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Uganda Drops Anti-Gay Bill

Uganda has dropped - or shelved it's proposed anti-gay bill. Parliament closed yesterday after failing to implement it. Although Parliament has been extended to run on Monday and Tuesday, only administrative business will be carried out. Many, however, believe that public pressure scuppered the Bill's chances, especially the USA's description of the Bill as 'odioud'.

Read more here.

Joan Armatrading marries girlfriend

Singer-songwriter Joan Armatrading and her partner, artist Maggie Butler, had a civil partnership on 2 May in Shetland.

Armatrading began her music career in the 1970s and quickly gained a strong lesbian following with singles ‘Drop the Pilot’ and ‘Love and Affection’.

She has been nominated for three Grammy Awards and two Brit awards, and she received the Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contemporary Song Collection in 1996.

Read the full story in Lesbilicious, here.

40 years on: where are LGBT rights?

The 40 year anniversary of the founding of GLF in the UK on the LSE campus gave momentum to look back how LGBT rights have developed and become globalized in this period. The conference is an opportunity to engage in a discussion on the changing context of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexuals and transgender (LGBT) rights in the last 40 years. It is bringing together academics and activists involved in the development of the global LGBT movement. It will look at the historical context of the development of GLF and bring together current, and globalised, debates on sexuality, equality activism and needs.

The conference will consider the ways in which the rights context has impacted upon the lives of LGBT people both in the UK and in the global arena; What are the different ways of understanding strategies and technologies for sexuality rights in different contexts? What are the lessons to be learned from an internationalist perspective?

The conference will include a key note address, panel sessions and more open discussion based sessions. In addition, a 'witness seminar' methodology will include key contributors associated with the genesis of GLF in the UK in early 1970s.

Participants include:

Matt Cook Birkbeck College
Sonia Corrêa the founder of SOS-Corpo- Instituto Feminista para a Democracia (Brazil)
Vikram Doctor The Economic Times-India
Silvia Gallotti LSE Library
Joel Gustave Nana Executive Director African Men for Sexual Health and Rights(AMSHeR)
Sally Hines University of Leeds
Suhraiya Jivraj Oxford Brookes University
Katherine Johnson University of Brighton
Akshay Khanna Institute of Development Studies
Robert Kulpa Birkbeck College
Anthony Manion GALA Wits archives
Frank Mugisha Uganda Executive Director Ugandan Sexual Minorities Group
David Paternotte FNRS/Université libre de Bruxelles
Rahul Rao SOAS
Jeff Redding Saint Louise University Law School
Helen Sauntson University of Birmingham
Tamsila Tauqir Director of the Safra Project

The conference is open to all and free. However due to space restrictions prior registration is required. If you are planning to attend the conference please e-mail: m.h.seckinelgin@lse.ac.uk or Dianne Josephs d.e.josephs@lse.ac.uk to reserve your place.

40 years on: where are LGBT rights? Gay Liberation Front’s 40th anniversary Conference
London School of Economics
19-20 May 2011
Wolfson Theatre
New Academic Building
website

David Cairns MP Dies

David Cairns MP
1966-2011

David Cairns, the Labour MP for Inverclyde, has died at the age of 44 after a short illness.

Read an obituary in Pink News here.

David Cairns on wikipedia

Pride Sports encourages LGBT Sports participants to help shape sport in England

Last week, Pride Sports, the UK’s LGBT sports development organisation launches a campaign to ensure that the voices of LGBT people are heard in Sport England’s Satisfaction Survey. The Sports Council’s online survey, which yielded a response from 44,000 people, last year, helps to inform the development of sport across England, and ensures the delivery of a ‘lasting legacy’ from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The survey asks respondents to rate their satisfaction with a number of aspects of their sporting experience; social, physical environment, staff and volunteers, coaching and opportunities to progress. However, although the survey asks respondents about their age, gender and ethnic background, it does not ask the sexual orientation question or provide an opportunity for trans people to identify themselves.

Lou Englefield, one of Pride Sports Founding Directors explains, “The problem is, whilst Sport England fail to ask the sexual orientation question or provide an opportunity for trans people to identify themselves, the Sports Council has no way of identifying any trends which relate specifically to LGBT people and sport. For example, the survey could show that LGBT people are more than happy with their sporting experience. It could equally show that we are not.”

Pride Sports are therefore calling on LGBT people involved in sport to use the additional information box towards the end of the survey to identify as LGB or T and to state if they practice sport as part of an LGBT sports group. Lou continues,

“There are now over 100 LGBT sports and physical activity groups in England alone, new ones establishing themselves every year. But many of these are not affiliated to their sport’s National Governing Bodies and have no contact with County Sports Partnerships, which provide support for grass roots sport in England. It is time Sport England began to ask how satisfied we are with our sporting experience and to invest more in LGBT sport”

Pride Sports will be conducting its own survey of LGBT people and their experience of sport over the summer.

Church Schools in the Netherlands can fire gay and lesbian teachers

Gay teachers can be dismissed by religious schools if it can be shown that their homosexuality clashes with the ethos of the institution. The Dutch Interior Minister, Guusje Ter Horst, made this statement in a letter to parliament attempting to clear up uncertainty on the highly controversial issue.

Up to now religious school boards faced legal proceedings if they expelled homosexual teachers.

The law was unclear as two constitutional rights clashed: freedom of education and freedom of sexual orientation.

In her letter, Minister Ter Horst says schools are entitled to demand that their staff adhere to the school's principles.

In the case of strict Christian schools, this means they are entitled to reject applicants or sack teachers if their sexual orientation conflicts with the school's Christian values.

Read the full story, here.

Joanna Russ Dies

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Joanna Russ
1937-2011

The lesbian science fiction writer and critic, and author of The Female Man (1975), Joanna Russ, has died peacefully.

Read an obituary by Locus Magazine, here.

Islamic Cleric: "It's okay to be gay"

Muhsin Hendricks is an Islamic cleric and a gay man.

The South African runs a foundation called The Inner Circle, which helps Muslims, who are struggling to accept their sexuality. He is on tour and has gone the the Netherlands to spread a simple message: “It’s okay to be Muslim and gay!”

It’s a message not everyone agrees with and the reason why Mr Hendricks is no longer officially a cleric.

Read the full story, here:

Olympic Gymnast Comes Out

Dutch Olympic Gymnast Jeffrey Wammes has come out and asserted that he is gay in a special edition of Linda magazine dedicated to gay sports stars.

Wammes said:“There was already a lot of speculation about whether or not I fell for boys or girls. To me it has nothing to do with sport or how I perform. But when I was asked to do this, I made it clear straight away how things were and that’s that.”

Read the full story, here.

Pride Solidarity Supports Day of Silence in St Petersburg

Around 50 people - members and friends of the Russian LGBT organization “Coming Out” (Vychod) - joined the international LGBT Youth initiative, the Day of Silence, to protest against the silence created by discrimination, humiliation and violence faced by LGBT people during their education. They were joined by Clare B Dimyon MBE of PRIDE Solidarity, a experienced teacher who is all too familiar with homophobia in British schools.

Russia has participated in the Day of Silence since 2008.

This ground-breaking enterprise in Russia was undertaken in three parts:

1) Day of Silence posters were placed on notice boards where students would see them

2) On 15 April (yesterday) leaflets were sent by fax to the city administration, the courts and prosecutor's office, dean's offices of universities and major media of the city. In total 120 faxes were sent.

3) On Sat 16 April, at 14:00 around 50 people gathered on the world famous Nevsky Prospekt and sealed their mouths with red tape. For over an hour they walked over 2km handing out leaflets explaining the “Day of Silence” as a protest against the harassment and discrimination faced by young LGBT people.

1200 leaflets were produced and none remained at the end of the action creating the most successful outreach action to ordinary people and officials ever seen in Russia.

Igor Kochetkov, director of Vychod (“Coming Out”) said: "We were silent and we were heard. What we, as LGBTactivists, see on the streets of St Petersburg, is more and more understanding of the unacceptability of violence and humiliation of human dignity."

Clare Dimyon MBE said: “It was a great privilege to take part in this action and while it was clear that participants were apprehensive, I certainly was, it was amazing to see that the reaction of the St Petersburg public was interested, even positive and a few even joined the flash mob. I was impressed by the thoughtful and efficient organisation of this action but especially by the young LGBT people who were taking part in an open action for the very first time. I was so very PROUD of them. It was also great that these LGBT History Makers were wearing the LGBT History Month badges that I brought from the UK.”

Photos
Facebook Photos

Videos:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhshgT3saX4
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Na1ZMQnbM1Y
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcbxXCu-om4

Amaechi talks about Kobe Bryant case

Former US basketball star and LGBT History Month patron John Amaechi has made a detailed response to the Kobe Bryant case. Bryant was fined $100,000 dollars after he called a referee a "f**king f*gg*t" in a game. He has apologised, claiming he never meant to cause offence, and his appealing the penalty.

Amaechi is now a psychologist, counsellor and equalities and diversity trainer.

Read the full article in the New York Times, here.

Same-sex kiss-in protest in Soho

The John Snow pub in Soho was almost the scene of a same sex kiss in protest yesterday. The Sam Smiths hostelry caused outrage among the gay community when two men were allegedly ejected for kissing whilst sitting at a table.

But when the well organised protesters - who numbered about a thousand - turned up to kiss inside the pub, they found the doors were locked. The protesters carried out their kiss-in outside and the pub lost a day's takings.

The Guardian has a report and a video, here. Pictures are available on flickr, here.

Boy George claims queer-bashing is back after brutal attack on Phillip Sallon

Boy George claims homophobic violence is on the increase after his friend Phillip Sallon was found badly beaten and kicked in central London. Claiming these things come in cycles, George said that attacks of this kind were becoming as common as they were in the 1980s. Sallon, a long time friend of Boy George, wore flamboyant clothes and stood out in a crowd. According to George, his appearance is the most likely reason for the attack. He added that his friend would not cause a fight and that there was no other logical explanation. But more to the point, he added, there is a movement towards 'assimilation' in the gay community, where gay men try to fit in rather than be different or 'individual'. This, in turn, makes people who stand out more vulnerable to attack.

Meanwhile the police say they have no evidence that the attack, which took place in the early hours of Sunday morning on the 3rd of April in Shaftesbury Avenue, was motivated by homophobia and no witnesses have come forward. Read the full story in the Guardian, here.

Meanwhile, Mark Healey, who organises the Trafalgar Square Vigils in memory of Ian Baynham, has called for an assembly at the Eros statue in Piccadilly Circus as a protest and a call for witnesses tonight. Facebook event.

Leeds Comprehensive used Sport to Stamp out Homophobia

A Leeds Secondary schools claims to have Stamped out Homophobia with the help of Pride Sports. Prince Henry's in Otley ran an anti-homophobia campaign that eradicated homophobic language as a part of 'tackling all forms of discrimination and promoting equality for all'.

According to assistant head Chris Lillington it was the students who wanted to take on homophobia and the PE Department were the first to take up the gudgel. Chris, who spoke of his school with pride at the LGBT History Month Pre-Launch at Twickenham last November, also said that Pride Sport's Lou Englefield and LGBT History Month patron Sir Ian McKellen visited the school to support their work.

Read the full article, which comes from the newsletter of the National Children's Football Alliance, here.

Anger at "plans to 'scrap the Equality Act'"

Equalities and human rights activists went into red alert yesterday at alleged plans to “scrap the Equality Act”.

The panic was caused by a Cabinet Office consultation site inviting comments on the Equality Act, citing a range of questions from whether it should be “scrapped” to whether it should be kept as it is.

LGBT History Month co-chair Tony Fenwick said:

“Some reactions have been premature. The Government would look very silly indeed it if it tried to scrap an act it introduced late last year and updated only a week ago.

“That said; there are those who would like to water down parts of the Act. The requirement for public sector organisations to publish details of what they are doing to challenge discrimination and promote equality could be in jeopardy. We need to defend this requirement because it moves the equalities agenda forward and gives the Act the power to bring about change.

“I therefore invite everyone to access the site (address above) and say “Keep the Act as it is”.

Government wants to hear from trans community

The Government Equalities Office (GEO) has set up a monthly Trans bulletin and a survey. The initiative seeks to find out the needs of trans people and what progress they are making in "progressing the agenda".

You can download a pdf version of the bulletin by clicking here

Bulletin No 84

The latest edition of the LGBT History Month bulletin is now available, as usual packed-full of news, information, notices of upcoming events and quotations.

To access the latest bulletin please click on one of the links below:
word document
pdf file
(you can also right click on the links and "save target as")

You can view all previous bulletins here or register to our mailing list here.

Sir Simon Milton Dies

Simon Milton
1961-2011

The London's Deputy Mayor for Policy and Planning, Sir Simon Milton, has died after a short illness, aged 49.

Simon Milton on wikipedia

Public Sector Duty Launched

The Equality Act public Sector Duty came into operation on Tuesday April 5th. This will protect all the strands against discrimination and demand that all areas of the public sector promote equality on the grounds of:

• age
• disability
• gender reassignment
• marriage/civil partnership
• pregnancy/maternity
• race
• religion/belief
• sex
• sexual orientation

The Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) will oversee the implementation of the Duty.

For more information on the new laws, click here.