The US Secretary of State sends ‘powerful’ message to world on gay rights as four men are due to be hanged for sodomy in Iran
World Pride organizers say Hillary Clinton’s formal acceptance of a gay rights award sends a ‘powerful’ and ‘poignant’ message to the world as four men in Iran await execution for sodomy.
Pride London and global LGBT organization Kaleidoscope Trust will honor the US Secretary of State with the World LGBT Award at a star-studded black tie dinner in the British capital for World Pride on 5 July.
Mrs Clinton has long been a supporter of LGBT rights and made headlines last December with a speech at the UN in Geneva where she demanded global rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.?
Chair of Pride London, Dr Patrick Williams, says today’s announcement of her formal acceptance of the award sends a ‘powerful’ message to the world that gay rights are human rights.
He said: ‘It is an important message, one of hope, to our LGBT brothers and sisters in countries that still criminalize homosexuality.
‘A message that we are listening, watching and that we will not stop campaigning for their rights until they are treated equally and can live without the fear that their own government will punish them purely because they may love people of their own gender.’
He added that it is ‘particularly poignant’ in light of current events in Iran where four men are due to be hanged for sodomy.
However, activists are still trying to determine the exact crime the men were convicted off.
There are unconfirmed reports that say the men have already been killed.
?Dr Williams added: ‘Iran aside, a staggering 41 countries out of 53 in our very own Commonwealth of Nations criminalize being LGBT and we have a responsibility beyond our borders to end this atrocity, particularly in the year Britain hosts World Pride.’
Gay Star News is the official news website of World Pride.
The award will be presented to Mrs Clinton at the Dine with Pride gala dinner, which will also see ILGA, the international Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association, given an International Community Award.
Tickets for the gala dinner cost £250 per person ($400 €300) with all proceeds going to the Solidarity Fund and are available from the Pride London website.
by Matthew Jenkin
Source – Gay Star News
