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  • This Friday is the 50th anniversary of the first Gay Liberation Front demonstration in Britain

    This Friday is the 50th anniversary of the first Gay Liberation Front demonstration in Britain

    Veterans from the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) will be holding a torchlight rally this Friday to mark 50 years since the first LGBT protest in Britain.

    The rally was held to highlight anti-gay laws and police harassment, specifically in response to the arrest of the then leader of the Young Liberals, Louis Eaks, in Highbury Fields, Islington.

    The veterans and allies will meet at 6 pm in Highbury Fields, opposite Highbury and Islington tube station, beside the pink triangle plaque that commemorates the protest that happened there 50 years ago.

    To conform to lockdown regulations, participants will wear masks, remain in two-person groups and keep socially distanced from each other.  

     “27th November 1970 was a watershed moment that challenged police persecution for the first time in the UK. It began our fightback, igniting an LGBT+ protest movement that in the following five decades rolled back straight supremacism and won the repeal of anti-LGBT+ laws,” said Peter Tatchell, who was a member of GLF 1971-74.

    This 50th commemoration, we will replicate the torchlight rally of 50 years ago and read the original Gay Liberation Front demands A plaque commemorating the protest on 27 November 1970 was affixed to the former public toilet by the LGBT+ group OutRage! and Islington Council.

    It was unveiled on 27 November 2000, on the 30th anniversary of the first demonstration, in the presence of then Culture Secretary Chris Smith MP, local MP Jeremy Corbyn, the Mayor of Islington, and GLF veterans.

    Embed from Getty Images

    86 and sending love

    “In 1970 I suggested that the Gay Liberation Front’s first demo ought to be in Highbury Fields against the arrest of Louis Eaks. I’m now 86 and send my love. I remind everyone that the word for the Highbury Fields demo, in the slang of 1970, was a ‘zap’, meaning a bolt of electrical energy. Highbury Fields forever! In solidarity and disgrace.” Eric Thompson

    “From the dark of Highbury Fields to the light of the pub afterwards, we saw each other anew. We had shared our beliefs and convictions in public and acted them out in the world. We had made the first-ever openly public demonstration in this country by homosexuals. Whatever barriers there were between us were let down that night. An emotional connection of solidarity and respect, for ourselves and each other, was forged. It remains palpable to this day.” Stuart Feather, author of the Gay Liberation Front memoir, Blowing the Lid.

    A defining moment in LGBT history

    a plague marking the the first ever gay liberation front protest

    “Highbury Fields was a UK defining moment in a global LGBT+ uprising and revolution against oppression and for liberation with sexual liberation at its heart.” John Lloyd

    “In 1970 gay men, lesbians and trans people protested together on Highbury Fields, not just about police abuse of power and unjust laws, but also for liberation, including sexual liberation for everyone – a revolution. Love and liberation.” Nettie Pollard.

    “Marking the 50th anniversary of the first LGBT protest in London is of paramount importance today in bringing together queer individuals spanning multiple generations in order that we can celebrate and learn from those who have continuously fought for our rights over the last 50 years.” Graham Martin

  • London’s Pride may have been cancelled, but activists in their 60s and 70s are still planning to march

    London’s Pride may have been cancelled, but activists in their 60s and 70s are still planning to march

    Veteran LGBT+ activists are planning to lead a Pride march through the heart of London, despite London’s official Pride, Pride In London being postponed until 2021.

    Members from the London Gay Liberation Front (GLF) including Peter Tatchell will march in London on the 27th June 2020. They will be marching along the route that Pride In London was meant to take.

    Former members of the iconic group are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the GLF which was formed in 1970, and are generally credited with being the beginning of the LGBT+ movement in the UK.

    The GLF Pride march will take place on Saturday 27 June, starting at 1pm from outside the BBC in Portland Place W1.  

    The ex-GLF marchers, some in their 70s, will wear face masks and ensure social distancing. They will follow the planned official Pride route down Regent Street, Piccadilly Circus and Haymarket to Trafalgar Square. 

    https://www.petertatchellfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/GLF-demo-August-1971-First-major-gay-demo-in-UK.jpg

    According to the organisers, the march will comprise only of older GLF veterans and is not open to the wider LGBT+ community in order to ensure compliance with the Covid-19 regulations and to protect the health of vulnerable at-risk veterans from the early 1970s. There will be a small group of chosen supporters to give the GLF veterans back-up. 

    Embed from Getty Images

    The GLF march organiser, Peter Tatchell, was one of about 40 people who helped organise the UK’s first Pride march in London in 1972. He has attended every Pride London parade since then.

    This will be his 49th. 

    Speaking about the march, Tatchell said, “Homophobia did not defeat us, so we’re not going to let the Covid-19 pandemic stop Pride. We GLF veterans confronted anti-LGBT+ bigots 50 years ago. We faced down police harassment, far right extremists and homophobic political and religious leaders. We are marching as Pride was planned, with face masks and social distancing,”

    Embed from Getty Images

    “We support Black Lives Matter and the just demands of black communities, just as we did in the early 1970s.

    “GLF did not seek equal rights within a flawed, unjust status quo. It campaigned for the transformation of society to end straight supremacism and stood in solidarity with all other oppressed communities. This same agenda of radical social transformation is needed now as the UK faces the quadruple whammy of Covid-19, economic meltdown, endemic racism and climate destruction,” added Mr Tatchell. 

  • PETER TATCHELL | Pride needs to get back to its roots

    PETER TATCHELL | Pride needs to get back to its roots

    Peter Tatchell, one of the UK’s most famous LGBT+ rights advocates has said that pride, needs a “major rethink” and for it to “get back to what pride was originally about”.

    The stalwart rights campaigner then put forth a four-point plan, which included returning the parade back to a political march, getting rid of corporate branding and banning motorised floats.

    The plan, he suggested should be trialled for one year.

    In a statement, Tatchell wrote

    “As a Patron of Pride and one of the organisers of the UK’s first Pride in 1972,

    “I have attended every parade since then – 47 in all. 

    “I believe a major rethink is needed. We need to get back to what Pride was originally about. “

    Four ways to take pride back

    Peter Tatchell Foundation

    The Pride parade should become a march for LGBT+ rights

    As a political march, this would mean no charges being imposed by Westminster Council, the Metropolitan Police and the Greater London Authority, saving around £60,000 in fees to Westminster Council alone. 

    Pride should be open to all

    There should be no restriction on the number of people who can march and no requirement to get a wristband.

    Oppressive institutions should be excluded from Pride sponsorship & the parade 

    This includes weapons manufacturers, tobacco and fossil fuel companies and the Home Office until it stops incarcerating, banning employment and deporting LGBT+ refugees. Individuals from these institutions should still be welcome in the parade but without any corporate branding.  

    Ban motorised floats, except for disability vehicles

    Having vehicles in the parade allows Westminster Council to slap onerous charges on Pride and contributes to the carbon emissions that fuel climate destruction. 

    Tatchell added, “I am proposing that these ideas be trialled for one-year in 2020. If they work, Pride can keep them permanently. If not, Pride can ditch them and try something new”.

    Pride In London is one of the biggest prides in the country, which regularly sees over a million people watch and take part in the huge parade.

    “The Pride parade can and should remain true to its founding ideals”

    CREDIT: (C) Joffe Walters

    Tatchell reiterated what Pride was all about saying,

    “The founding principles of the LGBT+ Pride parade in 1972 were: LGBT+ visibility, the celebration of LGBT+ life and culture and the demand for LGBT+ liberation, including the abolition of discriminatory laws and reform of anti-LGBT+ institutions. It was open to all who supported these core principles. 

    “The Pride parade can and should remain true to its founding ideals. 

    “Pride must be by and for the LGBT+ community – not city authorities or corporate funders. Their support is welcome but it must not dictate”.

    Pride operates on the terms of Westminster Council, the police and Sadiq Khan

    Highlighting some of the constraints that Pride In London faces, Tatchell revealed,

    “The Mayor of London, Westminster council and the Metropolitan Police now hold the whip-hand. The Pride parade operates on their terms – not ours. 

    “We must reject any cap on numbers in the parade. It goes against the ethos of Pride which was, until recent years, open to all. In 1997, there were over 100,000 people in the parade and 300,000 at the post-parade festival on Clapham Common. Numbers are not everything but they should not be artificially restricted. 

    What is Peter’s vision for Pride?

    “Revert to a political carnival parade for LGBT rights, like the first one in 1972. If it is a political march there would be no fees payable to the police, council etc. 

    “Political marches are not charged. The anti-austerity and anti-Brexit marches were not subject to any of the draconian costs and restrictions on numbers that have been imposed on Pride. 

    “Pride can be political and still have a colourful, joyous carnival atmosphere, as in 1972 and 1997. 

    “To cut parade costs, motorised floats should be axed and replaced by other options, such as hand-pulled non-motorised floats – mounted on flatbeds on wheels – as some groups had in 1997.

    “These were smaller in size than the gigantic bus and truck floats of recent years but still fabulous and more diverse and imaginative eg the OutRage! giant papier-mache head of Tony Blair in Pride 1998. The Thames Festival parade is awesome but has no motorised floats. I remember a huge dragon held aloft by dozens of parade participants using tall poles. It was very effective and dramatic; proving that motorised floats are not the only way to have a spectacular carnival parade. 

    “My congratulations and thanks to the Pride organisers, the Community Advisory Board and all the volunteers who make Pride in London possible. Pride’s online consultation seeking LGBT+ input regarding the future of the parade was commendable. I salute you,” said Peter Tatchell.



  • UNHCR responds to allegations of “neglect, collusion, and inaction” of LGBT+ asylum seekers

    UNHCR responds to allegations of “neglect, collusion, and inaction” of LGBT+ asylum seekers

    “The safety and security of all refugees is of utmost priority to us. “

    Following on from the allegations from The Peter Tatchell Foundation that LGBT+ asylum seekers are being neglected and victimised in Kenya’s refugee camps, the UNHCR responds.

    Yesterday we reported that according to Peter Tatchell, the UN High Commission For Refugees boss Filippo Grandi had failed to respond to concerns raised by the Peter Tatchell Foundation (PTF) over the alleged failure to protect LGBT+ people in Kenya, who have fled homophobic persecution from neighbouring countries like Uganda.

    The UNHCR has responded by telling THEGAYUK, that “The safety and security of all refugees is of utmost priority to us” and that ‘all LGBTI refugees registered and known to UNHCR in Kakuma are promptly relocated to safer places”.

    Speaking THEGAYUK Peter Tatchell said, “Since 2017, I have received persistent reports of neglect, indifference and abuse by UNHCR staff and those they employ, including the failure of the UNHCR to protect LGBT+ refugees from abuse and violence by other refugees and the Kenyan police,

    “The UNHCR in Kenya has a duty of care towards all refugees, including LGBT+ ones. For at least two years, it has failed that duty of care – and sadly it continues to fail now”.

    The Peter Tatchell Foundation has proposed a five-point plan to the UNHCR to end the threats, violence and exclusion, including removing UNHCR staff and contractors who have behaved in a homophobic way.

    “All LGBTI refugees registered and known to UNHCR in Kakuma are promptly relocated to safer places”

    Speaking to THEGAYUK, a spokesperson for the UNHCR said, “The safety and security of all refugees is of utmost priority to us.

    “UNHCR is responding to Mr. Tatchell’s letter to address his stated concerns. Our Assistant High Commissioner for Refugees, Volker Turk, recently wrote to LGBTI activists engaged in this issue and reaffirmed our steadfast commitment to finding a solution to this situation.

    “All LGBTI refugees registered and known to UNHCR in Kakuma are promptly relocated to safer places, where we provide them with shelter, food, water, medical care, legal and psychological counselling and other assistance. We ensure they receive official documentation that legalizes their residence in urban areas, an important measure in light of Kenya’s encampment policy. Assessments are conducted on immediate needs and to identify the best long-term solution.

    “UNHCR is actively advocating with resettlement countries to increase the number of places available for LGBTI refugees. However, the number of resettlement places needed worldwide far outstrips the number of places available. For 2019, just 70,000 places are available for more than 1.4 million refugees UNHCR has identified as in need of resettlement.  Our Nairobi office has been working to secure resettlement for as many LGBTI refugees in Kenya as possible.  In the last part of 2018, we submitted more than 100 LGBTI cases for resettlement from Nairobi and have submitted approximately 150 further cases for consideration so far this year.

    “UNHCR has a zero-tolerance policy towards any acts of misconduct by our staff or partners”

    “UNHCR has a zero-tolerance policy towards any acts of misconduct by our staff or partners, including homophobic abuse. Any allegation we receive is passed on to our Independent Inspector General for investigation. All UNHCR staff and partners are required to sign our Code of Conduct, under which any acts of homophobic abuse leads to disciplinary measures, including dismissal.

     

  • UN High Commission For Refugees refuses to respond to accusations of abuse toward LGBTs

    UN High Commission For Refugees refuses to respond to accusations of abuse toward LGBTs

    The Peter Tatchell Foundation has written to the UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi, who as failed to respond to accusations of “neglect, collusion, and inaction” over the victimisation of LGBT+ asylum seekers in Kenya’s refugee camps.

    According to Peter Tatchell, the UN High Commission For Refugees boss Filippo Grandi has failed to respond to concerns raised by the Peter Tatchell Foundation (PTF) over the alleged failure to protect LGBT+ people in Kenya, who have fled homophobic persecution from neighbouring countries like Uganda.

    Speaking THEGAYUK Peter Tatchell said, “Since 2017, I have received persistent reports of neglect, indifference and abuse by UNHCR staff and those they employ, including the failure of the UNHCR to protect LGBT+ refugees from abuse and violence by other refugees and the Kenyan police,

    “The UNHCR in Kenya has a duty of care towards all refugees, including LGBT+ ones. For at least two years, it has failed that duty of care – and sadly it continues to fail now”.

    The Peter Tatchell Foundation has proposed a five-point plan to the UNHCR to end the threats, violence and exclusion, including removing UNHCR staff and contractors who have behaved in a homophobic way.

    The letter sent by the PTF was sent to the UNHCR three times since Mid-January. The organisation has yet to response.

    The letter from PTF reads,

    Dear Filippo Grandi and UNHCR colleagues

    Abuse of LGBT+ refugees in Kenya
    I am a human rights defender of 52-years standing and Director of the London-based human rights ngo, the Peter Tatchell Foundation: http://www.petertatchellfoundation.org

    I work with the UK and other governments on human rights issues.

    I echo the concerns expressed by Richard de Luchi and LGBT+ refugees about the failure of the UNHCR to protect Ugandan and other LGBT+ refugees in the Kakuma and Nairobi refugee camps from homophobic abuse, threats and violence by fellow refugees, the Kenyan police and allegedly from some UNHCR staff and their external contracted employees, such as security staff.

    The UNHCR in Kenya has a duty of care towards all refugees, including LGBT+ ones. For at least two years it has failed that duty of care – and sadly it continues to fail now.

    Since 2017, I have received persistent reports of neglect, indifference and abuse by UNHCR staff and those they employ – and their failure to protect victimised LGBT+ refugees from abuse and violence by others. Allegations of prejudice and neglect persist against UNHCR staff.

    This is in clear violation of the UNHCR’s mission statement and brings shame to an esteemed UN organisation.

    You have the power to help put right these terrible wrongs. I urge you and the UNHCR to:

    1. Halt the placement of LGBT+ refugees in the Kakuma camp. It is unsafe.

    2. Transfer all LGBT+ refugees from Kakuma to Nairobi to a secure location, separate from other refugees who may threaten them (not all have been transferred thus far).

    3. Speedily facilitate the resettlement of LGBT+ refugees to safe countries where they can live their lives without fear, threats, discrimination and violence.

    4. Remove UNHCR staff and employed contractors who have behaved in a homophobic way towards LGBT+ refugees from any contact with these refugees and/ or dismiss them from UNHCR work.

    5. Give UNHCR staff training in LGBT+ awareness and the unacceptability of homophobia, biphobia and transphobia – and make such prejudice a disciplinary offence.

    I would be grateful to receive your assurances on these five points and be updated
    on progress on their implementation.

    Thank you very much.

    Yours sincerely,

    Peter Tatchell

     

    Speaking to THEGAYUK, a spokesperson for the UNHCR said, “The safety and security of all refugees is of utmost priority to us.

    “UNHCR is responding to Mr. Tatchell’s letter to address his stated concerns. Our Assistant High Commissioner for Refugees, Volker Turk, recently wrote to LGBTI activists engaged in this issue and reaffirmed our steadfast commitment to finding a solution to this situation.

    “All LGBTI refugees registered and known to UNHCR in Kakuma are promptly relocated to safer places, where we provide them with shelter, food, water, medical care, legal and psychological counselling and other assistance. We ensure they receive official documentation that legalizes their residence in urban areas, an important measure in light of Kenya’s encampment policy. Assessments are conducted on immediate needs and to identify the best long-term solution.

    “UNHCR is actively advocating with resettlement countries to increase the number of places available for LGBTI refugees. However, the number of resettlement places needed worldwide far outstrips the number of places available. For 2019, just 70,000 places are available for more than 1.4 million refugees UNHCR has identified as in need of resettlement.  Our Nairobi office has been working to secure resettlement for as many LGBTI refugees in Kenya as possible.  In the last part of 2018, we submitted more than 100 LGBTI cases for resettlement from Nairobi and have submitted approximately 150 further cases for consideration so far this year.

    “UNHCR has a zero-tolerance policy towards any acts of misconduct by our staff or partners”

    “UNHCR has a zero-tolerance policy towards any acts of misconduct by our staff or partners, including homophobic abuse. Any allegation we receive is passed on to our Independent Inspector General for investigation. All UNHCR staff and partners are required to sign our Code of Conduct, under which any acts of homophobic abuse leads to disciplinary measures, including dismissal.

     

     

    This article has been updated since it was first published to reflect the comment by UNHCR

  • Scores of people were outside the Russian Consulate to protest the persecution of gay people in Chechnya

    Scores of people were outside the Russian Consulate to protest the persecution of gay people in Chechnya

    A demonstration, led by Peter Tatchell, All Out and Queer Tours of London were outside the Russian Embassy over the weekend to protest the “gay purge” in Chechnya.

    rihaij / Pixabay

    As the “gay purge” continues in Chechnya, a protest group gathered outside the Russian Embassy in London to demand “never again ever”. The protest was timed to coincide with Holocaust Memorial Day.

    The protest organisers had four demands,

    1. We call on Theresa May to publicly condemn these atrocities;
    2. We ask all Governments to give shelter to those fleeing from Chechnya;
    3. We call for a United Nations Independent Investigation on Russia with a specific mandate on the human rights violations in the Chechen Republic
    4. We urge Russian authorities to bring those responsible for these atrocities to justice and, failing that, for the international community to intervene and arraign the perpetrators before the ICJ

    Speaking about the protest, Peter Tatchell said,

    “The heart-breaking reports of renewed state torture and murder of LGBT+ people are a damning indictment of the tyrannical Chechen regime and of the Russian President Vladimir Putin. He has refused to use his powers to stop the homophobic terror campaign and to bring perpetrators to justice. We deplore all human rights abuses in Chechnya – including detention without trial, torture and arbitrary killings. At this protest, we stand in solidarity with Chechen LGBTs and all persecuted Chechen people.”

    Matt Beard, Executive Director of All Out, added:
    “A new wave of brutal state-sponsored attacks against LGBT+ people is taking place in Chechnya right now. Silence is complicity. World leaders must condemn these atrocities and ask Russian authorities to bring those responsible to justice.”

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  • PETER TATCHELL: Ashers “gay cake” verdict is a victory

    Leading human rights activist has said that verdict that the Ashers Bakery did not discriminate in refusing to make a “gay cake” is a victory for freedom of expression.

    Cake, Gay Marriage, gay wedding
    CREDIT: © ivonnewierink Depositphotos

    Peter Tatchell has described the act of same-sex marriage as a “political idea” and that no business should be forced to produce a product that they have a ‘conscientious objection” to. He stated that the verdict that the Ashers Bakery did not discriminate in refusing to honour an hour for a cake which had “Although I profoundly disagree with Asher’s opposition to marriage equality, in a free society neither they nor anyone else should be forced to facilitate a political idea that they oppose”.

    He added, “Businesses can now lawfully refuse a customer’s request to emblazon a political message if they have a conscientious objection to it. This includes the right to refuse messages that are sexist, xenophobic or anti-gay, which is a good thing”.

    Appeal after appeal

    The Asher’s Bakery row has rolled on since 2014 when the Christian run Ashers Baking Co. in Northern Ireland refused to make a pro-gay marriage cake, which featured a slogan “Support Gay Marriage – Queer Space Born 1998” with a picture of Sesame Street characters Ernie and Bert, because it says it clashed with the ethos of their company, saying,

    ‘We thought that this order was at odds with our beliefs, certainly was in contradiction with what the Bible teaches.’

    Queer Space is an organisation, which seeks to increase the visibility of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered (LGBT) Community in a positive manner to counteract the disregard, and negative images presented to the general public.

    They didn’t discriminate because the customer was gay…

    Tatchell continued, “Ashers did not discriminate against the customer, Gareth Lee, because he was gay. They objected to the message he wanted on the cake: ‘Support gay marriage.’

    “Discrimination against LGBT people is wrong. But in a free society, people should be able to discriminate against ideas that they disagree with. I am glad the court upheld this important liberal principle.

    “If the original judgement against Ashers had been upheld it would have meant that a Muslim printer could be obliged to publish cartoons of Mohammed and a Jewish printer could be forced to publish a book that propagates Holocaust denial. It could have also encouraged far right extremists to demand that bakers and other service providers facilitate the promotion of anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim opinions.

    “That would have set a dangerous, authoritarian precedent that could have been open to serious abuse.

    “Discrimination against people should be illegal but not discrimination against ideas and opinions,” said Mr Tatchell.

  • Civil Partnerships now available to opposite-sex couples

    Civil Partnerships now available to opposite-sex couples

    Civil Partnerships have now been greenlit for opposite-sex couples.

    The UK government has agreed to open civil partnership to heterosexual couples equalising the law for straight and gay couples. Speaking about the decision, Human Rights campaigner, Peter Tatchell said,

    “The planned opening of civil partnerships to opposite-sex couples is wonderful news. It is the successful culmination of a 14-year equality campaign that was begun in 2004 by myself and the LGBT+ organisation OutRage! When Labour first introduced civil partnerships but restricted them to same-sex couples we argued that this was discrimination. We campaigned for equal civil partnerships for all,” said human rights advocate Peter Tatchell.
    “We are delighted that Charles Keidan and Rebecca Steinfeld have continued this campaign and finally won this stunning result. They secured the backing of the Supreme Court in June this year, when it ruled that the ban on opposite-sex couples was unjustified and contrary to human rights principles. The government’s decision was a necessary response to the judgement of the highest court in the land.
    “We thank the government for listening to the judges, human rights law and the appeals of the many unmarried opposite-sex couples who want a civil partnership,” said Mr Tatchell.
    Civil Partnerships were first offered to gay couples in 2004 by the Labour government as a way for gay and same-sex couples to protect and formalise their relationship inline with traditional marriage. There have been over 60,000 civil partnerships in the UK since the law was introduced.

  • “Victory for love and equality” Peter Tatchell celebrates Civil Partnerships for all couples

    The Human Rights activist, Peter Tatchell has praised the Supreme Court ruling that mixed-sex couples should be allowed to have civil partnerships.

    A straight couple, Rebecca Steinfeld and Charles Keidan, have won their legal case, which will allow them to have a Civil Partnership instead of a traditional marriage.

    Up until now, the only couples permitted to have CPs were gay and lesbian couples.

    It was a law introduced by the Labour government in 2004, before the Conservatives, under David Cameron were able to vote and pass Same-Sex marriage.

    Civilly Partnered couples are entitled to many of the protections offered by marriage including, inheritance, tax, pension rights and next of kin arrangements.

    Steinfeld and Keidan argued that the Civil Partnership act was unlawful before it was incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights.

    Speaking about the ruling, leading Human Rights activist, Peter Tatchell said, “This is a victory for love and equality. It was never right to deny opposite-sex couples the option of having a civil partnership. In a democracy, we are all supposed to be equal before the law. It is wonderful news that the Supreme Court has ruled against the government and in favour of equal civil partnerships”.

    This ruling overturns a previous judgement made by the Court of Appeal made in February 2017.

    Peter Tatchell has supported Rebecca Steinfeld’s and Charles Keidan from the outset of their legal challenge in 2014.

    Indeed, he championed the right of opposite-sex couples to have a civil partnership from the moment Tony Blair’s government announced in 2003 that the option would be available to same-sex couples only, condemning it as “blatant discrimination based on sexual orientation.”

    Speaking about today’s victory in the Supreme Court, Mr Tatchell said, “The ban on opposite-sex civil partnerships was discrimination and a violation of human rights. It is outrageous that the government was unwilling to legislate equality and that this couple were forced to go to court to get a basic human right – the right to be treated equally in law.

    “It was never fair that same-sex couples had two options, civil partnerships and civil marriages, whereas opposite-sex partners had only one option, marriage,” said Mr Tatchell.

    In May THEGAYUK.com ran a poll of its readers which found that 62 percent of LGBT+ people who answer believed that Civil Partnerships should be open to all couples, while only eight percent believed that they should remain for just same-sex couples.

    Thirty percent believed that Civil Partnerships should be scrapped altogether.

     

  • Peter Tatchell arrested in Russia, while protesting Human Rights – legally

    Peter Tatchell arrested in Russia, while protesting Human Rights – legally

    One of the UK’s most prominent Human Rights campaigners has been arrested in Russia, ahead of the World Cup.

    CREDIT: Monty McKinnen

    Peter Tatchell has been arrested in Moscow after protesting Russia’s mistreatment of LGBT+ citizens as the FIFA World Cup commences.

    ** Updated** go to end of the article for update

    Mr Tatchell was holding a banner supporting gay men who have been violently targeted in a “gay purge” in Chechnya while standing next to the statue Marshal Zhukov close to the Kremlin.

    This is the campaigner’s sixth visit to Russia in solidarity with the LGBT+ freedom struggle there. He was previously arrested twice during protests in Moscow and suffered brain damage after being attacked by Russian neo-Nazis in 2007.

    Peter Tatchell, speaking from Moscow before the protest, said,

    “I was exercising my lawful right to protest, under the Russian constitution, which guarantees freedom of expression and the right to protest in Articles 29 and 31. A one-person protest, which is what I did, requires no permission from the authorities and the police.

    “Getting arrested is standard for Russians who protest for LGBT+ rights or against corruption, economic injustice and Russia’s annexation of Crimea and its bombing of civilians in Syria.

    “Unlike brave Russian protesters, I have the ‘protection’ of a British passport, which means I have been treated more leniently than they are.

    “My fate was mild compared to what often happens to Russians who dare to challenge the Putin regime. I am awed by their courage.”

    “President Putin has failed to condemn and act against the homophobic witch-hunts in Chechnya, which have seen scores of LGBT+ people arrested and tortured, with some even being killed.

    “The singer Zelim Bakaev disappeared in Chechnya in August 2017 and has never been seen since.

    “Russia’s 2013 anti-gay law against so-called ‘homosexual propaganda’ has been used to suppress peaceful LGBT+ protests, sack LGBT+ teachers and suppress welfare organisations that support LGBT+ teenagers.

    “Little action has been taken by the Russian government and police to crack down on far-right extremists who target LGBT+ people for violent and humiliating assaults – including the instigators of the current threats to bash and stab LGBT+ football fans at the World Cup.

     

    Released:

    Mr Tatchell received consular assistance during his detention.
    Speaking from Moscow, Mr Tatchell said:
    “I am required to appear in court on 26 June for violating Federal Law 54 and Presidential Decree 202, which prohibit all protests near the Kremlin and during the World Cup.
    “I have written a letter to the Chief of Police of Kitay-Gorod police district, requesting that my court appearance is voided on the grounds that I am flying back to the UK on 18 June. I have been told I will be free to leave Russia on that date as planned. I spent one hour and 40 minutes in police custody, from the moment I was detained near the Kremlin to the moment of my release from the police station.
    “Senior officers were stern but the apprehending officer very helpful, friendly and polite. I presume I was well treated, partly because I am a UK citizen and because a senior British Embassy consular official, Colin Wells, contacted the police. I guess the Russians also did not want to be seen as being heavy-handed during the World Cup.”

  • Bermuda’s Supreme Court overturns ban on gay marriage

    Bermuda’s Supreme Court has overturned the ban on same-sex marriage.

    Cake, Gay Marriage, gay wedding
    CREDIT: © ivonnewierink Depositphotos

    In response to legal challenges, Bermuda’s Supreme Court has overturned a ban on gay marriage. Earlier this year, Bermuda became the first country in the world to repeal same-sex marriage.

    Speaking about the overturn, Human Rights campaigner, Peter Tatchell said, “Bermuda’s Supreme Court was right to rule that the repeal of same-sex marriage by the country’s parliament was unconstitutional.

    “Under Bermuda’s constitution and its international treaty obligations the state is duty-bound to guarantee equal treatment and non-discrimination to all its citizens.

    “This ruling will encourage and empower legal challenges to criminalisation and marriage inequality across the Caribbean, many of which are bound to succeed. It is indicative of the unstoppable global trend towards LGBT+ equal human rights.”

    Rights won and loss

    In 2017 Bermuda legalised gay marriage after a couple won the right to marry on the island after a Supreme court challenge found that not allowing gay couples to wed would be discrimination.

    The couple used the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda’s Human Rights Act to argue their case. They said that not allowing them to marry constituted as discrimination on the basis of their sexuality, something that the act expressly forbids.

    2016 Referendum

    In 2016 Bermuda held a non-binding referendum on the issue of same-sex marriage and were asked two questions:

    “Are you in favour of same-sex marriage in Bermuda?” and “Are you in favour of same-sex civil unions in Bermuda?”

    Both votes were lost by 69 percent and 63 percent respectively with just 46.89 percent of the electorate turning out to vote on the issue. The low turn out makes the referendum invalid according to The Royal Gazette.