Bishops’ Statement- Issues in Human Sexuality- , Lambeth motion 1:10, House of Bishops’ 2005 statement on civil partnerships) are well known and remain current. Those clergy who disagree with the Church’s teaching are at liberty to seek to persuade others within the Church of the reasons why they believe, in the light of Scripture, tradition and reason that it should be changed. But they are not at liberty simply to disregard it."

The LGCM disagrees: "No number of Resolutions, arguing for the status quo, whose effect is to entrench and defend the indefensible, can alter the fact the Church of England is ‘rent asunder’ and unwilling to live out a gospel that treats all people as equals. That Church’s like St Bartholomew The Great in London are willing to act on principle rather than out of prejudice shows up how much of a chasm exists at the very heart of the Church."

pinknews.co.uk
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-8126.html

June 27, 2008

12
Politics and showbiz unite to show support for gay asylum seekers

by Forum Mithani
A Hollywood star, prominent politicians and leading gay-rights activists showed their support for LGBT asylum seekers and same-sex bi-national couples at a fundraiser last week. Actor Sir Ian McKellen, Michael Cashman MEP, MPs Evan Harris and Simon Hughes and gay equality organisation Stonewall’s chief executive Ben Summerskill spoke at the event organised by UK Lesbian and Gay Immigration Group (UKLGIG). They highlighted the plight of LGBT asylum seekers in the UK and need to change attitudes towards LGBT people globally.

Sebastian Rocca, Executive Director of UKLGIG, praised the speakers for lending their support. "We are extremely grateful to be able to call upon the support of such inspirational people," he said. "Despite the constant pressure of raising funds, we will not only continue our very successful work in helping LGBT people obtain the sanctuary they deserve, but also ensure that LGBT issues are always considered and included in the Home Office agenda."

Other speakers included gay asylum seekers from Iran and Jamaica. There were also performances by lesbian comedy duo TetraFlap and Ngati Ranana – London Maori Club.

Founded in 1993, UKLGIG has worked with same-sex, bi-national couples fighting for the right to for foreign partners to remain in the UK. It also receives hundreds of requests for help from LGBT people seeking protection in the UK because of persecution in their home country. Over the last year, it has helped more than 200 LGBT asylum seekers by providing information, advice and support.

pinknews.co.uk
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-8132.html

June 27, 2008

13
Queen invests Sir Ian with top honour

by Adrian McBreen
Veteran actor Sir Ian McKellen has been made a Companion of Honour for services to drama and equality. The award was presented to the 69-year-old national treasure by the Queen at an investiture ceremony held in Buckingham Palace on Wednesday. The Hollywood A-lister was awarded a knighthood in 1990. Companions of Honour include the Queen and only 65 other members, all outstanding talents in their fields from painters Lucian Freud and Sir David Hockney to acclaimed actress Dame Judi Dench.

Sir Ian, an Oscar-nominated actor, is also a founder member of the gay rights organisation Stonewall, established in 1989. Sir Ian came out as gay in 1988, long before it was fashionable, or even professionally safe, for a public figure and internationally recognised actor to do so. His decision to risk his career came on the back of the House of Commons’s approval of Section 28 (later repealed in 2003), which made it illegal for local authorities to "intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality." The act also banned "teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship."

Since leaving his closeted days behind, Sir Ian has campaigned openly and vociferously for gay rights, particularly among the Hollywood film community. He is perhaps best known around the globe for his role as Wizard Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, which earned him an Oscar nomination in 2002. His other nomination was in 1999 for Gods and Monsters. He confesses to an unrequited passion for Derek Jacobi while a student at Cambridge, something he attributes to Jacobi’s tight trousers, orange hair and straight back.

In 2003, during a famous appearance on the BBC’s Have I Got News For You, Sir Ian claimed that when he visited the then local government minister Michael Howard in 1988 to lobby against Section 28, Howard refused to change his position but did ask him to leave an autograph for his children. He agreed, but wrote "Fuck off, I’m gay." He will be a guest of honour at Pride London on July 5th.

pinknews.co.uk
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-8125.html

June 27, 2008

14
Tabloid’s front page gay kiss shows Heinz how it’s done

by Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
A tabloid newspaper has responded to the Heinz gay kiss ad fiasco by printing a photo of two men kissing on its front page this morning. Brighton-based One80news features the headline ‘Is This Really Offensive, Kids?’ to provoke debate and urge its readers to complain to Heinz. “We were disgusted at Heinz for pulling their ‘gay kiss’ ad and for apologising so readily for their own

‘offensive’ imagery,” said Torsten Højer from One80news. We just couldn’t believe that in 2008, the sight of two men affectionately kissing really offends that many people – so we thought we’d put an image of a gay kiss out there. It’s well-documented that familiarity can combat prejudice, and One80news is available throughout Brighton and Hove, in bars, cafes, shops, libraries and even leisure centres – and online. The more people that see positive images of same-sex affection, the better.”

The newspaper reports that community leaders in gay-friendly Brighton and Hove are joining gay equality organisation Stonewall in condemning Heinz’s anti-gay decision to axe the advert. “This ad was imaginative and represents a massive leap forwards in that it dared to represent gay parents, say Phelim MacCafferty, LGBT spokesperson for the Brighton Green Party. This cowardly withdrawal by Heinz reminds us that there are organised forces which have vested interests in keeping all LGBT people off the screens altogether.”

Labour’s Parliamentary candidate for Brighton’s ‘gay village’ of Kemp Town, Simon Burgess, echoed Mr MacCafferty’s comments. “I think it’s pathetic that Heinz buckled because of a few complaints about two men giving each other a quick peck. Come on Heinz, wake up. It’s the 21st century! One80news’ campaign, dubbed ‘Heinz Hatez Gayz’ is encouraging people to call the Heinz customer careline on 0800 528 5757 and tell them: “If it isn’t Heinz, it isn’t homophobic.”

One80news is the sister publication of national gay magazine 3SIXTY and has just celebrated its first birthday. It is available for download from www.one80news.co.uk

pinknews.co.uk
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-8198.html

July 2, 2008

15
Tatchell attacked at meeting of Anglican dissidents

by T’Kisha George
A gay activist who was violently removed from a conference held by "breakaway Anglicans" has accused them of fueling homophobic witch-hunts. Peter Tatchell and two fellow protesters were trying to get into yesterday’s conference, hosted by newly-formed Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (FOCA), at All Souls Church in central London when they were attacked. FOCA opposes the recognition of same-sex relationships and female bishops. "This breakaway Anglican faction is fundamentalist, homophobic and sexist," Mr Tatchell said. "It opposes equal rights for women and gay people, and is allied with hardline church leaders whose bigoted teachings are fueling anti-gay witch-hunts in many countries."

The human rights campaigner was joined by Brett Lock, from gay rights group OutRage, and Christian and Ugandan gay rights activist, Kizza Musinguzi. When they tried to enter the church, they were physically ejected and Mr Tatchell said he was punched in the chest by a church steward. Mr Tatchell and supporters unfolded their banners, reading "Church of Hate! Stop Crucifying Queers!," "Defend gays, fight Christian bigots" and "Anglicans Repent Your Homophobia", once they were outside the building.

750 clergy and churchwardens attended the conference, addressed by the Archbishop Gregory Venables from South America, Archbishop Peter Jensen from Sydney and Archbishop of Uganda, Henry Orombi. Archbishop Orombi has starred in his own drama in the past, excommunicating heterosexual bishop Christopher Senyonjo because he defended gay people against persecution.

He has stirred up trouble in Uganda where violence and hatred against gays is rife, which led to the imprisonment and torture of Mr Musinguzi. "The church is supposed to be all-loving," said Mr Musinguzi, who is currently seeking asylum in the UK. It is not acceptable that it has one set of rights for straight Christians and a lesser set of rights for gay Christians. When Archbishop Orombi takes a stand against gay people, he signals to the population that it is ok to discriminate against gay people. Gay people in Uganda face imprisonment, torture and mob violence. Many are driven out of their communities and left destitute. The government excludes gay people from its HIV programmes, leaving them to die without medication. The Church of Uganda is exacerbating this homophobia, neglect and persecution."

Mr Tatchell added that the Archbishop of Nigeria is backing the state-sponsored persecution of lesbians and gays in Nigeria and is orchestrating a victimisation campaign against the Nigerian gay Christian leader Davis Mac-Iyalla, Director of Changing Attitude Nigeria. "Jesus Christ is recorded in The Bible as condemning many sins but he never once condemned homosexuality," said Mr Tatchell. "The anti-gay campaign of the breakaway Anglican leaders is a perversion of Christ’s gospel of love and compassion. These splitters are Old Testament fundamentalists, not true followers of Jesus Christ."

Frequent spats concerning gay priests and female bishops have rocked the General Synod of the Church of England, with fears of a split. FOCA was founded at a recent conference held in Jerusalem which defied the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams. The Archbishop of Canterbury’s office said yesterday it would not comment as it did not want to pre-empt the next General Synod meeting.

pinknews.co.uk
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-8193.html

July 2, 2008

16
LGBT Christians must toughen up says Bishop Robinson

by Tony Grew
The only openly gay bishop in the Anglican Communion has said that people who want to change the church to become more accepting should "expect suffering." Gene Robinson, the Bishop of New Hampshire, was addressing a congregation at the Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Sacramento, California. "We want to change the world without paying the price for it," he said, according to kcra.com Most of what I’ve learned about our movement I’ve learned from the African-American civil rights movement in this country. And those people went out and paid their dues for civil rights, knowing there’s going to be dogs and fire hoses and tear gas and maybe death. And so you and I, especially if you are in the LGBT community, you and I need to toughen up. And we need to expect suffering."

On Sunday a group of senior Anglican clergy announced the formation of a breakaway group that rejects the acceptance of gay relationships and the ordination of gay clergy, called the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (FOCA). Since Bishop Robinson’s installation, there has been civil war over gay issues among the Anglican Communion. The breakaway group, backed by 300 of the 800 or so bishops in the Church, intend to snub the Archbishop of Canterbury by not attending the Lambeth Conference later this month. It claims God’s blessing for same-sex unions is against the biblical teaching on holy matrimony.

"In 2003 this false gospel led to the consecration of a bishop living in a homosexual relationship," the group said in a statement. The Archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual leader of the Anglican Church, criticised the formation of the new "global network," and said it was not enough to just dismiss the existing structures of the worldwide Communion. "If they are not working effectively, the challenge is to renew them rather than to improvise solutions that may seem to be effective for some in the short term but will continue to create more problems than they solve," said Dr Williams.

A spokesman for the Archbishop was more forthright, telling the Daily Telegraph: "It is ludicrous to say you do not recognise the Archbishop of Canterbury or the see of Canterbury; they are the defining characteristics of Anglicanism. By doing away with the role and the place, these people are becoming a Protestant sect."

pinknews.co.uk
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-8220.html

July 4, 2008

17
Nigerian gay rights campaigner freed from asylum detention centre

by Tony Grew
Davis Mac-Iyalla, a leader of the gay Christian and gay rights movement in Nigeria, was arrested and incarcerated in Oakington asylum detention centre in Cambridgeshire earlier this week. He has now been released and will be able to speak at Pride London tomorrow about the situation in Nigeria. "After an intensive lobbying campaign for his release over the last two days, the Home Office has relented and set free Mr Mac-Iyalla," said human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell. "I am delighted that the Home Office has finally seen sense and released him. But he was only freed because he has lots of supporters and a first-class solicitor, Abigale Evans of Wilson and Co. Many gay asylum seekers are not so lucky. They end up in detention for months. Davis should never have been detained in the first place. Treating a victim of homophobic persecution like a common criminal is outrageous."

Mr Mac-Iyalla is claiming ayslum in the UK. "I believe it is too dangerous for him to go back to Nigeria – or to the neighbouring countries," said Mr Tatchell. "Long before he considered the option of asylum, I was aware of the abuses and threats that Mr Mac-Iyalla has experienced: his arrest, imprisonment and torture by the police in Abuja in 2005; his inability to attend his sister’s funeral in March this year due to fear of assassination; the threats to kill him made by assailants who attacked his CAN colleague in Port Harcourt in the same month; and the violent assault on him in Lome, Togo, also in March.

Since March 2008, Mr Mac-Iyalla has received email and text messages threatening to kill him. They originate from Nigeria. This pattern of escalating threats and attacks make it unsafe for Mr Mac-Iyalla to return to Nigeria. Mr Mac-Iyalla, 36, is the leader of Changing Attitude Nigera, a group that works for equality for lesbians, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) members of the Anglican Communion. CAN also promotes a wider LGBT human rights agenda in Nigeria, campaigning, for instance, against the Nigerian government’s bid in 2006 to outlaw same-sex marriage and ban gay organisations, churches, helplines, counselling groups, meetings and newspapers.

pinknews.co.uk
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-8219.html

July 4, 2008

18
Hope for Ugandan lesbian’s asylum appeal

by Stephanie Phillips
A Ugandan lesbian has moved one step closer to her goal for asylum in the UK after a senior immigration judge dismissed the previous tribunal as a ‘mess.’ Prossy Kakooza, 26, fled Uganda after her family found her in bed with her partner, who she had met at university, and marched both women naked to the police station where Prossy was raped and tortured by police officers. She escaped to the UK after her family bribed the guards to release her so they could have her killed. They believed this would ‘take away the curse from the family.’ The news of Prossy’s fight for asylum comes as Peter Tatchell spoke out against the government yesterday at the TUC LGBT conference. He called on them to make ‘urgent’ reforms to the asylum system and stop gay refugees being sent back to ‘viciously homophobic countries such as Iran, Uganda, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Jamaica, Belarus and Saudi Arabia.’

Mr Tatchell urged the government to implement five policy changes to ensure fair hearings for LGBT asylum seekers. These changes included asylum staff receiving training in sexual orientation and transgender awareness, the government telling asylum staff that homophobic and transphobic persecution are grounds for granting asylum and the official Home Office country information reports being upgraded to include the true scale of homophobic persecution. Mr Tatchell said: "These are systemic failings by a callous and indifferent government that is more interested in cutting asylum numbers than in ensuring a fair, just and compassionate asylum system."

The Home Office’s first decision to deny Prossy asylum did not take into account the fact that she had been mistreated by the state and would probably face the same treatment again if she returned. The Home Office believed that she was raped and tortured, because of the medical evidence, but dismissed her attack as the ‘random acts of individuals’ and suggested that she could move to another town in Uganda.

In Uganda you cannot move to another town without a reference from your previous village and since she is a lesbian she would be persecuted wherever she went. Homosexuality is illegal in Uganda and the penalty is life in prison. The new ruling will allow Prossy to present her case again to the asylum tribunal which is likely to take place in the autumn.

pinknews.co.uk
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-8282.html

July 8, 2008

19
Volunteers needed as Black Pride comes to Regents Park in August

by Stephanie Phillips
Tickets are now on sale for official UK Black Pride festival (UKBP) that will take place on Saturday 16th August in Regents Park, London. UKBP was formed in 2005 following a successful day trip to the beach. With the help of the BME LGBT community the organisation was established. "There will be something for everyone to enjoy and more importantly the pride event is an opportunity to proudly support and celebrate the talents and achievements of the UK’s Black, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community," organisers said.

The UKBP festival promises to be an exciting day filled with music, entertainment, live performances, music by the UK’s best DJs, a market place, information stalls and much more. UKBP is dedicated to promoting unity among Black people of African, Asian, Middle Eastern, and Latin American descent who identify as Lesbian Gay Bi-Sexual and Transgender. UKBP are offering an early bird offer and giving 30% discount on the standard ticket price until Monday 14th July. Students will also be able to get a discount of 50% off the standard ticket price.

There is also a limited "Diamond package" deal on offer which includes a champagne reception, buffet lunch and free entry to Bootylicious and Soul Naturelle. UKBP is also looking for volunteers to help out on the day. For more information go to www.ukblackpride.org.uk

pinknews.co.uk
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-8313.html

July 10, 2008

20
Pride London 2008 attended by 825,000 people

by Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
Official figures released today reveal that the capital hosted one of largest Pride events in the world last weekend. The Metropolitan Police said they estimate 825,000 people attended the event. The police numbers are calculated by specialist analysis of CCTV and aerial photography.

Colm Howard-Lloyd, a Director of Pride London, commented: "We are always quite cautious about these figures; my mother taught me you shouldn’t boast. I fell off my chair a number of times when we were told that nearly twice as many people attended the event than in 2007. I hope this sends a strong message of togetherness not just to LGBT people in the UK but also to those in countries such as the Czech Republic, Hungary and Bulgaria who have struggled to be allowed to celebrate Pride recently."

Despite an incident in Trafalgar Square where some trans people were directed to use a disabled toilet, which Pride organisers later apologised for, the event was peaceful. "This year London held the largest Pride event the UK has seen," said Paul Birrell, chair of Pride London. We are particularly grateful to the police and other agencies who worked with us throughout the year to deliver a safe and fun event. Their advice and support has been invaluable and we were so pleased with the policing of the event. Thanks should also go to our security and event-stewarding contractor, SFM, who did a particularly outstanding job of looking after more than three quarters of a million people. The biggest thanks though must go to the hundreds of volunteers who gave up their pride day to steward the parade, run the stages and be involved in all areas of the event. Without them Pride London simply wouldn’t happen."

Mr Birrell urged all those who enjoyed London’s most outstanding free day out to back Pride’s campaign with Health Initiatives to raise £50,000 for a weekend HIV testing and support clinic in central London, which people can still contribute to by texting “HI CLINIC” to 84424.

Donations can also be made via www.justgiving.com/hiclinic.

pinknews.co.uk
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-8311.html

July 10, 2008

21
Secularists horrified by "catastrophic" employment tribunal ruling

by Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
Today’s ruling in favour of a Christian woman who wanted to opt out of performing civil partnership ceremonies because she feels they go against her religion has alarmed the National Secular Society. An employment tribunal ruled that Lillian Ladele was discriminated against on the grounds of her Christian faith and suffered harassment. "It is an important case, which may have a wider impact than the dispute between the parties," the tribunal said, adding it accepts that it would be "wrong for one set of rights to trump another."

Terry Sanderson, President of the National Secular Society, said: "This is a catastrophic judgment not just for gay people but for the wider community. It appears to place the religious "conscience" of registrars above their legal duty to carry out parliament’s legislation. Ms Ladele now seems to have won the right to be exempt from some of her duties on the grounds that she is a Christian. Putting religious rights and gay rights under the same legal umbrella when they are incompatible was bound eventually to lead to this confrontation. This decision appears to show that religious rights trump gay rights and that should leave gay people quaking in their boots. If it sets a precedent, this entirely wrong decision will have major implications for the Government’s equality and human rights agenda. This raises all kinds of implications far beyond the gay community. What other duties will religious people now claim exemption from?"

Mr Sanderson said there have already been cases of pharmacists refusing to sell contraception on religious grounds and supermarket check-out attendants refusing to handle alcohol or pork products.

pinknews.co.uk
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-8343.html

July 13, 2008

22
Sir Ian McKellen reveals he has received death threats

by Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
Appearing on the BBC’s current affairs programme, Sunday AM, the gay actor Sir Ian McKellen said that he has received many death threats. He also spoke out against homophobia within Christianity. "There are deaths in public places on the grounds that the victim is gay," Sir Ian told Andrew Marr. "There is a violence of language which can be related to violence in action," he said. But he added: "My own death threats have declined considerably. I think I’ve become rather boring now to the public at large on this particular issue so I’m thought to be unremarkable."

The co-founder of the gay rights charity, Stonewall, appeared on the programme with the controversial gay Anglican Bishop Gene Robinson. He said: "As an atheist it would be tempting to say let the church get on with its internal arguments. But it spreads beyond that. And when the, when the Christian registrar in Islington this week, having refused to witness the civil partnership between two gay men and was sacked and then reinstated by the tribunal we see that there are ramifications. Just looking at it from the outside, the church thinks it’s got a particular problem with some articles, perhaps not of faith but of, written in the Bible that they refer to. And I can remember the armed forces not that long ago saying they had a particular problem – it was all to do with discipline. Well it’s just been discovered there is no discipline problems when you let gay people into the military. And schools too. Well we’ve got a particular problem. The particular problem they’ve all got and share is homophobia. And having it they root around in the Bible to discover the very few passages that seem to be relevant. But people like the Bishop, like the Quakers, like many people I marched with in Gay Pride last week, gay Christians, gay Jews, gay Muslims are at ease with their faith and their position in society. And so the argument is one we have to take seriously."

The full transcript of the interview is below:-
Andrew Marr: Well Sir Ian and Bishop Robinson are both with me.

Thank you very much indeed for coming in.

What are you going to do Bishop, given that you’re not allowed to actually take part in this conference?

Bishop Gene Robinson: I really have one goal at the Lambeth Conference. And of course I’ll be around the fringes of the conference and not a participant. I want the light of Christ to shine forth from me. I, you know I’ve come to know this God of love in my life who I know beyond any shadow of a doubt loves me, loves me as a gay man and I want to share that joy with whomever wants to sit and talk with me. You know I think miracles happen when people who are divided by something sit and talk with each other, get to know one another as human beings and as brothers and sisters in Christ and that’s why I’m going to offer myself in that way.

Andrew Marr: So it’s not going to be a big sort of protest outside for the gatherers?

Bishop Gene Robinson: Absolutely not.

Andrew Marr: No?

Bishop Gene Robinson: I, I mean to be there to support the Archbishop of Canterbury and all the other bishops who are there. I think, I think a mistake was made in not including me in those conversations. I was the only openly gay voice that might have been at the table. But I will do what I can from the fringe.

Andrew Marr: Sir Ian, I was going to say playing Devil’s advocate but that’s probably not the right phrase under these circumstances. But you know there are a lot of people in the church who say that the word of God has been laid down and is absolutely clear on sexual matters and have a legitimate point of view. Isn’t it right that Rowan Williams as the Archbishop of Canterbury is trying to get a negotiated deal of some kind, is trying to hold the church together?

Sir Ian McKellen: Well as an atheist I, I, it would be tempting to say let the church get on with its internal arguments. But it spreads beyond that. And when the, when the Christian registrar in Islington this week, having refused to witness the civil partnership between two gay men and was sacked and then reinstated by the tribunal we see that there are ramifications. Just looking at it from the outside, the church thinks it’s got a particular problem with some articles, perhaps not of faith but of, written in the Bible that they refer to. And I can remember the armed forces not that long ago saying they had a particular problem – it was all to do with discipline. Well it’s just been discovered there is no discipline problems when you let gay people into the military. And schools too. Well we’ve got a particular problem. The particular problem they’ve all got and share is homophobia. And having it they root around in the Bible to discover the very few passages that seem to be relevant. But people like the Bishop, like the Quakers, like many people I marched with in Gay Pride last week, gay Christians, gay Jews, gay Muslims are at ease with their faith and their position in society. And so the argument is one we have to ..

Andrew Marr: I mean ..

Sir Ian McKellen: .. take seriously.

Andrew Marr: Yes. There are prohibitions on homosexuality in the Bible. You’ve said that the Bible isn’t necessarily big enough to accommodate the Christian faith. What do you mean by that?

Bishop Gene Robinson: Well I, I mean that God didn’t stop revealing God’s self when the canon of scripture was closed at the end of the first century. You know Jesus says this ..

Andrew Marr: So it was approp.. appropriate then but there’s lots of developments in society and human life since then which you think should be ..

Bishop Gene Robinson: Not only developments in human life but development, development in God’s life with us. Jesus says this amazing thing on, at the last supper. He says to his disciples "There is more that I would teach you but you cannot bear it right now. So I will send the Holy Spirit who will lead you into all truth". I think we’ve seen the Holy Spirit leading us in terms of the full inclusion of people of colour and of women and of people who are physically challenged and now God is leading us to the full inclusion of gay and lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people.

Andrew Marr: And yet a lot of very, very decent and long term Christians find this incredibly hard to cope with. Would it be such a terrible thing if the church went different ways, if there were parts of the church which couldn’t accept this, couldn’t accept the ordination of women and went off and the Anglican communion split?

Bishop Gene Robinson: I’m doing everything I can to hold the Anglican communion together. We need each other. We need the voices from Africa and Asia and South America to tell those of us in the so called first world the ramifications of our racism, our colonialism and so on. We need each other really for our mutual salvation. It’s not of surprise to me that, that there is resistance to this. After all it’s the church that has been teaching them what they’re, they’re thinking for these two thousand years. But now the church is coming to a different mind, much as it has come to a different mind about divorce and other things that we thought were once settled and then as we get to know God’s will for us better we decide we need to take a new look at it.

Andrew Marr: It couldn’t be said that you were trying to make Rowan Williams’ life particularly easier at the moment I suppose. Do you have sympathy for his predicament? Because he is trying to hold together a pretty disparate ..

Bishop Gene Robinson: Absolutely. He, he’s in an almost untenable position. No matter what he does he makes someone mad and, and sometimes everyone mad. And there is no doubt in my mind that his intention is to hold our beloved church together. And, and I believe that we ought not to be fearful about the church. The church is not ours to win or lose. The church is God’s. And God’s, God will take care of the church. We’re going to be just fine.

Andrew Marr: Bishop Robinson had to wear – I think I’m right in saying – a bullet proof vest when you were ordained as a bishop.

Bishop Gene Robinson: That’s right.

Andrew Marr: And you’ve had a lot of death threats. Sir Ian, is that the kind of thing that would no longer happen in this country? I mean we know that there are parts of the Christian and other communities in America who are violently hostile to this kind of thing. But Britain perhaps has become rather more relaxed.

Sir Ian McKellen: Dear. No. There, there ..

Andrew Marr: You think not?

Sir Ian McKellen: .. there are deaths in public places on the grounds that the victim is gay. There is a violence of language which can be related to violence in action. My own death threats have declined considerably, I think ..

Andrew Marr: You’ve had – I didn’t know you’d had death threats.

Sir Ian McKellen: Yes. I think I’ve become rather boring now to, to, to the public at large on this particular issue so I’m thought to be unremarkable. But with regard to what Gene was just saying, there’s a wonderful quote by your countryman Thomas Jefferson, and it’s on his memorial in Washington DC. And he’s talking about whether the Constitution should ever be changed, whether it’s absolute in the sense… in the way that people think that parts of the Bible are absolute, fixed for ever more. And he said "One might as well require a man to wear still this jacket which fitted him when a boy as for civilised society to suffer under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors". And you know we do have barbarous ancestors, in politics, in religion, in the military, in every part of our lives. And argument between the twenty first century and those old prejudices that’s been played out here in this man. And that he should be in the eye of the storm as his autobiography puts it is a, an enormous weight on his shoulders. And I do wish you well on behalf of us all.

Bishop Gene Robinson: You know I, I chaired a group of conversation for twelve to twenty one year old kids who were questioning their sexuality. Now one of them was a person of faith. But every single one of them could quote me Leviticus and that God thought they were an abomination. They couldn’t have found Leviticus in a Bible if their lives had depended on it. But they knew that word and they thought they knew what God thought of them. And the Church is responsible for that. Its religious people, Muslim, Jews, Christians. We are responsible for that. And it’s going to take religious voices to undo the hatred that comes from those words.

Andrew Marr: Right. Well we’re going to be hearing I think a lot more about this in the days ahead. But for now both of you thank you very much indeed for joining us.

Bishop Gene Robinson: Thank you.

africasia.com
http://www.africasia.com/services/news/newsitem.php?area=africa&item=080713201522.85h55vfv.php

July 13, 2008

23
Tutu appeals for Anglican unity as gay bishop shut out

London (AFP) – Archbishop Desmond Tutu on Sunday pleaded for unity in the worldwide Anglican Communion as its first openly gay bishop said it was a "mistake" to bar him from their 10-yearly conference. The Lambeth Conference meeting of Anglican bishops, which begins Tuesday in Canterbury, southeast England, comes amid heightened wrangling over issues of both homosexual and female clergy. Tutu, a 76-year-old veteran of South Africa’s anti-apartheid struggle and the winner of the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize, said he felt the church should move together on the topic of homosexuality.

"The Anglican church prides itself — and this is one of its greatest attributes — it prides itself on being the church that is comprehensive, meaning that it includes all kinds of points of view," he told Sky News television. " One of the sadnesses about the current crisis is that we seem to be jettisoning this wonderful inclusivity that is a characteristic of our church."

Liberals and conservatives have been at odds since the US Episcopal Church consecrated an openly gay priest, Gene Robinson, as Bishop of New Hampshire in 2003. There has also been controversy as the General Synod, the church’s governing body, voted last week to allow women bishops, despite threats by more than 1,300 clergy to quit over the issue and a warning from the Vatican that the decision could harm reconciliation between Anglicans and Catholics. While giving a sermon at a church in south London Sunday, Robinson was interrupted by a lone protester, who stood up, denounced him as a heretic and repeatedly called on the bishop to "repent, repent, repent" as supporters of Robinson clapped to drown out the protester’s voice. He was escorted out of the church and no action was taken against him by police who were stationed outside.

Earlier, Robinson said Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury who is leader of the world’s Anglicans, was in a difficult position over whether to invite him to the Lambeth Conference. However, he said the lack of an invite meant the gathering would not benefit from the inclusion of a gay voice. "I think a mistake was made in not including me in those conversations," Robinson told BBC television. I was the only openly gay voice that might have been at the table. But I will do all I can from the fringe. God is leading us to the full inclusion of gay and lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people. I’m doing everything I can to hold the Anglican communion together. We need each other."

Williams was in "an almost untenable position," he added. "No matter what he does he makes someone mad and, and sometimes everyone mad. And there is no doubt in my mind that his intention is to hold our beloved church together. We ought not to be fearful about the church. The church is not ours to win or lose. The church is God’s, and God will take care of the church."

Robinson focused his sermon on the subject of overcoming fear, telling the audience to "not be fearful about this church, let us work hard, let us not be walked on, but let us stand up for ourselves." The packed congregation, which included junior health minister Ben Bradshaw, broke out into warm applause at the conclusion of his remarks.

pinknews.co.uk
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-8362.html

July 15, 2008

24
Foreign Office issues advice to Pride travellers

by Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has issued advice for LGBT people travelling to gay Pride events. Holland, Denmark, and South Africa are holding major gay Pride marches later this summer, and Stockholm is hosting EuroPride. The FCO is urging potential travellers to look at their website for safety advice.

"You can cut down on avoidable problems if you prepare well and research your destination before you leave the UK," spokesman Steve Jewitt Fleet said. "This year, hundreds of Brits will be travelling to global gay Pride events. Attitudes towards gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender travellers can differ widely around the world and from those in the UK. If you’re planning to join the party at one of the upcoming Pride events, check out the FCO’s dedicated advice for LBGT travellers, which can be found on our website. You should also visit the FCO’s country-specific travel advice pages before you leave, so that you can familiarise yourself with local laws and customs of your destination.!

Among the gay-specific advice from the FCO:

a) Be aware of the possibility of crime – criminals have been known to exploit the generally open and relaxed nature of gay ‘neighbourhoods’ and beaches.

b) Check out your accommodation – many hotels now actively welcome same-sex couples, but check before you go and make reservations in advance to avoid difficulties when you arrive.

c) The legal age of consent varies from country to country. You should check individual ages of consent with the embassy of your destination country before you leave the UK.

d) Be aware that in some areas within the country you are visiting, open expressions of sexuality might be frowned upon.

e) Think about sexual health before you go – many sexual health products are not as readily available or of the same quality abroad as they are in the UK.

The Minister for Europe, Jim Murphy, has condemned the violence at Gay Pride events on his blog. "I was very upset to hear the reports of violence at the Pride parades in Prague, Riga and Sofia in the last few weeks, and also very disappointed that pressure from various sources meant the Pride parade in Moldova scheduled for May did not take place," he wrote. This was in marked contrast to the peaceful Pride held for the first time ever in Delhi on Sunday 29 June."

Despite the 150 strong police presence at Pride in Sofia, Bulgaria, more than 60 skinheads and rightwing nationalists were arrested and a homophobic mob threw stones and petrol bombs. "The FCO is committed to promoting equality and ending the discrimination of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people around the world and we’ve developed a programme of skills and information for embassies and diplomats to help achieve this," wrote Mr Murphy.

In May the FCO issued an ‘LGBT Toolkit’ to its 261 embassies, high commissions and other diplomatic posts. The kit contains information for other countries on the official British policy on gay rights and instructions on how to "provide added value to equality and non discrimination work." The violence and discrimination shown towards LGBT people abroad is one of the reasons why the government is under pressure over gay asylum. There are several recent examples of the Home Office refusing asylum to gay people whose home countries criminalise or repress homosexuality.

pinknews.co.uk
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-8376.html

July 16, 2008

25
Bishops gather for conference of a lifetime

by Tony Grew
The 650 senior clergy gathered in the cathedral city of Canterbury today for the start of their once-a-decade get together must all be aware that this conference is make or break for the Anglican communion. On the outside looking in is the uninvited Bishop of New Hampshire, Gene Robinson. His ordination as the first openly gay bishop enraged traditionalists, horrified the moderates and caused an earthquake of church-splitting proportions. Five years on, and his continued place in the church has led to a hardening of language and attitudes towards gay ordinations and even the blessing of gay couples.

More than 200 bishops are boycotting Lambeth and refusing to "discuss the faith that holds them together and the issues which are driving them apart," as Martin Beckford eloquently put it in The Telegraph. The most high profile absentee today is the Bishop of Rochester, Michael Nazir-Ali together with 99 of Nigerian Anglican bishops after their leader, the Bishop of Nigeria, Dr Peter Akinola ordered them to boycott the event. "The Anglican church prides itself on being the church that is comprehensive, meaning that it includes all kinds of points of view," Archbishop Desmond Tutu told Sky News last week. That broad church ideal seems to be losing currency on both sides of the divide.

300 rebel bishops gathered at the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) last month and approved the formation of a new global network to fight against the preaching of "false gospels" of homosexuality and other "immoral" sexual behaviour. The group claims to represent 35 million of the 77 million Anglicans worldwide and rejects the acceptance of gay relationships and the ordination of gay clergy and formed the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (FOCA). A spokesman for Rowan Williams, who as Archbishop of Canterbury is the man tasked with trying to preserve the unity of the Anglican Communion, said "these people are becoming a Protestant sect."

Liberals in the Church of England are incensed at moves to break away from the Communion, calling their claims to be "traditionalists" bogus. The bishops from across the world will spend the next three days at the University of Kent in quiet prayer in reflection before the conference of a lifetime begins in earnest.

"I pray that these days spent in reflection, prayer, discussion and fellowship will bear fruit in the life of the entire Communion in which God has called us to minister," Dr Williams said in his welcome message. "The chief aims of our time together are, first, that we become more confident in our Anglican identity, by deepening our awareness of how we are responsible to and for each other; and second, that we grow in energy and enthusiasm for our task of leading the work of mission in our Church. J esus Christ says again and again to his disciples, ‘Do not be afraid’. These are words which I hope will echo for us each day as we meet and talk here."

pinknews.co.uk
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-8427.html

July 21, 2008

26
Bishop calls on church to embrace gays at "make or break" conference

by Tony Grew
The Bishop of Colombo has called on the Anglican Communion to be inclusive of gay and lesbian people. Duleep de Chickera was giving the sermon at yesterday’s Eucharist attended by the 650 bishops and archbishops assembled for the Lambeth Conference, their spouses and ecumenical participants. "Here my dear sisters and brothers is an insight of what the Church is called to be: an inclusive communion, where there is space equally for everyone and anyone, regardless of colour, gender, ability, sexual orientation," he told the church leaders assembled in Canterbury Cathedral. Unity in diversity is a cherished Anglican tradition – a spirituality if you like, which we must reinforce in all humility for the sake of Christ and Christ’s Gospel."

Bishop de Chickera stressed the social justice responsibilities of the Church and their duty to the poor. "The Anglican Communion must speak on their behalf – whether it is the crisis in Sri Lanka, whether it is the crisis in Zimbabwe, or Sudan, or Afghanistan or Iraq. The voiceless must be given a voice through the leadership of the Anglican Communion. The second strand that goes with a voice for the voiceless, is the calling into accountability of those who abuse power:authoritarian regimes who oppress and suppress the people. The prophetic voice will ask poignant, relevant questions: "why", and sometimes, "how dare you?""

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, spoke frankly to his fellow bishops, describing the Anglican Communion as "wounded" and the fact that nearly a quarter of bishops did not attend as "an indication all is not well." "We need to get beyond the reciprocal impatience that shows itself in the ways in which both liberals and traditionalists are ready – almost eager at times, it appears – to assume that the other is not actually listening to Jesus," he said. "We also know that how we think about that unity is itself affected by the urgency of the calls on our compassion and imagination; some sorts of division undoubtedly will seem a luxury in the face of certain challenges, as many Christians in Germany found when confronted by Hitler. We have to think and pray hard about what the essentials really are."

The Lambeth Conference’s series of study and discussion sessions starts today with Celebrating Common Ground: the bishop and Anglican Identity. The only openly gay bishop in the Anglican Communion, Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, has not been invited to Lambeth, while 260 fundamentalist bishops have declined invitations because they are unhappy with the Church’s stance on gay issues. 300 bishops gathered at the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) last month. They approved the formation of a new global network to fight against the preaching of "false gospels" of homosexuality and other "immoral" sexual behaviour. The group claims to represent 35 million of the 77 million Anglicans worldwide and rejects the acceptance of gay relationships and the ordination of gay clergy and formed the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (FOCA).

Critics have called the new group a "church within a church." Though the majority of dissenting clergy are from the developing world, some traditionalist English, Australian and American Anglicans have joined the fellowship. The provinces of Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Nigeria are not attending, but some bishops have broken ranks and are in Canterbury for the conference. Earlier this week The Archbishop of Wales, Dr Barry Morgan, said that fundamentalists are damaging Anglican unity.

"There used to be a generosity of spirit and diversity in the Anglican Communion," he said. "There should be a backlash against this fundamentalism that has been thrust upon us. It is contrary to the ministry of Jesus and damaging that in the Church, we’re still fighting battles that have already been won in society."

Although not invited to the Lambeth Conference, Bishop Gene Robinson is in Canterbury.

pinknews.co.uk
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-8457.html

July 23, 2008

27
Hadrian’s life uncovered in new British Museum exhibition

by Forum Mithani
Think of Roman Emperor Hadrian and the first thing that springs to mind is the wall that bears his name, separating England from the revolting Picts. However, there were many sides to Hadrian, as a new exhibition about his life reveals. As well as being a great leader who strengthened the empire through consolidation and crushed dissent ruthlessly, Hadrian was also a cultured man and the first openly gay emperor.

Hadrian: Empire and Conflict, opens at the British Museum tomorrow. It offers a new perspective on the personal life and career of a man of many contradictions. Hadrian, full name Publius Aelius Traianus Hadrianus, was born in AD 76 to a family of Spanish descent. His father died when he was a young boy, and he was taken under the wing of the Emperor Trajan, who groomed him for succession. Hadrian excelled as a military leader and was married to Trajan’s great-niece, further cementing his future succession. He eventually became emperor on Trajan’s death in 117 AD. However, the marriage was one of convenience rather than love; neither Hadrian nor his wife was happy.

Instead, Hadrian consoled himself with a string of lovers, including a young Greek boy named Antinous. Homosexual relationships were nothing new during the Roman Empire, however, the extent to which Hadrian expressed his devotion for Antinous was unusual. The young man became a consort of the emperor, accompanying him on his many travels. It was during one such trip to Egypt that Antinous drowned in the Nile in 130 AD. Devastated by this loss, Hadrian founded an entire city, Antinoupolis, in memory of his lover, near the spot where he had died. The emperor’s grief was such that he had Antinous deified as a god and many statues, busts and silverware featuring Antinous’ image were made. Some are included in the exhibition. However, this soft, romantic side to Hadrian contrasted dramatically with his role as a military leader.

He was often ferocious in his suppression of dissent, particularly during a Jewish revolt in Jerusalem in 132 AD. Hadrian was well known as a great traveller. It is said he travelled more widely, and met many more of his subjects than any other emperor. He also showed a great interest in architecture, and oversaw the construction of many iconic buildings, including the Pantheon in Rome and the Villa Adriana in Tivoli, a magnificent celebration of Greek and Egyptian art and culture. Hadrian died in 138 AD, aged 62 and is regarded as one of the "Five Good Emperors." Thorsten Opper, the curator of the exhibition, hailed Hadrian as an "extremely successful emperor who left an immense and enduring legacy." Certainly, Hadrian was a man of many faces – military champion, political strategist, ruthless leader, man of the people, lover of culture, grief-stricken lover – and gay icon. History should remember him as a complex man with many passions.

Hadrian: Empire and Conflict opens at the British Museum in London on 24th July.

pinknews.co.uk
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-8507.html

July 28, 2008

28
Nigerian activist granted asylum in the UK

by Tony Grew
Davis Mac-Iyalla, a leader of the gay Christian movement in Nigeria, has been granted asylum in the UK. Mr Mac-Iyalla, 36, is the leader of Changing Attitude Nigeria, a group that works for equality for lesbians, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) members of the Anglican Communion. CAN also promotes a wider LGBT human rights agenda in Nigeria, campaigning, for instance, against the Nigerian government’s bid in 2006 to outlaw same-sex marriage and ban on gay organisations, churches, helplines, counselling groups, meetings and newspapers.

Davis Mac-Iyalla said today: "The people I wish to thank include the UK government and the Home Office, Islington MP Jeremy Corbyn, my solicitor Abigail Evans of Wilson and Co, the Reverend Stephen Coles, the Reverend Colin Coward and the trustees of Changing Attitude, Peter Tatchell of OutRage!, Sebastian Rocca of UK Lesbian and Gay Immigration Group, Erika Baker, Susan Strong, Mike Hersee, Julian Batson, Inclusive Church and others too numerous to mention. Your support in different ways has been absolutely invaluable, not just for me but for our common goals. I’m very grateful to the UK government for granting me asylum. It means I will have an opportunity to continue working for the full inclusion of LGBT people in the Anglican church in Nigeria.

"My heart really goes out to my LGBT brothers and sisters still trapped in Nigeria. They are intimated and threatened by the increasingly hostile and violent environment against them, fuelled by the hostility of Archbishop Akinola and his fellow bishops – who claim that we don’t really exist, and if we do then we are the spawn of the devil. It is impossible to have a rational debate in such a climate of hatred coming from what is supposed to be a loving church. I think Jesus would be appalled at how low the Anglican Church of Nigeria has sunk by straying so far from his message of love and forgiveness that it does the complete opposite. If the Anglican Church of Nigeria and the Nigerian government had a more open-minded and understanding attitude, then people like me would not need asylum in the first place."

Mr Mac-Iyalla was arrested, imprisoned and tortured by the police in Abuja in 2005. Since March 2008, Mr Mac-Iyalla has received email and text messages threatening to kill him. They originate from Nigeria. This pattern of escalating threats and attacks made it unsafe for Mr Mac-Iyalla to return to Nigeria. In June he was arrested and incarcerated in Oakington asylum detention centre in Cambridgeshire but was released in time to speak at Pride London about the situation in Nigeria. With 17.5 million members, Nigeria is the second-largest Anglican province after the Church of England, but its number of regular churchgoers is far higher and growing.

The leader of the church in Nigeria, Archbishop Peter Akinola, is one of those leading the charge against gay people being ordained as priests or the blessing of gay relationships. The Anglican Bishop of Uyo, Rt. Rev. Isaac Orama, last year condemned the activities of homosexuals and lesbians in language that typifies Nigerian Anglican leaders’ hostility to gays. "Homosexuality and lesbianism are inhuman," he said. "Those who practice them are insane, satanic and are not fit to live because they are rebels to God’s purpose for man.

The BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7535533.stm

31 July 2008

29
Gay Nigerian tells of death threats

by Christopher Landau , BBC World Service religious affairs correspondent
Davis Mac-Iyalla is an Anglican from Nigeria – nothing unusual about that – but he is also gay and the death threats he has received since being open about his sexuality led him to seek asylum in the UK. Now he is campaigning at the Lambeth Conference, hoping that bishops will face up to the existence of gay Christians in Africa.

,,,,Homosexuality does exist in Africa – it’s not a Western thing, as our African bishops would want people to believe Davis Mac-Iyalla….

I met him just before he began a demonstration at the conference venue on the Kent university campus, joined by lesbian and gay Anglicans from six African countries. With dancing accompanied by traditional drumming, the campaigners held a banner proclaiming, "We’re here!" Many gay Anglicans around the world still feel that the church would prefer to deny their existence. Mr Mac-Iyalla’s message is simple. "Homosexuality does exist in Africa – it’s not a Western thing, as our African bishops would want people to believe," he says.

His troubles began when, in 2005, he founded the Nigerian branch of Changing Attitude, an Anglican pressure group that campaigns for the full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the life of the church. He says that the group’s success "offended the leaders of the Nigerian church", which went on to issue a press statement denying that Mr Mac-Iyalla was a practising Anglican. He says that statement, posted on the Nigerian church’s website, had repercussions for his personal safety. "People began to send me death threats by e-mail, by text messages, and it got so serious I had to flee Nigeria to Togo."

Syringe stab

In Togo he received a further handwritten death threat, and then in March 2008 he was physically attacked. Someone tried to stab his forearm with a syringe. He showed me what is still a prominent scar. This summer, Mr Mac-Iyalla was planning to attend the Church of England’s General Synod meeting. On arrival in the UK, he – along with the director of the English Changing Attitude group – received yet further death threats. He decided to apply for asylum in the UK – and it was rapidly granted. "I am so grateful to the government of the UK for granting me asylum, for giving me safety, and for allowing me to be alive to continue my work," he says.

Mr Mac-Iyalla has become an iconic figure in the global debate about homosexuality in the Anglican Communion. He stands to counter the traditionalist suggestion that homosexuality is a problem found only in Western societies. But his presence at various Anglican meetings in recent years has challenged bishops – though he says they are "not listening" to the gay Christians in their churches. He recalls the last Lambeth Conference, held 10 years ago. That meeting affirmed that homosexual practice was incompatible with scripture, though Anglican bishops also committed to listening to the experience of homosexual Christians.

‘Change coming’

Mr Mac-Iyalla believes that too many African Christians focus entirely on condemning homosexual practice and ignore their commitment to hearing stories like his own. Of African bishops, he says, "I think they should open their ears to listen rather than doing the talking." But he does believe that change is on the way. "For people like me and my members, to begin to come out, to have pride in who we are – I think change is coming. The bishops need to know that what comes out of their mouths is affecting us, and putting us in a very difficult situation."

Davis Mac-Iyalla remains optimistic about the Anglican Communion’s ability to affirm the place of gay people. But as Anglican bishops meet to discuss how the row over sexuality has affected the church’s mission, the question is how willing they are to hear his story.

pinknews.co.uk
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-8772.html

August 21, 2008

30
Double gay suicide in Cornwall shocks local residents

by Rachel Charman
Two young gay men, Daniel Cudd, 23, and Roger Irons, 21, were found hanged in separate incidents in Falmouth, Cornwall. Mr Cudd was found at a house in Helton’s Bulwark Road at around 4am on 31st July. He was pronounced dead on the scene. On 2nd August, less than 48 hours after Mr Cudd was found, Mr Irons was found hanged from a tree at 3am in Chestnut Close. The police are not treating the deaths as suspicious.

Mr Cudd’s mother told the Pink Paper: “There was nothing whatsoever to suggest he would do something like this. Whatever the outcome, I will never believe he intended to take his own life. It was a tragic accident.” Mr Cudd’s younger sister added: “Everyone thinks he didn’t mean to do it.”

The Intercom Trust, which provides support to LGBT people experiencing homophobia across the South West peninsula, say that the suicides should inspire a reassessment of the UK’s diversity policies. Andy Hunt, project manager for the Helpline and Advocacy project at Intercom Trust, said: "As far as we can tell these two tragic events were not connected. Whatever the background, we send our warmest sympathy to everyone who knew them. All young people have a right to stay safe, be healthy, and be informed about managing successful relationships and making a positive contribution to society. Young queers in Cornwall regularly tell our helpline that their local school, or their mates, can be very hostile, or just horribly ignorant about these things. They say it’s very difficult to get access to sensible useful information, or to find out about where they can turn for information and help when they need it. Schools and other mainstream agencies need to get the relevant information out there for their LGBT service-users, and make skilled support available. Above all they need to challenge the stigmas and the silly myths around the perfectly normal fact that some people in Cornwall do naturally grow up gay, lesbian or bisexual, and have a right to be respected on a level of absolute equality with their peers.”

pinknews.co.uk
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-8853.html

August 29, 2008

31
Gay activist appointed Honorary Consul to Wales

by Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
San Marino has become the 31st country to establish a diplomatic mission in Wales with the appointment of Federico Podeschi as Honorary Consul. Mr Podeschi recently launched the LGBT Excellence Centre Wales and is president of LGBT San Marino.

"I am honoured to have been appointed as a representative of my country to raise awareness about a Republic of which I am a very proud citizen, and to have the opportunity to bring together the two countries that I love the most: San Marino and Wales," he said. "Closer economic and academic co-operation between San Marino and Wales, both being amongst the smallest countries in Europe, will be mutually beneficial, enhance our competitiveness, and put both countries at the forefront of collaborative leadership.”

Swansea-based Mr Podeschi will take his oath in front of Capitani Reggenti, co-heads of the Republic of San Marino, on September 4. He went to university in Wales and has lived there for the last 11 years. San Marino is a microstate landlocked by Italy. While not a member of the EU it uses the Euro as its currency. It claims to be the oldest constitutional republic in the world. It was founded on 3 September 301. San Marino has the smallest population of all the members of the Council of Europe, less than 30,000.

The Right Honourable Rhodri Morgan AM, First Minister for Wales, said: "I welcome Mr Podeschi’s appointment and I look forward to a warm and lasting relationship between Wales and San Marino."

The LGBT Excellence Centre Wales was founded by Mr Podeschi in 2007, a social enterprise model for delivering equality and human rights in Wales for people who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender. He has delivered diversity training for large organisations and has recently developed a programme tackling homophobic bullying in Welsh schools.

pinknews.co.uk
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-8869.html

September 1, 2008

32
Violence against gays preached in British mosques claims new documentary

by Tony Grew
Channel 4 will transmit controversial programme this evening that claims anti-Semitism and homophobia are being preached at a leading British mosque. Dispatches documentary Undercover Mosque: The Return, "goes undercover again to see whether extremist beliefs continue to be promoted in certain key British Muslim institutions," the channel said in a press statement. The film also investigates the role of the Saudi Arabian religious establishment in spreading fundamentalist Islamic ideology in the UK.

"A female reporter attends prayer meetings at an important British mosque which claims to be dedicated to moderation and dialogue with other faiths." said Channel 4. "She secretly films shocking sermons given to the women-only congregation in which female preachers recite extremist and intolerant beliefs. As hundreds of women and some children come to pray, a preacher calls for adulterers, homosexuals, women who act like men and Muslim converts to other faiths to be killed, saying: "Kill him, kill him. You have to kill him, you understand. This is Islam.""

The programme will also feature Muslims and Islamic academics who reject and condemn these teachings of intolerance and segregation and warn of the impact this version of Islam is having on British society. One imam at a leading university accuses the Saudi religious establishment of the: "distortion of Islam itself, the abuse and misuse of this great faith of mine and not only mine but of my children as well."

In May Channel 4 and independent film maker Hard Cash accepted damages and an apology at the High Court following a row over the original Undercover Mosque documentary, broadcast in January 2007. The Dispatches programme showed preacher Abu Usamah at Green Lane Mosque in Birmingham calling for gay people to be executed. "If I were to call homosexuals perverted, dirty, filthy dogs who should be murdered, that’s my freedom of speech, isn’t it?" he told followers.

A scene in the advertising for the documentary also showed a preacher calling for people to "take that homosexual and throw him off a mountain." In August 2007 West Midlands police referred Undercover Mosque to the media regulator Ofcom and together with the Crown Prosecution Service issued a press release in which they said the words of three preachers featured within the programme had been "heavily edited" so their meaning was "completely distorted". Kevin Sutcliffe, deputy head of current affairs at Channel 4, said after the HIgh Court ruling: "This is a total vindication of the programme team in exposing extreme views being preached in mainstream British mosques."

pinknews.co.uk
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-8921.html

September 7, 2008

32
Tutu claims "God is weeping" over gay arguments in Anglican church

by Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
A leading Anglican has castigated his church for obsessing over gay issues while poverty, disease and hunger are ravaging the human race. Speaking at a conference of church leaders in London organised by global poverty charity Tearfund, Archbishop Desmond Tutu accused his church of "persecuting the already persecuted" in its attitude to gay people. "We really will not be able to win wars against so-called terror as long as there are conditions that make people desperate, and poverty, disease and ignorance are amongst the chief culprits," he said. "We seem to be engaging in this kind of, almost, pastime [while] there’s poverty, hunger, disease, corruption. I must imagine that God is weeping, and the world quite rightly should dismiss the Church in those cases as being totally irrelevant."

Drawing on his experiences in apartheid-dominated South Africa, the Archbishop told more than 800 delegates: "If you want to keep people subjugated, the last thing you place in their hands is a Bible. "There’s nothing more radical, nothing more revolutionary, nothing more subversive against injustice and oppression than the Bible." He challenged churches to be the "hands, feet, eyes and ears of Jesus" in the fight against local and global poverty.

Archbishop Tutu, a 76-year-old veteran of South Africa’s anti-apartheid struggle and the winner of the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize, has repeatedly said the church should come together on the topic of homosexuality. The ordination of Gene Robinson, an openly gay man, as Bishop of New Hampshire in 2003 was the catalyst for the ongoing crisis in the Anglican communion over gay issues.

Archbishop Tutu told a gay audience in April:

"How sad it is that the Church should be so obsessed with this particular issue of human sexuality when God’s children are facing massive problems; poverty, disease, corruption, conflict." At the conclusion of the Lambeth Conference in July the symbolic head of the Anglican communion, Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams, said the "pieces are on the board" for a settlement. The conference, held once every ten years, is a meeting of the leaders of the Church from around the world.

This year more than 200 traditionalist bishops boycotted the event over the acceptance of gay clergy. In a sermon on the final day of the Lambeth Conference in Canterbury, Dr Williams said: "In these days together we have not overcome our problems or reinvented our structures: that will still take time." But despite there still being "many questions" on the issue, a Covenant to bind the Communion together is needed, he said: "We may not have put an end to all our problems – but the pieces are on the board."

The Covenant could mean churches with new gay bishops could be expelled from the Anglican Communion. In a reference to the bishops who refused to attend the Conference Dr Williams said: "In the months ahead it will be important to invite those absent from Lambeth to be involved in these next stages." He added that the Communion must not just be "an association of polite friends," rather, it must "embrace deeper and more solid ways of recognising and trusting each other."

pinknews.co.uk
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-8969.html

September 11, 2008

33
Interview: Homophobic bullying is killing gay kids

by Tony Grew
The UK’s leading gay lifestyle magazine has joined forces with Stonewall to fight homophobic bullying in Britain’s schools.

In September’s issue of Attitude, celebs gay and straight show their support for the ‘Some people are gay. Get over it!’ campaign. Attitude editor Matthew Todd spoke to PinkNews.co.uk about why reports of gay kids being targeted in schools makes him furious and what we can all do to stop it.

PinkNews.co.uk: Why did Attitude decide to campaign?

Matthew Todd: Because kids are going through hell.I don’t think you can not feel moved and furious when yu read accounts of the deaths of kids like Jonathan Reynolds, who was 15 and died by lying on a track in front of a train after he was bullied for being gay.

Or Laura Rhodes, who was 14 and took an overdose after being bullied for being gay. I’ve experienced teachers who were homophobic to me and we hear from young readers that that still goes on. If you are being bullied for being overweight or because of your ethnicity then you can go to a teacher or your parents, who will hopefully condemn the bullying and try and give you some affirmation. If you are gay it’s often hard to tell anyone and at worst, you will hear teachers themselves being homophobic. It enrages me.

It’s just something that should not be happening. I want to help raise awareness of this in the mainstream as much as I can – which is what this is all about ultimately. I don’t consider this a ‘gay issue’ at all. Most gay people will not have kids. These are the children of straight people. We are the children of straight people, mostly. I think that’s something that’s always fallen out of the debate about homosexuality in the past.

It’s not a them and us issue, were all in this together. I think it’s really important that our straight friends and family take part in this campaign too. Its an issue for everyone.

What sort of things will Attitude be doing to support the Stonewall campaign?

We have Sir Ian McKellen, Alan Carr, Dan Gillespie Sells from The Feeling and Mark Feehily from Westlife all supporting the campaign in the September issue. There is a special report by Johann Hari about homophobic bullying. In the first instance we want to raise awareness. Stonewall’s Education For All Campaign has been going strong for a while but were hoping that people will buy the T shirts from their website – stonewall.org.uk – so we can help raise money to film Ricky Beadle Blair’s schools play about bullying.

The idea is to turn it into a film and send it to every school in the country. We’re also giving the images of the celebs wearing ‘Some people are gay – get over it!‘ T-shirts to Stonewall so they can put them onto leaflets which will go to schools.

Will there be more celeb backers coming forward?

Yes, definitely. There were lots of other celebrities who wanted to take part but couldn’t because of scheduling issues. I think the campaign keys into lots of things for people. Most gay celebrities will have experienced homophobic bullying of some kind or at least witnessed it and straight celebrities will have seen it too or have been bullied for other reasons. It’s an issue which really galvanises people. Its usually impossible to get four busy celebrities to be shot together like we have done with Ian, Alan, Mark and Dan but they all were totally committed to this.

None of them have anything out to promote. They just want to support the campaign. Westlife are having a year off at the moment but Mark Feehily is totally committed. He spoke to Stonewall before to get a better understanding of the issue. His interview in the magazine is very moving. He talks very passionately about his experiences of feeling isolated as a teenager.

Do you think there is apathy among gay adults about gay teenagers’ experiences?

I think there’s apathy about everything these days, not just from gay people, from everyone. It’s not in the interests of people who run things in the world to have a thinking, passionate public who will take part in debates and get involved with anything. But as gay people, I think we often want to put school behind us, especially if we’ve had a bad time of it.

Life is so much better now for us in the UK so it’s easy to become apathetic. But this is something which is killing people. Also, bullying is really hard to tackle because teachers can’t stand over kids every minute of the day but we have to try and change this situation. We can’t turn a blind eye to it.

How can PinkNews.co.uk readers help?

In the first instance – if they are in a suitable position – we are asking people to write to the headteachers of their old schools to tell them they are an ex-pupil and that they are gay. I think it’s relevant to tell your old school if you were bullied and most importantly to ask what policies they have in place to deal with homophobic bullying. It doesn’t have to be confrontational or angry, its just about saying ‘people like me count.’

Attitude’s Youth Issue is still going strong – what do young people write to you about?

It’s thrilling to see that more and more people just write happy, light letters about what they like about the magazine and usually who they fancy and so on. When we started it, it was a litany of misery and doom. There is still some of that, but it is changing, thank God. But whenever we touch upon youth issues we get letters from people just wanting to be heard, wanting to express what has happened to them. Especially when it comes to the lack of support kids get at school. It’s outrageous.
Click here for more information on Stonewall’s campaign against homophobic bullying.

The Independent
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/gay-judge-shatters-pink-glass-ceiling-936156.html

20 September 2008

34
Gay judge shatters ‘pink glass ceiling’

by Robert Verkaik, Law Editor
It is often said that the "pink glass ceiling" which holds back the promotion of gay and lesbian people in British society is double glazed when it comes to professional mobility among the higher echelons of the judiciary. So the achievement of a 58-year-old barrister and former Olympic fencer in winning a place on the Bench of the Court of Appeal is all the more remarkable. Sir Terence Etherton, pictured, will be the first openly gay judge to be sworn in as Lord Justice of Appeal when his appointment is confirmed later this month.

Sir Terry’s promotion to the 36 judges of the second-highest court in England and Wales, on the formal recommendation of the Prime Minister, was welcomed yesterday by gay rights campaigners. It also means that Sir Terry is a leading contender to become the first openly gay law lord. Friends described him as the "epitome of a modern judge" who ensured that both sides always got a fair hearing in his courtroom. His appointment is also recognition for the work he has done over the past two years as chairman of the Law Commission, the Government’slegal reform body. In that time the commission has been responsible for showing "enlightened thinking" on some very sensitive and important areas of the law.

Sir Terry said: "It is a great honour to be appointed to the Court of Appeal. My appointment reflects the high standing of the Law Commission and the quality and importance of the reports we produce. My appointment also shows that diversity in sexualityis not a bar to preferment up to the highest levels of the judiciary." The judge, a Cambridge graduate, was a member of the England sabre team which won a gold medal at the Commonwealth Fencing Championships in 1978 before qualifying for the Moscow Olympics in 1980.

In 2001 he was appointed to the High Court, becoming one of only two openly gay judges to hold such office – the other is Sir Adrian Fulford, appointed in 2002. Two years ago, Sir Terry was the first High Court judge publicly to announce his own civil partnership. Welcoming Sir Terry’s promotion, Ben Summerskill, chief executive of the gay rights group Stonewall, said: "This is not before time. We have been in contact with the Judicial Appointments Commission for the past 18 months about our concerns about the invisibility of people from minority groups on the Bench."

Recent Stonewall research found that 25 per cent of all gay and lesbian people interviewed felt they would be treated worse by a judge than if they were heterosexual and charged with a major offence. In the family courts the perception of bias is even more serious. Two in five (41 per cent) expect to be treated worse than a heterosexual if they were to appear before a family court in a divorce or custody case. "People say it doesn’t matter whether the judge is a straight white guy or not because the system is basically fair," said Mr Summerskill. "But what people forget is that the common law has been developed over the years by a group of people with a particular outlook, namely white, heterosexual men from public schools. So the idea of what the reasonable man or reasonable point of view may be in legal terms may be very different from someone who comes from a very different background."

Gay rights landmarks
*The idea of coming out was introduced in 1869 by the German homosexual rights advocate Karl Heinrich Ulrichs, right, as a means of emancipation.

He claimed that invisibility was a major obstacle toward changing public opinion.

*Chris Smith, below left, became the first openly gay MP after being elected for Labour in 1983, and later the first gay cabinet minister when he became Culture Secretary after Labour’s 1997 election victory.

*Alan Duncan, centre, is the first openly gay Conservative MP, having come out in 2002. He is the Tories’ business spokesman.

*In 2004, The Right Rev Gene Robinson, Bishop of New Hampshire, below right, became the first openly gay, non-celibate priest to be ordained as a bishop in a major Christian denomination.

*On 21 December 2005, Debbie Gaston and Elaine Cook from Brighton entered the gay rights history book when they became the first same-sex couple to be legally married in Britain.

*Two decades after the first gay character moved to Albert Square and 13 years after Anna Friel’s lesbian kiss on Brookside Close, The Archers achieved a soap-opera first by featuring a gay civil ceremony in 2006.

*In June 2008, two male priests exchanged vows and rings in a ceremony seen as blasphemous by conservatives. The Rev Peter Cowell and the Rev Dr David Lord, had registered their civil partnership before the ceremony.

pinknews.co.uk
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9058.html

September 19, 2008

35
Major gay travel company assures customers it is stable

by Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
Mantrav International has issued a statement in the wake of the collapse of two of its rivals, reassuring customers the company is safe. The travel group, which describes itself as Europe’s leading low cost gay travel specialist, also said that traditional gay holiday destinations are suffering, with Gran Canaria facing the closure of some gay-only resorts. The collapse today of Respect Holidays, one of the UK’s best-known gay brands, follows the decision by Throb Holidays to cease trading following the collapse of XL Airways. Mantrav are based in the UK, USA, the Netherlands & Australia.

Andrew Jones, sales and marketing director, said: "I want to assure all customers that Mantrav International is safe. We have a solid financial backbone, an expert team running our company both in London and worldwide and we are of course fully bonded, so all bookings made with us are secure." Mr Jones said he was "deeply shocked" by the collapse of Throb and Respect.

Respect’s parent company Lidana Ltd, which also traded as Wildwind Holidays and Sensations Holidays, was a small, specialist direct sell travel company operating inclusive holidays to Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Ibiza, Sitges and Mykonos. The CAA, under its ATOL (Air Travel Organiser’s Licensing) scheme, is making arrangements for their holidaymakers currently abroad.

A spokesman for the CAA told PinkNews.co.uk: "We think that there are about 40 people with advance bookings who will get a full refund. The number already abroad is not very large, but we will bring them back when their holiday is over. Those already on holiday do not need to rush to the airport or anything like that. We will contact them and they will come back at around the time they were supposed to."

The CAA said anyone due to travel with Lidana Ltd should submit a claim to them. Claim forms are available on the ATOL website at www.atol.org.uk. All Respect holidays have been cancelled so customers should not go to airports.

pinknews.co.uk
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9100.html

September 25, 2008

36
Website for gay men newly diagnosed with HIV launched

by Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk
A new interactive website aims to tackle the isolation many gay men feel when they are first diagnosed as HIV+. ‘What next?’ is the first web resource of its kind in the UK. It is funded by the Department of Health. Using diaries and video clips of men describing their personal experiences and offering tips and advice, the site gives information on finding out you are HIV+, telling people, health, sex and love, dealing with medical staff and information on HIV, treatment and transmission.

The most recent statistics on HIV infection show that 2,700 men who have sex with men were diagnosed in 2006, the highest number since the epidemic began. 82% of these men probably acquired HIV in the UK. Across the UK 1 in 20 gay and bisexual men are now living with HIV and estimates suggest this figure is as high as 1 in 10 in London. 11% of new diagnoses in 2006 were among 16 to 24 year olds.

Marc Thompson, deputy head of health promotion at Terrence Higgins Trust, said: “Being diagnosed with HIV can make people feel like they’re on an emotional roller coaster. Many people are left feeling quite alone or feel like they have hundreds of questions to ask. This site aims to give all the practical information gay men might want after they’ve been diagnosed, but also gives personal accounts of what it’s actually like living with HIV day to day. Advice and tips from men who’ve been through the same thing can be invaluable."

Gay UK News & Reports 2008 Jun-Sep

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