THEGAYUK

Tag: Politics

The latest news, interviews, and views from the world of LGBT politics in the UK and internationally.

  • UKIP leader Paul Nuttall condemns the Chechen treatment of gay men

    UKIP’s leader Paul Nuttall has strongly condemned the persecution of gay men in Chechnya.

    Paul Nuttall, the UKIP leader has today strongly condemned the actions of Chechen authorities and the Chechen leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, after over a hundred gay men were round up, detained and tortured in what some media outlets termed, “concentration camps”.

    Paul Nuttall said,

    “If these reports are true, and it looks like they are, then the Government must protest in the strongest manner.

    “Just because the warlord of this Islamic fiefdom is an ally of Putin should not blind us to the horrific abuse of human rights being perpetrated.

    “Putin claims to oppose Isis and its blend of fundamentalism in Syria but seems to be impervious to decency. He has the power to stop this inhumanity. The Government should demand that he does.”

  • UK Government condemns persecution of gay men in Chechnya

    The UK’s Foreign office has called on Russia to investigate the mass detention of gay men in Chechnya.

    • Baroness Anelay is “concerned” over reports of 100 men abducted and held against their will.

    • Government condemns any and all persecution UK.

    • Reminds Russia of its international human rights obligations which require them to protect citizens.

    As information continues to circulate about the mass rounding up and detaining of gay men in Chechnya, Baroness Anelay has released a statement calling on Russia to investigate the claims.

    Baroness Anelay said:

    “The detention and ill-treatment of over 100 gay men in Chechnya is extremely concerning. Reports have also suggested that at least three of these men have been killed. The statement by the regional Government, implying that such treatment towards LGBT people is acceptable, is particularly abhorrent. We condemn any and all persecution, and call on the authorities to promptly investigate and ensure that perpetrators of human rights abuses are brought to justice.

    “The human rights situation for LGBT people in Russia has deteriorated significantly in recent years and we continue to voice our serious concern with Russian authorities at all levels. Russia’s international human rights obligations require them to protect citizens who may be at risk of persecution. We expect the Russian government to fulfill its obligations to this end, and to uphold the rule of law.”

    Today a protest has been organised outside the Russian Embassy to show solidarity with men being held in what some media outlets have called “concentration camps” in Chechnya.

    Up to a hundred men, suspected of being gay are being held, against their wills. There have been reports of torture and three killings.

    According to a Russian newspaper, Novaya Gazeta, last week, men, suspected of being gay, disappeared overnight in the Russian Republic of Chechnya. A spokesperson for the leader of the Republic denied the reports and claimed that gay people did not exist in the region.

    This aggression against gay men reportedly began after an LGBT organisation applied for the rights to march in the capital of Grozny.

  • Tim Farron condemns the “horrifying” Chechen treatment of gay men

    Tim Farron has commented on the detention and torture of gay men in Chechnya.

    Commenting on reports that Chechnya has opened concentration camps for gay men, Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said:

    “These reports from Chechnya are truly horrifying, and represent an extreme manifestation of increasing homophobic brutality and intolerance in Putin’s Russia.

    “The UK government must strongly condemn this disgusting violence, and use every possibly opportunity to raise this with the Russian government, as well as in the UN and other international bodies.

    “The UK must work with those who share our values to stop the mindless targeting of the LGBT community, which is still prevalent in too many countries across the world. Only through defending universal human rights will we ever hope to achieve a world in which every person can live, work and flourish without discrimination.

    “It is disappointing that Boris Johnson has failed to stand up for these people by not visiting Russia after Trump told him to stay at home.”

  • Luxembourg’s Prime Minster was told to pretend partner was “assistant” in anti-gay country

    Luxembourg’s Prime Minster, Xavier Bettel has spoken about how it was suggested that he should describe his boyfriend at the time as an “assistant” on an official trip to an unnamed country.

    Speaking at this year’s Economist Pride Event, Pride and Prejudice, the world’s only and first openly gay world leader, Xavier Bettel, explained how it was suggested, by another country’s government officials, that his boyfriend, now husband, should be described as an assistant rather than his partner. Mr Bettel was on an official political visit to the unnamed country, although he wasn’t Prime Minister at the time.

    Mr Bettel was on an official political visit to the unnamed country, although he wasn’t Prime Minister at the time.

    Speaking about the incident, he said,

    “I was an MP and had a meeting in the country and my partner, he is my husband now, but was my partner at the time, was joining me, I wrote on the paper, a form, that I would be joined by my partner.

    “They asked me, ‘Are you sure?’, and I said ‘Yes, I’m sure!’.

    “They said, ‘can’t you write that he’s your assistant and not your partner, so he’s your political assistant’, I said, ‘I prefer the reputation to be gay than have sexual relaitons with all my staff!’”

    The Luxembourg Prime Minister also said that he was sometimes invited for official visits to other countries, only to be told that it would be too dangerous to come because of his sexuality. One such country’s officials asked that he not to mention the fact that he was gay, to which Xavier said he would purposely bring up and speak out about homosexuality. The invitation was swiftly removed.

     

     

     

     

  • Donald Trump “erasing” LGBT people from history

    Donald Trump is “erasing” LGBT+ people from history as he removes sexuality from the 2020 census.

    The US’s 2020 Census will not include a question which allows people to identify their sexuality or gender identity. This means that no or very little LGBT data will be collected about the community, effectively erasing them from the history books.

    It could also have an impact on how the US government writes its laws and appropriately funds programmes which affect the LGBT community. The National LGBTQ Task Force has said, “We’ve Been Erased from the US Census and American Community Survey” and called it “another attack on LGBTQ people’s freedom, justice, and equity”.

    Meghan Maury, Criminal and Economic Justice Project Director, National LGBTQ Task Force said, 

    “Today, the Trump Administration has taken yet another step to deny LGBTQ people freedom, justice, and equity, by choosing to exclude us from the 2020 Census and American Community Survey. LGBTQ people are not counted on the Census—no data is collected on sexual orientation or gender identity. Information from these surveys helps the government to enforce federal laws like the Violence Against Women Act and the Fair Housing Act and to determine how to allocate resources like housing supports and food stamps. If the government doesn’t know how many LGBTQ people live in a community, how can it do its job to ensure we’re getting fair and adequate access to the rights, protections and services we need?” 

    The National LGBTQ Task Force have started a petition demanding for the LGBT+ community to be counted and support the collection of sexual orientation and gender identity information in the Census, in the American Community Survey, in the National Survey of Older Americans Act Participants, and the Centers for Independent Living’s Annual Program Performance Report.

    The move comes on the back of the White House’s official sites removing all traces of LGBT policy.

  • Russia just made Power Rangers an 18 thanks to gay character

    Have you ever thought of the Power Rangers as an X-rated or adult show? No? Well then maybe you wanna move to Russia, where the bar has been set at an all-time low.

    Russian officials have slapped an 18 certificate on the Power Rangers film because it now includes a lesbian/questioning/bisexual/curious character played by Becky G.

    The rating was introduced after one of Russia’s most vociferously anti-gay politicians, Vitaly Milonov, lobbied for the film to be given the highest rating by WDSSPR, the Russian distributor of the film. Milonov even argued that the film should be shown in Russia because it promoted “perverted sexual relations”.

    Clearly, Vitaly Milonov has a real bee in his bonnet with any content on TV that has the slightest bit of campery or gayness in it.  In 2014 he called the Eurovision Song Contest “the sodom show” and branded Stephen Fry “sick” in 2013.

    In the US the film received a PG13 and in the UK it received a PG rating.

     

  • Martin McGuiness, has died aged 66

    Martin McGuiness has died at the age of 66.

    Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuiness has died. He was Northern Ireland’s former deputy first minister. He was 66 at the time of his death. It is believed that he was suffering from a rare heart condition.

    The BBC reports him as a “former IRA leader turned peacemaker”, who worked at the heart of the power-sharing government of Northern Ireland following the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.

    Despite Northern Ireland’s long-standing block against many LGBT rights, such as same-sex marriage, Martin McGuiness had in the past spoken up for LGBT rights. In 2015 his party, Sinn Féin campaigned on the Yes vote for same-sex marriage.

    Speaking after the historic public referendum in Ireland where the public majority voted yes on gay marriage, McGuiness said,

    “Politicians, particularly in the north need to reflect on this progress. The world is moving on and Ireland is taking the lead. Pride in Ireland has taken on a whole new meaning.”

    In April 2015 he called on Norther Ireland to hold a referendum on the subject of same-sex marriage. Currently, Northern Ireland remains the only part of the United Kingdom that does not allow gay marriage. It has been voted on by the Northern Ireland government four times, each time a same-sex marriage bill has been rejected – despite surveys showing there is overwhelming support for the law.

    Sinn Fein said in a statement,

    “It is with deep regret and sadness that we have learnt of the death of our friend and comrade Martin McGuinness who passed away in Derry during the night.

    “He will be sorely missed by all who knew him.”

  • 50 days on and Donald Trump’s White House still has no LGBT policy in place

    50 days on and Donald Trump’s White House still has no LGBT policy in place

    Fifty-two days on and President Donald Trump’s administration still hasn’t put forward a coherent LGBT policy after removing the LGBT section on the official White House website.

    CREDIT: Whitehouse Photographer

    Critics were dismayed when in January, the same day as Donald Trump’s inauguration the White House removed its LGBT policy page on the official White House website. The removal of key pages caused widespread concern about how America’s LGBT community would be treated by Donald Trump’s adminstration.

    Fifty-two days on and the White House website still has no LGBT policy or information on its server. The administration has failed to put forward any coherent policies concerning the rights of LGBTs in the USA.

    When users type in www.whitehouse.gov/lgbt they are greeted with a generic message thanking them for their “interest in this subject”. The page informs users to “stay tuned” as the website is updated.

    Whitehouse LGBT

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    The former site which was maintained during President Obama’s presidency outlined the administration’s position on equal rights, including ‘eliminating barriers to equality, fighting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and engaging LGBT communities across the country.”

    The page also provided links to anti-bullying and sexual health resources.

    The site is just in transition as Trump’s own team looks to update information and bring forth their own policies. As with each new administration, the official White House website, Twitter and other social media accounts are all archived for history.

    So far the current administration has uploaded policies on energy, jobs and growth, making the military strong, standing up for law enforcement and trade deals.

  • Absence of gay sex ed by Government continues to cement “stigma, self-doubt, confusion and bullying”

    The government has announced plans to make sex education compulsory in all schools in England, however, they’ve failed to mention LGBT+ issues which critics say is letting LGBT+ children down across the country.

    CREDIT: © tomwang Depositphotos

    The UK’s Government has announced plans to ensure that sex and relationship education is made compulsory in all schools across England, however it neglected to say whether LGBT+ relationships would be covered by any classes.

    Education Secretary Justine Greening said that children from the age of four would be taught about safe and healthy relationships.

    David Geary, Head of Political Engagement Pride in London said that the absence of LGBT+ specifics was cementing stigma and bullying into school culture by not tackling those issues.

    He said,

    “Today’s announcement that age-appropriate sex and relationships education (SRE) will become compulsory in every school, is a welcome step in the right direction. The first major shakeup in more than 15 years will empower teachers to promote positive discussions on such a critical area and ensure teenagers don’t learn poor habits or behaviours from online sources.

    “Healthy sex and relationship education cannot be wholly effective until it helps every pupil in the classroom. In continuing to separate, single out and ignore the needs of LGBT+ pupils, the government is helping to cement stigma, self-doubt, confusion and bullying.

    “Such an omission lets down pupils right across the country, who need effective and positive support to develop into the healthy, confident and safe LGBT+ adults they deserve to be. Parents too benefit from having such a support as they learn to be the best guardian they can be for their LGBT+ child”.

    ALSO READ:

     

    The Government has not mandated how these lessons will be delivered and parents will still have the right to remove their children from the classes.

    The number of sexually transmitted infections amongst the UK’s gay and bisexual teenagers and young adults has soared in recent years and Public Health England warned in 2016 that 36% of new infections in 2015 were found in those aged just 15 to 24, the highest increase in a single age group.

    Politicians across the political spectrum have signed up to a pledge which calls for the inclusion of same-sex relationship education in all London schools to ensure the representation of different families and communities within SRE.

  • Tanzania withdraws threat of publishing “gay list”

    Tanzania withdraws threat of publishing “gay list”

    The African country of Tanzania has withdrawn its threat of creating a list of gay people and sharing it publically.

    Tanzania
    Tanzania

    The list, which was threatened last week, would have outed people who are accused of selling sex online. Deputy health minister Hamisi Kigwangalla was to call a press conference on Monday to distribute the list, however, the press call was cancelled. Taking to Twitter he wrote that they were not going to name names due to a “technical reason” and said they would deal with “the issue” differently.

    He wrote,

    “For strategic reasons and to avoid destroying evidence we will deal with this issue differently and will keep you informed at every step.”

    ALSO READ:

     

    Tanzania took the unusual step of banning the imports of lube last year in an effort to crackdown on anal sex. The action was seen as a move which directly targetted the gay and bisexual male community.

    Homosexuality is illegal in Tanzania as it is in 38 of the 54 countries in Africa. Those found guilty, in the Commonwealth country, could be handed life imprisonment. However, no arrests have been known to have been made in recent years.

    Homosexual acts attract the death penalty in three African, Sudan, Somalia and Mauritania, where the legal system is based on Sharia law.

  • “Reckless” Trump reverses Trans bathroom protections

    “Reckless” Trump reverses Trans bathroom protections

    Trump’s administration has reversed Obama’s bathroom guidelines which protected the rights of trans students.

    CREDIT: andykatz / bigstock

    The rights of trans Americans have been officially curtailed after President Donald Trump‘s administration rescinded the guidelines about trans people’s bathroom rights, which were put forward by Obama during his second term.

    The guidelines allowed for trans students to use bathrooms and changing rooms which match their current gender identity rather than the biological sex written on their birth certificates.

    The White House stated that the previous guidelines did not “contain extensive legal analysis or explain how the position is consistent with the express language of Title IX, nor did they undergo any formal public process.”

    Schools and the Supreme Court were told by letter on Wednesday that the guidance was changing.

    Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary said that Donald Trump was “a firm believer in states’ rights and that certain issues like this are not best dealt with on the federal level.”

    ALSO READ:

     

    A spokesperson for the Campaign for Southern Equality condemned the action saying that “no child should be denied access to basic facilities or subjected to discriminatory treatment” and called the current Trump administration “reckless”

    Despite the rollback, the letter will have no effect as the guidelines were blocked by the federal court after they were issued.

    Rev. Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, Executive Director of the Campaign for Southern Equality said,

    “The reality is that the protections of Title IX are still in effect for transgender students. We will fight every day to ensure that these protections remain in place”.