THEGAYUK

Tag: Politics

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

  • India Supreme Court Rules To Re-Criminalise Gay Sex

    India Supreme Court rules to re-criminalise gay sex, punishable by 10 years imprisonment.

    The 153-year-old colonial law which describes same-sex relationships as an ‘unnatural offence’, had only just been overturned in July 2009, giving hope to many LGBT people in India.

    Now, four years on, it will be in the hands of the government to make the ruling law.

    BBC News reports, ‘India’s Law Minister Kapil Sibal told reporters the government would respect the ruling but did not say whether there were plans to amend the law. Correspondents say any new legislation is unlikely soon – general elections are due next year.’
    There are plans, from disappointed gay rights activists, to approach the court to review their decision.

    This comes in the same year that Russia started to take away LGBT rights from their own people and visitors.

  • Gay marriage date brought forward

    Save the date! Westminster have just announced the date for same-sex marriages to be legal in the UK. Saturday 29th March 2014.

    If you’re looking to be one of the first couples wed, then you’ll be pleased to finally hear the date has been set by the government a little earlier than the planned summer date. You’ll have to swop your wedding shorts for spring trousers.

    From the 29th March 2014 you can be legally recognised as a married couple in a registry office or approved religious premises. However if you are currently in a civil partnership and wish to convert to a marriage, this date is still being set.

    We’ve cleared the TGUK diaries here and await the invites.

  • South Africa’s Human & Gay Rights Hero Nelson Mandela Dies

    This morning, the world mourns the passing of Nelson Mandela, a magnificent human rights hero, who died yesterday at the age of 95, surrounded by his family.

    He was championed as the man who changed the history of South Africa forever to become the first black president in 1994.

    Nelson Mandela had been suffering ill-health for a number of years and died from a lung complication, which has been linked to his time incarcerated on Robben Island, over two decades ago.

    Mandela was incarcerated, under apartheid, in the infamous Robben Island prison for 27 years and was made to work in the prison’s quarry.

    ‘He is now resting. He is now at peace,’ South African President Jacob Zuma said when he announced the death. ‘Our nation has lost its greatest son. Our people have lost a father.’

    Later he added: ‘What made Nelson Mandela great was precisely what made him human. We saw in him what we seek in ourselves.’

    For nearly 30 years, the former president fought for equal rights amongst the people of South Africa and spoke out about homophobia numerous times.

    He supported gay South Africans and helped make South Africa the first African nation to enshrine LGBT rights into the Country’s constitution.

    South Africa was the 5th nation to legalise same-sex marriage and remains the only African nation to allow gay marriage.

    Speaking about gay marriage Mandela said:

    ‘I am not truly free if I am taking away someone else’s freedom, the Nobel Peace Prize winner explained,

    ‘Just as surely as I am not free when my freedom is taken from me. The oppressed and the oppressor alike are robbed of their humanity.’

    Nelson Mandela also paved the way for greater HIV protections and healthcare changes in South Africa.

    Paul Ward, Acting Chief Executive at Terrence Higgins Trust, said: ‘Nelson Mandela’s inspirational leadership has been as important in the fight against HIV as anti-HIV treatments. Whenever he addressed a World AIDS Conference, no one could fail to be moved to action. The ideals he stood for – freedom, compassion, and the universal human right to love, life and happiness – struck a chord at a time when people with HIV, myself included, were facing unacceptable levels of prejudice and discrimination. Nelson Mandela was one of the few world leaders who stood shoulder to shoulder with people with HIV, and the legacy of that will continue to be felt not only in South Africa, but in countries and communities worldwide.’

  • Gay activists picket former Prime Minster of Jamaica

    A Dozen Activists from Jamaica protested a speech by the country’s former Prime Minister, Bruce Golding, on Tuesday night in New York.

    The gay rights activists shouted ‘Bruce, you’re wanted! Unrepentant murder!’ and ‘Gay rights are human rights!’

    The protesters lined the pavement outside the Harlem Institution for over an hour and received comments from supportive and non-supportive bystanders.

    A statement from the National Anti-Discrimination Alliance (NADA) said that Golding is symbolic of Jamaica’s homophobic culture. He publicly announced his opposition to gays serving in his Cabinet on BBC Hard Talk in 2008 and has since made other homophobic statements.

    This year there have been a number of anti-gay crimes in Jamaica, including the brutal murders of 16-year-old Dwayne Jones and 41-year-old Dean Moriah. Dwayne was murdered in July this year; he was dressed as a woman. His gender identity and sexuality are unconfirmed at this time.

    In September, two men escaped a ‘mob’ of men, who became violent towards them, after a car accident in the small town of Old Harbour. The crowd assumed that the two were gay.

    Dwayne Brown, organiser of the demonstration and a gay Jamaican who fled to the USA because of death threats, said he would not go inside for Golding’s speech because he feared a violent response from the audience.

    The press release from NADA continued with:

    ‘The Jamaica Anti-Homophobia stand feels strongly that Bruce Golding must be held accountable for the human rights offenses he oversaw during his tenure, including the Tivoli Gardens Massacre and the perpetuation of anti-gay attacks.’

    Watch video from the protest here

  • UK Government does not support Sochi boycott

    Foreign Office rules out Government supported boycott of the Russian Winter Olympics in Sochi.

    In an email received from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) by petitioners who asked the Government, to make a political statement to the Russian Government about their anti-gay laws, by officially boycotting the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, has said it ‘does not support a boycott.’

    Over 13,000 people have signed the petition that was created by Sean Robertson earlier in the year.

    In June President Putin signed into law, a bill that could see anyone discussing homosexual relationships to anyone under the age of 18 sentenced to a prison term or fined.

    In September the Russian Government moved one step closer to introducing a bill that would remove children from gay parents.

    The statement from the FCO reads:

    As this e-petition has received more than 10 000 signatures, the relevant Government department have provided the following response:

    ‘The Government wants to see an open and inclusive games at the 2014 Russian Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Sochi, but we do not support a boycott. The Prime Minister believes we have a better chance of influencing Russia by engaging and challenging prejudices than by boycotting.

    ‘We share concerns about changes to the law in Russia prohibiting the promotion of “non-traditional sexual relations” to minors. In effect, the law could prevent the LGBT community in Russia from fully enjoying the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. The Prime Minister set out these concerns with President Putin in a meeting in St Petersburg on 6 September, making clear the strength of feeling in the UK and that it was in Russia’s interests to tackle discrimination.

    ‘British officials at all levels have been lobbying on the LGBT law since the first regional “homosexual propaganda” law was tabled. As well as raising the subject in bilateral meetings, we have actively supported LGBT issues in Russia for some years, including through involvement in the annual Queerfest in St Petersburg and funding for the Side-by-Side LGBT film festival held across Russia.

    ‘More broadly, we regularly make clear to Russia that human rights are universal and should apply equally to all people, as part of our overall engagement on human rights with the Russian authorities, including at the 2013 UK-Russia Human Rights dialogue in May and in the Foreign Secretary and Minister for Europe’s regular discussions with their Russian counterparts.

    ‘We have updated our travel advice for Russia to inform British Nationals of the new LGBT law. We review this advice regularly and will update further as necessary. We are committed to providing a modern and efficient consular service for visitors to Sochi.

    ‘Human rights will continue to be a central part of the UK-Russia relationship and we will continue to raise our concerns and encourage Russia to tackle discrimination and homophobia.

    ‘This e-petition remains open to signatures and will be considered for debate by the Backbench Business Committee should it pass the 100 000 signature threshold’

    The petition is still open and the deadline is 15th January 2014. If you wish to sign it click here.

  • Turkish Cypriots to repeal gay ban by Christmas

    Two years after Turkish Cypriot leader Dr. Derviş Eroğlu promised Conservative MEP Marina Yannakoudakis to repeal the north part of the island’s ban on homosexuality, the London MEP has returned to Cyprus to revive the process.

    While proposals for a repeal were put before lawmakers this year, early elections meant that any plans for a repeal need to be re-tabled.

    Mrs. Yannakoudakis met the Republican Turkish Party (CTP), which is currently the largest Turkish Cypriot political party as well as its partner the Democratic Party. She also met with the leader of the smaller Communal Democracy Party (TDP).

    All three parties promised to enact a decriminalisation of homosexuality giving a timeframe of 1-2 months.
    Male homosexuality has been illegal in Northern Cyprus since the island gained independence from British colonial rule in the 1960s, if found guilty, a custodial sentence of up to three years in prison can be ruled as punishment. Female homosexuality is exempt from the law.

    Southern Cyprus decriminalized homosexuality in 1998 in order to acquiesce to the European Union. However the North’s stance on homosexuality puts it outside of the European Convention of Human Rights.

    The desire to repeal the gay ban before the end of the year was echoed by Turkish Cypriot leader Dr. Eroğlu who, in a meeting with Mrs. Yannakoudakis today, said:
    “We are going to help them (the political parties) to do it in a much more speedy manner,” adding “I am going to spend effort to have this law go to the assembly.”

    Mrs. Yannakoudakis welcomed the positive response saying, “The time is right and it seems that the political will is finally there. Now the Turkish Cypriots must act and keep their promise to me to respect human rights.”
    Mrs. Yannakoudakis, who also met with representatives of the LGBT group Queer Cyprus and other supporters of decriminalisation, shared the activists’ cautious optimism, “The Turkish Cypriot LGBT community has waited long enough for decriminalisation.

    “I call on all the stakeholders to work together to ensure that a single set of measures to decriminalise homosexuality are tabled without delay.

    “When I next visit the island next year, I look forward to celebrating with my LGBT friends in the north part of Cyprus as they embark upon a new era of equality.”

  • OPINION | #HateDoesNotPay: Russian’s Shortsighted Homophobia

    So Putin hates homos. We all know that – he has made it very clear and the Anti-Gay legislation plaguing Russia has been referenced across the LGBT and mainstream medias. The human rights and social welfare implications are dire but what about a colder, less humane, and perhaps purely financial interpretation?

    So, let’s ask – do we reckon Putin has thought this through? Does he understand the social and economic impact state-sponsored homophobia will have on the country? Does he hate money as much as he hates homos? I doubt it.

    The pink pound is estimated to be worth £6 billion per year in the UK, and over £350 billion of pink money was spent globally in 2012. Russia is missing out on this trade as discerning gay consumers will not be flying to Moscow or St.Petersburg, and many will also be boycotting Russian products at home. Indeed Chief Executive Officer for SPI (which owns Stolichnaya Vodka) Val Mendeleeva has publically explained that although some ingredients used to make Stoli do come from Russia, “the Russian government has no ownership interest or control over the Stoli brand that is privately owned by SPI Group.” It is interesting to see that he has made it very clear the company “fully support and endorse your [lgbt community] objectives to fight against prejudice in Russia. In the past decade, SPI has been actively advocating in favor of freedom, tolerance and openness in society, standing very passionately on the side of the LGBT community and will continue to support any effective initiative in that direction.” Clearly the boycott, even if slightly misdirected, does have an impact. Perhaps that is an angle Russia might listen to?

    And what about the labour force contributing to such businesses? How productive are people when they cannot be themselves? Various organisations have argued that 6-10% of the UK population is lesbian, gay or bisexual. Assuming that the UK is roughly representative of other European countries (and not a homo-hot-spot) then that means there could be 8.6 – 14.3 million lesbian, gay or bisexual Russians. Even a conservative medium estimate leaves over 10 million employees not giving 100% to their work, social or personal lives.

    With Russia’s economy showing signs of weakness, workers need to perform better and be happy to invest back into goods and services. With industrial output declining in early 2013 (for the first time since 2009) and foreign direct investment subdued, perhaps Russia’s unpredictability and lack of commitment to the rights of its nationals is having a cost. Further economic issues, such as inflation, increased in the second half of 2012 and is set to remain high for 2013.

    Furthermore, if you had the choice wouldn’t you leave? And who has those choices in life usually? Is it Russia’s affluent? Perhaps they will be able to escape first and take their money somewhere else. And is it a stretch too far to assume that not all Russians are homophobic? Galop, London’s LGBT community safety charity, highlights that over 1000 homophobioc hate crimes take place in London each year – does that mean everyone in the capital is partial to a bit of gay bashing? I’d hope not! And would Putin carry out the attacks we see in the news personally?

    But who will ask these questions of him? Is anyone able to pose these questions? #hatedoesnotpay @VladimirPutin

     

    Opinions expressed in this article may not reflect those of THEGAYUK, it’s management or editorial teams. If you’d like to comment or write a comment, opinion or blog piece, please click here.

  • Russia’s Anti-Gay Laws To Be Protested Outside Downing Street

    Love Russia, Hate Homophobia protest called for 3rd September outside Downing Street.

    Over a thousand people have signified that they are going to attend a ‘day of action’ outside Downing Street on the 3rd September 2013 to protest the Russian government’s treatment of LGBT people.

    The protest is due to take place just days before the world’s leaders meet in St. Petersburg, Russia for the G20, which President Putin hosts this year.

    The protest organisers are calling all participants to meet outside Downing Street from 5pm – 8pm.

    Peter Tatchell, the veteran human rights campaigner said in a statement,

    “There can be no normal sporting relations with an abnormal authoritarian regime like Putin’s Russia. The attack on the LGBT community is one fragment of a much wider attack on human rights. It is important to encourage an alliance between LGBT and straight Russians to defend freedom of expression for all the people of Russia. LGBT people need allies to win and all Russians who love democracy and human rights deserve our support.

    “The anti-gay legislation will prevent LGBT teens from being told that it’s okay to be gay and from receiving HIV prevention information about how to have gay sex safely.

    “Long before this law was passed, I was beaten up with police collusion and arrested in Moscow for holding a sign saying “Gay Rights”. I still live with the brain and eye injuries incurred. Many Russian LGBT campaigners and other human rights defenders have also been bashed and arrested. They are heroes of the LGBT freedom struggle. They stand and fight. Their courage is awesome. We have a duty to support them.”

    Meanwhile LGBT organisations across the world are planning their own protests on the 3rd September, which is hoped will bring visibility to the violations against the LGBT community in Russia.

     

    To find out more visit the Facebook page

  • Stephen Fry: “Athletes Should Find A Symbol” For LGBT Russians

    Broadcaster Stephen Fry has called on athletes in the Russian Sochi Winter Olympics to find a symbol to show ‘solidarity’ with gay Russians.

    Openly gay writer, presenter and broadcaster Stephen Fry calls upon athletes who take part in the Sochi Winter Olympics to find a symbol to show solidarity with Russian LGBTs.

    During an interview with the BBC Fry said that at the end of competitors’ games, they should stand up and adopt a cross armed pose to show their support and that they ‘are thinking about the gay people of Russian who are being tormented and brutalised everyday.’

    In June, President Putin signed into law a bill that could see both nationals and international visitors promoting “non-traditional relationships” to anyone under 18 face hefty fines and prison.

    Lord Coe and the Prime Minister David Cameron have reacted to an open letter from broadcaster Stephen Fry calling for the boycott of the Winter Olympics in Sochi 2014. In the letter Fry compare the situation in Russia to the decision to host the 1936 Olympic games in Nazi Germany and that President Putin: ‘is making scapegoats of gay people’, adding that: ‘an absolute ban on the Russian Winter Olympics of 2014 on Sochi is simply essential’.

  • Lord Coe: “I Am Against Boycotts”

    PM David Cameron and Lord Coe are against boycotting Russia’s Sochi Winter Games, despite grassroot calls to challenge Russia on its anti-gay laws.

    Lord Coe and the Prime Minister David Cameron have reacted to an open letter from broadcaster Stephen Fry calling for the boycott of the Winter Olympics in Sochi 2014. In the letter Fry compared the situation in Russia to the decision to host the 1936 Olympic games in Nazi Germany and that President Putin: ‘is making scapegoats of gay people’, adding that: ‘an absolute ban on the Russian Winter Olympics of 2014 in Sochi is simply essential’.

    In June, President Putin signed into law a bill that could see both nationals and international visitors promoting “non-traditional relationships” to anyone under 18 face hefty fines and prison sentences.

    The anti-gay law has pulled Russia’s violations against LGBTs into the spotlight, culminating in several boycott actions and numerous petitions.

    In a reply via Twitter PM David Cameron wrote:

    ‘Thank you for your note @stephenfry,’ he posted on Twitter.

    ‘I share your deep concern about the abuse of gay people in Russia.
    ‘I believe we can better challenge prejudice as we attend, rather than boycotting the Winter Olympics.’

    Meanwhile, according to SportingLife.com, Lord Coe, the vice president of international athletics’ governing body IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) said:

    ‘I am against boycotts,

    ‘I don’t think they achieve what they set out to do. They only damage one group of people and that is the athletes.

    ‘I am a profound believer that international sports and relationships developed through international sport are often in the infancy of social change.

    ‘I believe that coming to Moscow in 1980 was the right thing to do and 10 years later we see those changes.

    ‘International sport is not an inhibitor of social change, it actually has quite strong catalytic effects.

    ‘It is an issue that needs to be addressed but not an issue that is one of a boycott.’

    The president of the IAAF told reporters on Thursday that the anti-gay laws were ‘no problem whatsoever,’ going on to say that,

    “This law has to be respected. We are here for the World Championships and have no problem whatsoever and I’m not worried at all.”

    Their remarks come days after the news that a gay teen who was lured into a tortured trap by Neo Nazis in Russia, had allegedly died from his injuries.

    Anti-gay neo Nazi groups have been created online dating profiles on Russian social network VK.com in order to publically out and abuse gay teens.

    Hundreds of people lined the streets around Downing Street today to protest against the Russian Embassy.

  • French Anti-Gay Marriage Protest Group Plan To Sue Act Up

    French Anti-Gay Marriage Protest Group Plan To Sue Act Up

    • French anti-gay marriage group plans to sue activism group Act Up after members threw red liquid at the JLF genetic research firm in south-west Paris.
    • ActUp is an international ‘direct action’ advocacy group that formed in 1987.
    • La Manif Pour Tous (LMPT) has staged mass protest rallies in France, but has failed to ignite interest across the world with its demonstrations.

    RFI is reporting that the French organisation intends to sue advocacy group ACT UP after some of its activists threw fake blood and posted posters reading “shame” and “homophobe” on the outside of the Jérome Lejeune Foundation, which is a genetic research firm, where the president of La Manif Pour Tous, (Demo For All), Ludovine de la Rochère works as a communications manager.

    In a tweet La Manif Pour Tous announced its intention to file a complaint after ‘the vandalism of @ActUpParis and one expects a strong response from the authorities.’

    ActUp said it was acting in protest when LMPT allegedly called for help during a rally outside the Russian embassy in May.

    In June, President Putin signed into law a bill that could see citizens promoting “non-traditional relationships” to anyone under 18 face hefty fines and prison.

    A number of boycotts and petitions have started around the world in response to the crackdown on Russia’s LGBT community.