THEGAYUK

Tag: Homophobia

The latest news about homophobia across the UK and the globe.

  • BBC Radio 1 commits to not playing Fairytale of New York with THE homophobic slur

    BBC Radio 1 commits to not playing Fairytale of New York with THE homophobic slur

    The BBC has announced that it will play an edited version of the Christmas classic, The Fairytale Of New York.

    Without fail the song, which was first released in 1987 has caused an uproar every year in recent memory when it is played, in full, on radios in the UK, come to December-time.

    The song has long offended many people in the gay community and finally, the BBC has said it will play an edit of the song which does not contain the slur “Faggot” on its youth-orientated radio station, Radio 1.

    It will, however, continue to play the original version complete with the problematic lyric on its other mainstream radio station, Radio 2. DJs on 6 Music, will be able to choose from both versions.

    Fairytale Of New York will have its homophobic lyric removed by BBC Radio 1

    On Radio 1 DJs will instead play an edited version, with a different lyric sung by one of the song’s singers, Kirsty MacColl, the corporation said. The addition lyric was sung by MacColl on Top Of The Pops in 1992, eight years before her death at the age of 41.

    A BBC spokesman said, “We know the song is considered a Christmas classic and we will continue to play it this year, with our radio stations choosing the version of the song most relevant for their audience.”

    This isn’t the first time that Radio 1 has used an edited version of the song. In 2007, the station censored the offending word, but soon reinstated it after a public backlash. So it will be interesting to see if a similar backlash happens in 2020.

    What’s the problem with “Fairytale of New York”?

    The problem with “Fairytale of New York” is the line, “You scumbag, you maggot, you cheap lousy faggot.”

    Some in the LGBT+ community find the word offensives, while others don’t.

    The one key element is that songs that contain other offensives slurs often use edited versions, which either bleep out a slur or have another word dubbed in. Up until now, the original version of Fairytale Of New York did not have an edit to play.

    Last year, there were hundreds of complaints after Gavin and Stacey characters Nessa and Bryn sung the unedited version in a Christmas special broadcast on the BBC.

    In 2018 the song was crowned the nation’s favourite Christmas song.

  • Is the Salvation Army anti-gay or homophobic?

    Is the Salvation Army anti-gay or homophobic?

    One of the most famous religious charities does have a homophobic past, but is the Salvation Army still anti-gay?

    As Christmastime nears, it won’t be unusual to see a charity collection for the Salvation Army. Usually, the collection bucket will be accompanied by a Santa, replete with Red costume and a thick, but fake white beard. However, before you offload your change into the bucket, you should be fully aware of the charity’s past policies and what it’s doing about them now.

    First and foremost, it must be understood that the Salvation Army is a religious charity, with its roots firmly embedded in Christianity. Many if not all of its policies, past and present, will have been formed from the Christian belief system.

    In 2019 the Charity said that it wanted to a atone for its anti-gay past and said that it now “better understands” the LGBT+ community.

    Did the Salvation Army support the homophobic and anti-gay Section 28 and Section 2A?

    The Salvation Army’s history is dogged with anti-gay and homophobic stories, including its support of the much-loathed and criticised Section 28 in the UK. In February 2000 it actively opposed the repealing of the homophobic bill. It wrote a letter to the then Scottish First Minister, Donald Dewar to say that it thought that repealing Section 2A (Scotland’s version of Section 28) could “potentially be harming both children and the family unit”.

    It added, “feel the floodgates could be opened, ultimately causing great hurt to both parents, teachers and our children. We are also very aware of the increasing pressures on young people to experiment with heterosexual sex at a younger age, without the additional pressure of self-questioning regarding homosexual sex”.

    Is the Salvation Army homophobic, anti-gay or anti-LGBT
    Image by David Mark from Pixabay 

    More recently, in 2012 when the Australian Salvation Army chief suggested that gay people should be put to death and in 2014 when it was alleged that the US arm of the charity refused to help shelter a homeless transgender woman.

    The charity was also known to forbid gay people from serving as officers unless they remained celibate. In 2016 the UK’s Army chief said that he defended this policy. Even Paul O’Grady was forbidden to wear the Army’s uniform and told, “you could volunteer for us, you could come to our church services. If you want to become a soldier in the Salvation Army, you have to commit to what we believe.”

    In 2017 the Amry was embroiled in a legal dispute against the NYC Commission on Human Rights because rehabs in New York had refused to serve transgender people.

    So what’s changed and is the Salvation Army still homophobic?

    Last year, the charity’s communications director David Jolley said that these were all “isolated incidents” blaming the size of the organisation the number of people involved for incidents that “do not represent our values and service to all people who are in need”

    Jolley added, “If anyone needs help, they can find it through our doors”.

    He then added that the organisation had “evolved” saying, As we’ve better understood the needs of the LGBTQ+ community, we’ve evolved our approach.”

    “As we build and remodel emergency shelters and transitional housing across the country, we consider ways to help LGBTQ+ individuals feel safe and cared for,

    “We also have specific programs and resources across the country, such as a dorm in Las Vegas that is exclusive for transgender individuals, a detoxification facility in San Francisco that caters to those infected with HIV/AIDS, and our work in Baltimore to meet the needs of transgender individuals who are trafficked.”

    How many LGBT+ people does the Salvation Army help?

    According to a statement provided by the Salvation Army, they reckon that 40 per cent of the people they provide services to, identify as gay or transgender.

    In a statement to news channel CBS11, Commissioner David Hudson, National Commander of The Salvation Army said,

    “Regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity, we’re committed to serving anyone in need.

    “Every day, we provide services such as shelter for the transgender community and resources for homeless youth – 40 per cent of whom identify as gay or transgender.”

    However, that statistic was later discovered to be referring to the overall homeless population rather than the actual number of LGBT+ people helped by the charity.

    The charity has not made it clear how many LGBT+ people it helps across all its branches and locations.

    It opened a space for homeless LGBT+ people

    In Canada, in 2018, the Salvation Army actually opened a new space for homeless LGBT people. The space was in Winnipeg and had 15 rooms and was trialled for one year.

    “We welcome and serve people regardless of sexual orientation”

    In the UK, the charity’s own website includes a statement on its LGBT+ policies, it says, “In the United Kingdom, The Salvation Army is made up of thousands of people who worship, work, volunteer, donate and serve together every week. This includes many people who are LGBT+. We welcome and serve people regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, race, religion and ethnicity.

    “Our employment practices are non-discriminatory and we seek to create welcoming, nurturing work environments.

    “The Salvation Army finds no scriptural support for demeaning or mistreating anyone for any reason. People who come to The Salvation Army for help will receive assistance based solely on their need and our capacity to serve.”

  • The Council of Europe is conducting a “fact-finding” mission of LGBT+ issues faced in Poland… Finally

    The Council of Europe is conducting a “fact-finding” mission of LGBT+ issues faced in Poland… Finally

    After years of reports of how bad things have gotten for LGBT+ people in Poland, the Council of Europe, the continent’s “leading human rights organisation” is to send an investigation team on a “fact-finding” mission to find out about the issues facing LGBT+ people in the country.

    LGBT+ people living in Poland have become increasingly targeted because of their sexuality and gender identity. The country recently reelected the EU’s most homophobic leader, Andrzej Duda, who, as part of his election strategy, used anti-LGBT+ rhetoric in his campaigning.

    Polish MPs requested the mission

    The mission, according to the Council of Europe has been organised after members of the Polish parliament requested it, after increasing attacks and discrimination against gay, lesbian, bi and transgender people.

    The delegation, which will investigate on the 2nd and 3rd November will meet with various Polish authorities including: Hanna Gill- Piątek, Coordinator of the Parliamentary Intergroup on Cities, Krzysztof Śmiszek, Chairman of the Parliamentary Intergroup on Equal Rights of LGBT+ Community, Adam Bodnar, Commissioner for Human Rights, Anna Schmidt-Rodziewicz, Government Plenipotentiary for Equal Treatment from the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social policy, and MEP Robert Biedroń, founder of the Campaign Against Homophobia (KPH).

    flag of poland
    Photo by Kaboompics .com on Pexels.com

    Meetings with local and regional governments include Rafał Trzaskowski, Mayor of Warsaw, Nina Gabryś, Chair of the Council for Equal Treatment of Krakow, Witold Kozlowski, Marshall of the voivodeship of Lesser Poland, Jaroslaw Stawiarski, Marshall of the voivodeship of Lublin, Paweł Okrasa, Mayor of Wieluń, Zygmunt Frankiewicz, President of the Association of Polish Cities, and Olgierd Geblewicz, Chairman of the Executive Board of the Union of the Provinces of the Republic of Poland.

    Representatives of several NGOs, namely, Lambda Warsawa, Lublin Equality March Association, Love Does Not Exclude, Tęczowy Białystok, Trans-Fuzja and Atlas nienawiści have also been invited to meet with the Delegation.

    Reminding governments of their responsibilities

    The results of the fact-finding will be brought to the attention of the Congress and other bodies. They will also provide input for the Congress report on “the role and responsibilities of local governments in protecting LGBTI+ persons”.

    The Council Of Europe has 47 members, 27 of which, including Poland are in the EU.

  • Hate crimes against LGBT+ people in England and Wales have soared

    In a year where the UK had no physical prides, due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, hate crime against LGBT+ has soared new statistics from the Home Office have shown. Homophobic crime was singled out as have the biggest growth in reported incidents.

    Crime against people motivated by their sexuality or percieved sexual orientation, has increased by 19 per cent according to the Home Office, more than any other demographic recorded by the hate crime statistics. This means that there were nearly 16,000 reported incidents, up from 13,314 in the previous year. Homophobic crimes recorded have more than doubled since 2015, however some of this down to better recording of crimes by the police.

    Hate crimes against transgender people rose by 16 per cent, to 2,500 reported incidents from 2,183 the previous year.

    Overall police in England and Wales recorded a rise of eight per cent for all hate crimes, the majority of which still remains on the basis of race (76,070 offences). Hate crime on the basis of religion was the only hate crime to have fallen to 7,203 incidents.

    Nearly a quarter (23%) of reported hate crime against gay people included stalking and harassment, whilst this rose to 32% for transgender people.

    The rise in homophobic crime reflects statistics released from Scotland earlier in the year which showed that homophobic crime had also skyrocketed in the nation. In July we reported that, in the period between 2019 and 2020, there were 1486 total homophobic hate crime charges brought. In 2018 to 2019 there were 1194 – an increase of 292 charges for the current year, which is equal to a 24 per cent rise. Last year the rise was five per cent. Meaning that crimes against gay, lesbian and bi people has ballooned in Scotland.

    What is a hate crime?

    According to the Government website, “Hate crime is defined as ‘any criminal offence which is perceived, by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice towards someone based on a personal characteristic.’ There are five centrally monitored strands of hate crime: race or ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion or beliefs, transgender identity and disability.

    Has the UK become toxic towards LGBT+ people?

    Equal rights campaigner John Leech, who is no stranger to the LGBT+ community, warned that the country is in desperate need of change and laid the blame firmly at the Prime Minister’s door for creating a toxic political and social atmosphere.

    John Leech, who led the decade-long campaign to pardon Alan Turing who was criminally convicted for homosexuality, said:

    “These figures show a horrifying backwards trend and point to a systemic targeting of the LGBTQ+ community.

    “It is embarrassing that in 2020 in this country, the gay community has increasingly become the intentional victims of hate crime.

    “But is it really that surprising when Boris Johnson’s Government doesn’t just tolerate, but actively promotes a toxic political and social atmosphere?

    “The extreme and divisive language from our own Prime Minister is destroying the soul of this country.

    “Politics needs to change; education needs to change—this country needs to change. We must be an open-minded and inclusive society that doesn’t just tolerate the differences in people, but actively celebrates them.

    “We must teach our children to grow up to embrace everyone around them regardless of their background, and that must start with politicians taking a lead.

    “Liberal Democrats have a long and proud history of standing up for the LGBTQ+ community, and the fight for equality can never end. We will always fight for a far kinder, more understanding and welcoming United Kingdom.”

  • Six police in Hampshire ‘recorded making homophobic, sexist and racist remarks’

    Six police officers of the Hampshire Police Force are facing a misconduct hearing after being accused of making remarks about LGBT+ people, people of colour and women.

    The six officers will face a misconduct hearing on Monday after the Hampshire Constabulary said they were covertly recorded making “discriminatory”, “inappropriate” or “offensive” remarks at the Northern Police Investigation Centre in Basingstoke.

    A number of the officers are said to have sent emails from work accounts, which the Constabulary say are “discriminatory, inappropriate or offensive” in their nature. It also said that similar messages were found in text and Whatsapp messages. The force did not go into details about what the messages said.

    Detective Inspector Timothy Ireson, Detective Sergeant Oliver Lage, Detective Sergeant Gregory Willcox, trainee Detective Constable Andrew Ferguson, PC James Oldfield and PC Craig Bannerman will face a police disciplinary hearing in Winchester.

    Two of the officers, DI Ireson and PC Bannerman have since retired or resigned from their posts at the force.

    Who and where are Hampshire Police?

    Hampshire Police is responsible for policing the counties of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight in South East England. Its largest city is Southampton. It has an annual budget of £337.3 million and employs around 4000 people, with a further 450 volunteers.

    Since 2006 the force has constantly been featured in the top 100 employers in Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index. In 2010 it reached its peak of 2nd place.

    A Hampshire Constabulary spokesman said to Sky News, “It is alleged that the breaches of the standards of professional behaviour outlined are so serious that, if proven, dismissal would be justified and, as such, it is alleged that the behaviour amounts to gross misconduct.”

    The disciplinary hearing is schedule to last up to three weeks.

  • Football Homophobes convicted after shouting abuse at a match

    Football Homophobes convicted after shouting abuse at a match

    Four men have been convicted of a Public Order Act offence after an investigation by the Metropolitan Police and slapped with a £200 fine and are banned from attending future football matches.

    The men were found to have shouted homophobic comments and actions at a West Ham Match in early 2020.

    Police investigated reports of several men shouting homophobic comments or making homophobic actions towards visiting supporters at the West Ham v Brighton & Hove Albion game on 1 February 2020.

    Two men were arrested during the fixture at the London Stadium on the day of the game.

    Thomas Hill, 25 of Slough and Samuel Marshall, 21 of Hornchurch appeared on 3 September at Thames Magistrates’ Court. They pleaded guilty to an offence under Section 5 of the Public Order Act and were each fined £200 plus costs.

    The investigation continued and two other men were summonsed.

    On 30 September at Thames Magistrates’ Court, Damian Critten, 24, of Rainham and Jack Wood, 25 of London both pleaded guilty to an offence under Section 5 of the Public Order Act. They were each fined £120 and given three-year football banning orders.

    Chief Inspector Chris Green of Met Operations said, “This investigation and these convictions show that we will not tolerate homophobic behaviour or hate crime at football matches and more broadly in our city.

    “If you have information about people committing these type of despicable offences, please share that information with police. These offenders may happen to support the same football team as you, but they do not deserve your support.”

  • Police are looking for these people after “vicious” homophobic attack in North London

    Police are looking for these people after “vicious” homophobic attack in North London

    Detectives investigating an alleged homophobic attack in Stamford Hill, in North London, are releasing images and moving footage of individuals they would like to speak to in connection with their enquiries.

    Police were called at 01:00hrs on Sunday, 26 July following reports of a homophobic assault and robbery near the junction of Seven Sisters Road and Amhurst Park.

    Officers attended the scene and spoke with the victim, a man in his 20s, who had suffered minor injuries and had his headphones stolen.

    The victim was walking across the junction when he was approached by two men who began shouting homophobic abuse before physically assaulting him. 

    The men are both described as white and in their mid-20s. One man is believed to be around 5ft 6ins tall, with a beard and was wearing a green baseball cap at the time.

    The other man is believed to be approximately 6ft 2ins tall with curly blond or ginger hair, and was wearing a leather jacket with a T-shirt underneath. 

    Once the men had left the scene the victim called police.

    The two men then returned and stole the victim’s headphones. They also attempted to steal his phone.

    Detectives are releasing CCTV footage of two men seen running from the scene shortly after the incident, as well as two e-fit images.

    Detective Sergeant James Rush, said: “This was a vicious attack on the victim, all the more appalling because of the homophobic abuse the victim received. I implore any witnesses to this incident to get in touch to tell us what you saw.

    “I would also appeal to the men in the CCTV footage or anyone who knows them to contact us as we believe they could have significant information. The victim has also worked with us to create efit images of the two suspects which we are also releasing in the hope someone may recognise them. 

    “Any information you have no matter how small may be pivotal to our investigation. The Met stands against hate and will make every effort to track the suspects down and hold them responsible.”

    In an earlier appeal, officers were looking to trace two witnesses. One of those individuals – a man in the back of a large black car, passing at the time – has now been spoken to police. But a woman in a white car who asked the victim if he needed help remains outstanding, and officers are still keen to hear from her; as well as any other witnesses.

    Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call police on 101, quoting CAD 580/26Jul. 
    Alternatively, tweet @MetCC or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

  • No, a gay man did not just give birth to a child via his anus

    No, a gay man did not just give birth to a child via his anus

    A story about a gay man who gave birth after a receiving a “rectal-ovary transplant” is completely false and potentially damaging to the LGBT+ community.

    Hilarious… right? Because everything about gay men has to do with ass?

    The story, first published by satirical site, World News Daily Report stated that a gay couple in the US, celebrated the world’s first anal birth.

    Snopes.com has labeled the story as “Satire”.

    The story claimed, “James Bent, 37, received donated ovaries from his sister Leila Bent, 32, which were later successfully transplanted into his rectum and which enabled the anal birth to occur.”

    The article also, stated that “LGBTQ community worldwide has received the news of the rectal birth with open arms as the revolutionary medical procedure could enable millions of fertility-challenged couples to procreate”.

    Numerous people took to commenting on the site and on social media with homophobic comments.

    Who are the guys in the photo?

    The picture was taken from a completely unrelated story from six years ago. The couple, Frank Nelson and BJ Barone were photographed holding their newborn son, who was born via a surrogate mother.

    A friend of the men who actually appear in the photo that runs alongside the article said the article was a “violation of their privacy”. He added, “This is a photo of MY FRIENDS after their surrogate gave birth to their son 6 years ago. Completely fake news”

    Even though the site, markets itself as a satire website, the article and its formating does not mention that the whole story is a lie. It has been shared, as fact, by thousands of people.

    Decline

    World News Daily Report has seen its readership plummet in recent months according to SimilarWeb. In March the site logged over 2.34 million visits according to the SW statistics, the latest for August shows the number of visitors to the site at around 612,000.

  • Matt Hancock won’t condemn homophobia because Tony Abbott is a trade expert

    Matt Hancock won’t condemn homophobia because Tony Abbott is a trade expert

    In an awkward exchange with Sky‘s Kay Burley, Health Secretary Matt Hancock seemingly excused homophobic and misogynistic comments by the former Australian PM, Tony Abbott, because he is an “expert on trade”.

    The former PM is reportedly being eyed up to be the joint president of the UK’s Board of Trade as the UK prepares its trade deals upon leaving the EU.

    Previously Abbott opposed gay marriage before it became legal in Australia and said that he feels a “bit threatened by homosexuality”.

    “I don’t believe that’s true”

    Hancock firstly argued that he didn’t believe Tony Abbott to be a homophobe or a misogynist, saying, “I don’t believe that’s true, I haven’t seen any of his (comments)”

    When Burley replied, “I just told you what he said, I’m sure you don’t support some of his comments, he’s a homophobe and a misogynist”, Hancock’s response was. “He’s also an expert on trade”.

    Pressing the point, Burley went on to ask, “So one plays off each other? Really? Is that what you’re really saying, Health Secretary? Come on!”

    Hancock responded, “No, what I’m saying is that we need experts in different areas and the former Prime Minister of Australia is obviously an enormous expert in the area of trade. it doesn’t change my views.

    So forgive because he’s good at trade?

    Embed from Getty Images

    Burley continued, “So we can forgive his comments about women and about letting the elderly die of Covid-19 and his views on the gay community, even though his sister is gay. We can forgive all of that because he’s good at trade?”

    Hancock didn’t answer the question and went back to form, by saying, “I’m doing everything in my power to prevent a second wave and protect people from coronavirus

    At which Burley butted in and remonstrated the Health Secretary, by pointing out “That was not my question”, she asked, “Is he a fit and proper person to represent us?”

    “Mr Abbott is very good and very experienced in trade”, responded Hancock, “It is clearly a very important decision that the Prime Minister (Boris Johnson) and the Trade Secretary are across, because we do want experts… and have huge experience”

  • Homophobic hate crime continues to soar in Scotland

    Instead of going down, homophobic hate crime continues to grow in Scotland.

    Despite having some of the most progressive policies in the UK for LGBT+ people, crimes against gay and bi people, or people perceived to be LGB have continued to rise in Scotland.

    Hate crime reports against LGB people are now at their highest level since 2010.

    24 per cent rise in charges for homophobic crime

    In the period between 2019 and 2020, there were 1486 total homophobic hate crime charges brought. In 2018 to 2019 there were 1194 – an increase of 292 charges for the current year, which is equal to a 24 per cent rise. Last year the rise was five per cent. Meaning that crimes against gay, lesbian and bi people has ballooned in Scotland.

    Eighty-four per cent of the charges were taken to court. One per cent of the charges did not make it to court. Nine of the cases could not proceed because there was insufficient admissible evidence.

    Transgender hate crime also increased, with one additional charge brought in the period of 2019-2020. Last year there were 40 charges, this year there have been 41 charges. A decrease since a high in 2017/2018 when charges reached 52.

    “Disappointing and, frankly, embarrassing”

    Talking to THEGAYUK about the new stats, MP Mhairi Black said,

    “It is extremely disappointing and, frankly, embarrassing that homophobic hate crimes are still on the rise in Scotland.

    “I hope, though I’m not necessarily hopeful, that these numbers indicate a greater number of people coming forward about the homophobic abuse they receive rather than the number of crimes actually increasing, but no matter which way you look at it this is a disgusting situation for a modern country to find itself in.”

  • The Post Office deals with Twitter bigotry in the most perfect way

    The Post Office deals with Twitter bigotry in the most perfect way

    We’ve just had Pride month and along with that thousands of corporate entities adopted the iconic rainbow symbol, hundreds sent their well-wishes to the LGBT+ community but even fewer actively call out bigotry unlike the Post Office, which managed to deal with homophobic bigotry levelled at its staff in the most perfect way.

    In a Twitter post published by the Post Office official account on the 19th June, the Post Office’s Chief Marketing Officer Emma Springham, shared her “journey to pride”, to which one user, @jamesmc13123269 responded with “Degenerate”.

    This attack on Emma didn’t go unnoticed by Courtney from the office who called out the bigotry saying,

    “Do you honestly think it’s okay to speak about my colleague like that? Your comment is absolutely disgusting. You don’t know Emma personally to even comment on the type of woman she is, so please don’t respond unless you have something positive to say”

    While another user complained about the use of the rainbow flag saying, “It is not right to quit-claim something that belongs to all mankind.”

    However this complaint was expertly handled by Stephen, who replied,

    “The rainbow flag represents the diversity and vibrancy of the LGBTQ+ community which we’re proud to celebrate as it gives us the chance to reaffirm the equality, rights and dignity of the LGBTQ+ community in the UK and beyond.”

    One user who used the word faggots against was also taken to task, when the comm team tweet a poll which asked, “Should we continue listening to language like this? and included “Absolutely Not” and “No” as the only two options.

    This article has been updated to reflect a request from the Post Office to remove a further comment.