Tag: Politics
The latest news, interviews, and views from the world of LGBT politics in the UK and internationally.
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Hillary Clinton Runs For President
It’s official at last. Hillary Clinton will run for president of the USA. The announcement came yesterday in a video released by her campaign that in typical Hillary style features a diverse group of people making changes in their lives, including a male couple about to be married. A female couple is also included in the video.
Not only does Hillary Clinton support marriage equality, she’s spoken out on the other side of all those arguments. She really consolidated her standing among the LGBT community with a speech she gave before the United Nations in Geneva while Secretary of State in December 2011 in which she said to the world that “Being LGBT does not make you less human. And that is why gay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights.”
Documents released this week by the National Archives at the Clinton Library show it was Hillary Clinton’s staff who pushed during her husband’s presidency for greater acceptance of LGBT people. For example, President Obama signed an executive order last year that went into effect last week banning discrimination in employment by federal contractors — something that Hillary Clinton’s staff pushed her husband to do back in August 2000.
Her candidacy is in great contrast to the two senators who have declared that they are running to be the republican candidate for one of the most powerful jobs in the world. Paul Rand has said that same-sex couples shouldn’t get to use the word marriage because it “offends myself and a lot of people,” whilst the right-wing Ted Cruz went one step further when he publically declared he was against “the radical gay marriage agenda,” then went on to warn his supporters about the gay ‘jihad’ against religious freedom.
Openly gay Robby Mook, a Democratic strategist who ran Terry McAuliffe’s successful 2013 campaign for Governor of Virginia, has been chosen to be Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign Manager.
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White House Releases Powerful Video About The Harm Of “Gay Cures”
In the wake of President Obama’s historic statement this week speaking out against gay “conversion therapy”, a group of White House staffers led by Amanda Simpson, Executive Director of the U.S. Army Office of Energy Initiatives, and the first openly transgender woman Presidential appointee ever, created a video to discuss the dangers of this harmful practice.
Also on the video are some of the President’s most senior advisers including Valerie Jarrett and also Megan Smith, Chief Technology Officer of the United States and Douglas Brooks, Director of the Office of National AIDS Policy. In addition to this, the U.S. Surgeon General Vice Admiral Vivek H. Murthy, M.D. released a statement today calling for state and federal action to protect minors from conversion therapy.
“Being gay is not a disorder. Being transgender is not a malady that requires a cure. Had I been Leelah Alcorn’s physician, I would have told her exactly that. And that’s the message I want other doctors, nurses, health professionals, and public health leaders to help get out to parents and children who may be confronting these issues.”
by Roger Walker-Dack
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Third Of Christians Will Not Vote Cameron Over Gay Friendly Stance
A new survey has revealed that people who identify as Christian have condemned David Cameron’s statement that same-sex marriage was “among his proudest achievements in 2014”
The poll by ComRes for Premier Christian Radio asked 2,000 potential voters what they thought about gay marriage and how it might affect their decision on voting Conservative in the next general election.
More than thirty-three percent agreed with the statement, “I would have considered voting Conservative but gay marriage has put me off doing so”. The coalition government, led by David Cameron was instrumental in bringing forward same-sex marriage in his first term as prime minister.
Same-sex marriage was legalised in England and Wales in 2014 in a landslide victory.
80 per cent of those asked lambasted the Prime Minister’s statement that same-sex marriage was “among his proudest achievements in 2014”. The claim was made by the Prime Minister during a Q&A in Wirral, when he said that same-sex marriage had a personal impact. He said, “I did get a lot of letters from men who said, because of the changes you made, I have been able to marry the person I love. That was great.”
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Gay friendly pub in Wakefield opens itself to UKIP rallies and events
A gay friendly pub in Wakefield, Yorkshire has opened its doors for UKIP to hold meetings and events in.
The Harewood Arms, a gay friendly pub in Wakefield is open to opening its doors to UKIP meetings and events, in what is thought to be the UK’s only gay friendly UKIP endorsing establishment.
Many of the pubs regulars have reacted with dismay that UKIP, a party with members who have had their fair share of homophobic headlines like this and this, could be allowed to use the pub for meetings and events.
The announcement was made last weekend on Facebook, when landlord Matt Eason wrote in a message to UKIP Wakefield,
“We’re not planning on painting the interior yellow and purple any time soon, however we do support the ukip stance on the pub industry. Not one person can agree 100 % with any parties policies, you have to choose the few that are right for you. That’s why it’s called politics.”
“We may loose one or two customers ‘support’ but will gain more in other ways. Im not going to sit by and watch our current government tax us thousands a year in unfair business rates and continue to take the piss with beer duty.
“Increased tax on beer and the smoking ban is what has ruined the pub trade and I’m not gonna sit here and say that it’s fine and not do anything about it. In the 3 years I’ve controlled the business side of the Harewood it has never made a profit, ever !
“I can confirm there will be a rally style meet and greet evening at the pub the dates will be confirmed so that people offended by it have the choice to not visit the pub that day”
Yesterday a theatre company in London sent an open invite to Nigel Farage to it’s comedy play about HIV after he was criticised by the other leaders on the televised debate, with Plaid Cymru’s leader Leanne Wood winning the first applause from the audience after saying that he should be “ashamed” for his remarks.
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Nigel Farage Invited To HIV Play “Positive” After Debate Remarks
The leader of UKIP, Nigel Farage has been invited to a comedy about HIV called “Positive” by the show’s producers after his remarks about HIV in last week’s Leaders’ Debate.
Positive credit Bobbin In a brand new outing for the play, which previously ran at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2013 and completed a critically acclaimed run at Waterloo East Theatre in May 2014, the show is inspired by true stories from those who are living with HIV.
Playwright Shaun Kitchener said: “I’m so excited that Positive is part of the Park Theatre’s line-up this year. Whenever HIV is presented on-stage or on-screen it’s usually all doom, gloom and death-beds; but that’s simply not the case in 2015.
“HIV sufferers in Britain today are reportedly more likely to die from depression resulting from the stigma attached to them than they are from the virus itself. It’s not that it’s a medical walk in the park, but it’s not a death sentence anymore – and it’s about time theatre reflected this. If Mr Farage wants to come along and see the play for himself to learn a thing or two, we’d be more than happy to have him.”
“Following UKIP leader Nigel Farage’s outrageous claims made about HIV and immigrants at last week’s Leaders’ Debate, an open invitation stands to have him along to watch the play – and find that the stigma he fiercely promoted is total BS,” say the producers of the show.
Nigel Farage was lambasted by the other leaders on the televised debate, with Plaid Cymru’s leader Leanne Wood winning the first applause from the audience after saying that he should be “ashamed” for his remarks.
Dr Rosemary Gillespie, CEO Terrence Higgins Trust said: “It was great to see so many people express outrage after Farage’s comments about the numbers of people in the UK with HIV who were not born here. HIV is a public health issue in the UK and globally. If we do not take an inclusive approach and provide treatment for people who need it, we will never prevent onward transmission. 24% of people living with HIV in the UK do not know they are living with it, and 4 in every 10 are diagnosed at a late stage, after they needed to start treatment. HIV doesn’t discriminate and politicians shouldn’t either. Such ill-informed and discriminatory comments generate stigma, and make it harder to encourage people to take a test and stay safe”.
Positive runs July 9 to August 1 at the Park Theatre near Finsbury Park, London N4.
Tickets available: https://www.parktheatre.co.uk/whats-on/positive
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Gay Refusal Pizza Parlour Makes $50,000 In GoFund Me Page
The Memories Pizza restaurant that made headlines after becoming one of the first businesses in Indiana to say they would actively discriminate against gay couples has earned nearly $50,000 in support on the GoFundMe crowdfunder site.
The crowdfunder, which was set up by Lawrence Billy Jones III, “To relieve the financial loss endured by the proprietors’ stand for faith.” has received over 1300 donations to the owners of Memories Pizza. The owners have said that they have gone into hiding since they said they would refuse to send pizzas to a gay wedding.
Kevin O’Connor, co-owner of the restaurant, who supports Indiana’s Religious Freedoms law said, “That lifestyle is something they choose. I choose to be heterosexual. They choose to be homosexual. Why should I be beat over the head to go along with something they choose?”
Funders have donated as little as $5, but one anonymous donor made a $5,000 pledge. Many of the pledgers have used the comment space to make outrageous homophobic statements.
Brett Jeffreyes who donated $250 said, “Sadly this is the first wave. We are seeing the rise of GAY SHARIA. They will go to any length to destroy people of conscience and good will. I expect to see Gay Sharia violence supported by both Social and mainstream Media in my lifetime.”
Whilst one gay supporter of the pizzeria, known only as BG said, “Not all gays are part of this pathetic, progressive, oppressive maffia [sic]. I am gay and I support your religious beliefs. I hope your business survives and thrives.”
Brennan Doherty who donated $10 said, “God bless them for not agreeing to support the farce of gay marriage.”
The original target for the funding page was $45,000.
Republican Governor Mike Pence has said that he wants to ‘fix’ the law so that it does not discriminate against the LGBT community. He has insisted however, that the law isn’t the problem, but how it is being perceived is.
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Anti-Gay Marriage MP Tells Gay Voter Never To Contact Him Again
The former MP and now Conservative hopeful for Peterborough, Stewart Jackson, who voted against the same-sex marriage act, has allegedly sent a response to a constituent, asking her to never bother him again after learning that she is in a same-sex marriage.
Laura O’Sullivan was shocked to find an official communication from her then local MP Stewart Jackson, that stated that she should never “bother” him again. Mr. Jackson was a key figure in the Coalition for Marriage, a campaign which claimed to have attracted over 600,000 signatures against the redefining of marriage and he was one of 175 MPs who voted against same-sex marriage in 2013.
Taking to Facebook, Ms. O’Sullivan said,
“I got a letter through the post, addressed to Laura Hawes, asking me to vote for Stewart Jackson, Peterborough MP.
As he voted against gay marriage and had kindly left his email address at the bottom for responses I sent him the following message:
Dear Stewart Jackson,
You sent me a letter, I wish to inform you that it was sent to the wrong name, Hawes is my maiden name. As of last October I am happy to say I am married, And have therefore changed my surname to O’Sullivan.And as my Wife and I enjoying our rights to an equal marriage, something that you did not support we will not, in no un certain terms, be voting for you.
Please never write to me again.
Mrs Laura O’sullivanShe received the following response a few hours later:
The feeling’s fully mutual.
Please feel free to never bother me again.
Yours
Stewart Jackson”THEGAYUK reached out to Mr. Jackson’s office to ask if his response was standard practice for communicating with his constituents. His office replied, “It is the regular practice of Stewart Jackson and his office not to comment on any private correspondence between his office and his former constituents.”
The post, on Facebook, has now attracted nearly 1,200 shares and a number of comments.
As the UK Parliament has been dissolved until after the General Election on May 7th, Mr. Jackson is no longer the MP for Peterborough. In a statement on his website he wrote, “It is my honour and privilege to have been elected in May 2005 and re-elected in May 2010 to represent the Peterborough constituency in the House of Commons. He is now fighting for re-election in Peterborough.
“I have made it my duty to work for Peterborough in Westminster and not for Westminster in Peterborough. I am working for your interests, not self-interests. Above all, I will always put my constituents’ interests above my political career.”
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If You’re A White Gay Male Student, Don’t Act Like A Black Woman – It’s Policy
The UK National Union of Students has passed a policy which means that white gay men must stop appropriating black female culture.
It is being reported that delegates at the Women’s Conference today passed a motion makes it against policy to snap, click or sashay away, or generally act in any way that can be attributed to black women.
Submitted by the NUS LGBT Committee the motion reads:
503: ‘Dear White Gay Men: Stop Approprirating [sic] Black Women’.
The appropriation of Black women by white gay men is prevalent within the LGBT scene and community.
- This may be manifested in the emulation of the mannerisms, language (particularly AAVE- African American Vernacular English) and phrases that can be attributed to Black women. White gay men may often assert that they are “strong black women” or have an “inner black woman”.
- White gay men are the dominant demographic within the LGBT community, and they benefit from both white privilege and male privilege.
- The appropriation of Black women by white gay men has been written about extensively. This quote is taken from Sierra Mannie’s TIME piece entitled: “Dear white gays, stop stealing Black Female culture”:
“You are not a black woman, and you do not get to claim either blackness or womanhood. There is a clear line between appreciation and appropriation. I need some of you to cut it the hell out. Maybe, for some of you, it’s a presumed mutual appreciation for Beyoncé and weaves that has you thinking that I’m going to be amused by you approaching me in your best “Shanequa from around the way” voice. I don’t know. What I do know is that I don’t care how well you can quote Madea, who told you that your booty was getting bigger than hers, how cute you think it is to call yourself a strong black woman, who taught you to twerk, how funny you think it is to call yourself Quita or Keisha or for which black male you’ve been bottoming — you are not a black woman, and you do not get to claim either blackness or womanhood. It is not yours. It is not for you.”
The conference, believes, that “This type of appropriation is unacceptable and must be addressed.
“Low numbers of Black LGBT women delegates attend NUS LGBT conference. This can be attributed to many factors, one of which may be the prevalent appropriation by white gay men, which may mean that delegates do not feel comfortable or safe attending conference.”
In a second motion they passed the banning of cross-dressing or drag due the offence it could cause trans women.
Speaking to GayStarNews about the policies a spokeswoman said, “We’re a democratic society, and if members voted for it, these are our policies”.
