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Tag: Stonewall Awards

All the latest breaking news on Stonewall Awards. Browse The THEGAYUK’s complete collection of features and commentary on Stonewall Awards.

  • Stonewall Cancels All Future Awards

    Britain’s biggest LGBT charity Stonewall has said that it will no longer be holding its annual awards.

    Stonewall, Britain’s biggest LGBT charity has said that it plans to cancel its annual awards after 10 years of the ceremony. The £240 per ticket awards which have courted controversy over the decade, most notably with its bigot of the year award, are bowing out with Sir Ian McKellen hosting the final ceremony.

    Ruth Hunt, Stonewall’s Chief Exec spoke about the decision to step back saying,

    “Ten years ago, a peck on the lips between two men on TV would have caused uproar, and books featuring lesbian characters rarely made the best-seller list. And this was one of the only award ceremonies to celebrate the achievements of the lesbian, gay and bi community. That simply isn’t the case today, and ceremonies and awards that recognise the success and diversity of our wonderful community have blossomed.

    “We have therefore decided that now is the time for us to step back, making this year’s awards the final Stonewall Awards.”

    Tickets for the event have increased from £155 + VAT in 2012 to £198 + VAT in 2015. Guests will be treated to a champagne and canapé reception on the 5th November in the magnificent Raphael Gallery of the Victoria & Albert Museum.

    Judging this year’s competition are past presenter of the awards, Gok Wan, Bethany Black, Lord Browne, Sandi Toksvig, who is due to take over from Stephen Fry on QI, Russell T Davies and Kevin Jenkins.

  • And The Winners Are…

    Britain’s Got Talent, Sue Perkins and Rugby Football League among Stonewall Award Winners

    (more…)

  • COMMENT | Bigotry

    Oh dear oh dear. It seems Lord Ken Maginnis has been getting his Stonewalls and his THEGAYUK’s mixed up.

    As far as he is concerned, gay newsgroups, lobbying groups, pressure groups and charities are all the same – ‘an aggressive, perverse and corrupting influence on susceptible and vulnerable young people

    Having been nominated by Stonewall for their prestigious Bigot of the Year award, he got very hot under the collar when approached by TheGayUK for a reaction to his nomination and thus re-affirmed his credentials. If you, or indeed Lord Maginnis, are not sure what a bigot is, let me enlighten you. According to Merriam-Webster a bigot is a person who is obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices; especially: one who regards or treats the members of a group (as a racial or ethnic group) with hatred and intolerance. Guilty as charged, I say, but bigots, and particularly religious bigots, seem to get very upset when you point it out to them.

    We’ve been here before of course. Why only a couple of weeks ago Nick Clegg apologised to the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of Westminster over claims he was prepared to call the opponents of equal marriage “bigots” in a speech at an LGBT reception. Allegedly he never actually used that word, but even if he did wouldn’t he be just saying it like it is? Bigot is exactly the right word in this context. I just wish he’d had the courage of his convictions, but he doesn’t seem to have been very good at that recently, does he?

    It is certainly looking as if the church and its various representatives are losing the battle over gay marriage, and, as they do so, their attacks on the gay community have become ever more virulent and ever more ridiculous. Only recently, the Christian Institute came up with the not very Christian statement that, as we only represented a very small percentage of the population, we didn’t deserve the same human rights. The great thing is that the more outlandish their arguments become, the less likely it is that anybody, except their small band of blinkered followers, will take them seriously. Really, I am beginning to hope that it won’t be long before the church is so completely marginalised, that we will at last live in a secular country and the church will be completely separate from the state. What business has this outmoded institution meddling in the private lives of people who don’t believe in their teachings?

    So, why be outraged or offended by what Lord Maginnis has to say? He is a dinosaur, one of the last of a dying breed. He’s already been expelled from his own political party. It’s not surprising that the more marginalised he and his cronies become, the louder they will scream, but is anybody really listening anymore?

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

  • Nominations For Stonewall 2012 Awards

    Today Stonewall announces the shortlists for its seventh Awards ceremony to be held on 1 November 2012 at the V&A in London.

    The Awards are one of the most glamorous events in Stonewall’s fundraising calendar. They celebrate those who have made a positive impact on the lives of lesbian, gay and bisexual people in Britain in the last year.

    The full shortlists:

    Broadcast of the Year – supported by London Women’s Clinic

    A Civil Arrangement (BBC4)

    Britain’s Got Talent (ITV1)

    Long Lost Family (ITV1)

    One Born Every Minute (C4)

    All Star Mr & Mrs (ITV1)

    Entertainer of the Year

    Evan Rachel Wood

    Frank Ocean

    Marcus Collins

    Sue Perkins

    Tom Wilkinson (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel)

    Journalist of the Year

    Hugo Rifkind (The Times)

    Owen Jones (The Independent)

    Paul Burston (Time Out)

    Sarah Garrett (g3 Magazine)

    Lucy Mangan (The Guardian)

    Politician of the Year

    Iain Stewart MP

    Lynne Featherstone MP & Lord Henley

    Cllr Nick Forbes

    Nicola Sturgeon MSP

    Ruth Davidson MSP

    Publication of the Year

    Attitude

    DC Comics

    London Evening Standard

    Gay Star News

    Tatler

    Sports Award of the Year – supported by Barclays

    Claire Harvey

    Carl Hester

    Lee Pearson CBE

    Outdoor Lads

    Rugby Football League

    Writer of the Year – Supported by Coutts

    Jackie Kay (Reality, Reality)

    Jeanette Winterson (Why Be Happy When You Could be Normal?)

    Madeline Miller (The Song of Achilles)

    Patrick Gale (A Perfectly Good Man)

    V G Lee (Always You, Edina)

    The seventh annual Stonewall Awards ceremony takes place on Thursday 1 November at the V&A in London. Tickets are £155 plus VAT. To book your ticket visit www.stonewall.org.uk/awards or call 020 7593 1875.

  • Stonewall Shortlist For 2012 Awards

    Sue Perkins, Britain’s Got Talent, DC Comics and three from Team GB shortlisted for Stonewall 2012 Awards.

    Evan Rachel Wood, Marcus Collins and Alison Steadman drama also shortlisted

    Today Stonewall announces the shortlists for its seventh Awards ceremony to be held on 1 November 2012 at the V&A in London. The Awards are one of the most glamorous events in Stonewall’s fundraising calendar. They celebrate those who have made a positive impact on the lives of lesbian, gay and bisexual people in Britain in the last year.

    Hip hop star Frank Ocean and comedian and broadcaster Sue Perkins are nominated for ‘Entertainer of the Year’, while Team GB athletes Claire Harvey, Carl Hester and Lee Pearson make the ‘Sports Awards’ shortlist. ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent and Alison Steadman’s BBC Four drama A Civil Arrangement are among the nominees battling it out for ‘Broadcast of the Year’. And the London Evening Standard, gay news website Gay Star News and Attitude magazine are three of those competing for ‘Publication of the Year’.

    ‘Journalist of the Year’ nominees include Hugo Rifkind from The Times, the Independent columnist Owen Jones, Guardian Weekend’s Lucy Mangan and Time Out’s Paul Burston. Jackie Kay, Jeanette Winterson, and V G Lee are among the ‘Writer of the Year’ nominees for Reality, Reality, Why Be Happy When You Could be Normal? and Always You, Edina.

    Nominees for ‘Politician of the Year’ include Iain Stewart MP, Lynne Featherstone MP and Nicola Sturgeon MSP.

    Winners from these categories will be chosen by a celebrity judging panel comprising broadcaster Alice Arnold, Channel 4 News Culture Editor Matthew Cain, former England rugby star Ben Cohen, author Val McDermid and UK Black Pride Managing Director Phyll Opoku-Gyimah.

    Thousands of Stonewall supporters across Britain are currently voting for three other categories – ‘Stonewall Community Group’, ‘Hero of the Year’ and ‘Bigot of the Year’. ‘Hero of the Year’ nominees include Jessie J for proudly reaffirming time and again that she is bisexual.

    Ben Summerskill, Stonewall Chief Executive, said: ‘This year’s Stonewall Award nominees include Olympic and Paralympic heroes, regional, national and industry publications, popular TV shows and popular lesbian, gay, bisexual and straight entertainers. The diversity of those nominated for an award demonstrates how gay equality is firmly embedded in 21st-century British life. That’s a real cause for celebration.’

    The seventh annual Stonewall Awards ceremony takes place on Thursday 1 November at the V&A in London. Tickets are £155 plus VAT. To book your ticket visit www.stonewall.org.uk/awards or call 020 7593 1875.

  • Lord Maginnis Attack On Gay Publication

    The outspoken Lord Maginnis yesterday blasted both Stonewall and The Gay UK over his ‘Bigot Of The Year Award’ nomination.

    Stonewall announced the nomination at the end of last week. Stonewall describes a bigot as ‘An individual who has gone out of their way to harm, hurt or snub lesbian, gay and bisexual people in the last year.’

    At first the former Ulster Unionist, MP mistakenly thought that The Gay UK was nominating him for the award and blasted the LGBT daily magazine – as a ‘perverse pressure group’, ‘aggressive, perverse and corrupting influence on susceptible and vulnerable young people.’

    Editor and co-founder of the UK based online magazine, in an exchange of emails, explained that The Gay UK was in fact an organisation that was reaching out to both nominated bigots and heroes for their comment – not inferring that anyone on the list was or is indeed a bigot.

    “We’re absolutely outraged to be called a perversion,

    ‘The very idea that we are corrupting or influencing susceptible young people is perverse in itself. We are a respected organisation with a clear goal, which is to be the mouthpiece for the gay community in the UK and we take it very personally – as should every member of the LGBT community today, as this is tantamount to calling us perverts and potentially worse.’

    In June 2012 the Ulster Unionist Party whip was withdrawn from Lord Maginnis by party leader Mike Nesbit over his anti-gay remarks, where Lord Maginnis likened gay marriage to bestiality on Northern Ireland’s Stephen Nolan Show. Lord Maginnis said that gay marriage was, ‘a rung on the ladder’ to ‘other deviant practices’ and ‘Will the next thing be that we legislate for some sort of bestiality?’

    The Gay UK called for a public apology from the Lord last night, after it emerged that Lord Maginnis had forwarded private and legally privileged emails to members of the press.

    A representative for The Gay UK said,

    ‘It’s disgusting that in 2012, somebody in a respected position such as a Lord can make these comments about a portion of the community that we aim to represent.

    ‘An attack on us, is an attack on the gay community at large. Our website is community led by contributions from lesbian and gay writers and today is a sad day.’

    ‘Even after we had corrected Lord Maginnis that we were not Stonewall or the organisation that were running the Heroes and Bigot award, he replied, “As I neither know you or Stonewall I don’t think it’s for me to sort out the not-so-subtle differences. If you still want a comment my initial response is adequate from my perspective.”.’

    Stonewall was not immediately available for comment on Lord Maginnis’s accusation.

  • Stonewall Announces Hero And Bigot Nominees For 2012

    Stonewall announces hero and bigot nominees for 2012. Ben & Jerry’s founders and Jessie J among gay heroes. Bigots of the Year include Cardinal Keith O’Brien

    Updated: 24/09/12 4.00PM

    Stonewall today announces nominees for its annual Hero and Bigot of the Year Awards. The charity’s 7th Stonewall Awards take place at the V&A on 1 November, and celebrate people who have made a positive impact on the lives of Britain’s 3.7 million lesbian, gay and bisexual people.

    Seven of the awards are selected by an independent judging panel, but three – Hero, Community Group and Bigot of the Year – are voted on by Stonewall’s supporters.

    WE COULD BE HEROES..

    This year’s five Hero nominees include The Voice judge Jessie J, nominated as a role model for bisexual people. Ben & Jerry’s founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield earn a nomination for their company’s staunch support for gay equality. Former Manchester Pride Director Jackie Crozier is nominated for years of charitable work.

    Speaking to a spokesperson for Ben & Jerry’s they said:

    ‘We are udderly delighted we have been nominated for the Stonewall Hero of the Year Award for supporting a cause that’s at the core of our values’ said Ilaria Ida, Ben & Jerry’s European Social Mission Manager from the Barn in Datchet.

    ‘Since the company’s very beginning 34 years ago, Ben & Jerry’s has been an advocate for equal rights regardless of sexual orientation simply because it’s the right thing to do,

    ‘We will continue to campaign to raise awareness of the importance of marriage equality, and to encourage the UK government to follow through on its promise to legalise same-sex marriage’

    John Stewart – Chief Executive at Manchester Pride said:

    ‘Jackie worked hard over many years to establish Manchester Pride as the UK’s leading pride event and we are very proud that Jackie has been nominated, we wish her every success in the category.’

    Tim Franks – former CEO of Pace, who retired this September, said that he was ‘absolutely delighted’ and it was ‘lovely and great to be recognised’ however remained ‘realistic’ about going ‘up against Ice Cream.’

    Mr Franks had been working in the LGB&T sector for over 20 years said that this was his first time nominated for the Stonewall award.

    Bigot Nominations

    The five nominees for Bigot of the Year include Cardinal Keith O’Brien, who has led a vitriolic campaign against equality in Scotland. Uganda’s Ethics and Integrity Minister, Simon Lokodo, is also nominated for his role in the repression of his country’s 2.1 million gay people.

    Stonewall Deputy Chief Executive Laura Doughty said:

    ‘The Stonewall Awards are an opportunity to celebrate the often courageous individuals who have made a huge difference to millions of gay people at home, at school and at work. As ever, it’s humbling to see the selflessness with which so many people work for equality.’

    One of the nominees Alan Craig spoke exclusively to TheGayUK saying:

    ‘The Bigot of the Year Award is a vicious name-calling Stonewall annual event that reflects more on the donor than the recipient. By attempting to bully, intimidate, humiliate and generate hatred of individuals through the Award, Stonewall fully justifies the Gaystapo tag which I gave the organisation and for which I have been nominated.

    ‘Nonetheless if I win the Award over the other candidates and if Stonewall are big enough to invite me and allow me without harassment to make a proper acceptance speech, I plan to attend the glittering Awards dinner at the V&A on 1st November.’

    Tickets for the Stonewall Awards cost £155 plus VAT and are available online from www.stonewall.org.uk/awards.