``xEric McCormack, who plays Will in the hit sitcom Will & Grace, will soon be making his big-screen directing debut.
McCormack has made a deal with Disney to direct, write and star in "What You Wish For," a romantic comedy based on an idea from his wife, Aids activist Jane Holden.
The film is about a Midwestern husband and wife who think they're happily married -- until a chance for an affair with a favourite celebrity crops up. McCormack isn't talking specifics about the script, so no word yet on which spouse is getting the sex-fantasy romp.
Currently on break from "Will & Grace," he'll write the script over the summer and shoot the comedy during next year's hiatus.
The busy McCormack has also signed on to reprise his role as a filmmaker in a sequel to the 1998 comedy "Free Enterprise," which stars a rather more unlikely sex god: William Shatner.``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xWill & Grace star to direct movie``x-1,3315,``x``x
``xCouncillors in Rugby have closed down toilets in the town centre, after reports of cottaging.
The Church Street toilets have been closed down since mid-February after a report of “illicit behaviour” in daylight hours.
At a recent council meeting they agreed to ask for specialist advice from the British Toilet Association to help bring their facilities up to scratch.
Environment Portfolio Holder Cllr. Ish Mistry hopes to reopen the toilets as soon as possible.
"I would be naïve to say these incidents didn't happen but council officers are working with police to stop these inappropriate activities going on," he said.
Cllr. Laurie Wright told the meeting: "The toilets are a total disgrace to the town."``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xGay incident sparks spruce up of toilets``x-1,47393,``x``x
``xKent Tory MPs are split over Government plans to allow gay couples the right to civil partnerships.
Maidstone and Weald MP Ann Widdecombe and her Canterbury colleague Julian Brazier both say they intend to vote against the Bill, which will effectively allow gay couples the same legal rights as married couples.
Conservative leader and Folkestone and Hythe MP Michael Howard has given his MPs a free vote on the issue but has indicated that he will be supporting the proposals.
Meanwhile, Kent County Council’s ruling Tories are coming under pressure to say whether they will allow civil partnership ceremonies at its registry offices.
Canterbury MP Julian Brazier said he could not support the measure: “I will be voting against it.
"The question is whether one believes that marriage should be special and the short answer for me is yes it should. It is extremely important that we respect the special position of marriage in society.
Kent is also famous for it’s stance on Section 28, creating the ‘Son of Section 28’ – which has caused outrage amongst gay rights groups, such as Stonewall and the Queer Youth Alliance.``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xKent MPs divided over Civil Partnership Bill``x-1,40705,``x``x
``xLovers rally to support porn fugitive
Former lesbian lovers of a bisexual porn actress being sought for an insider-trading scandal are trying to raise money for her defense, the Ottawa Sun reports. Kathryn Gannon, who performed under the name Marylin Star, fled authorities who want to arrest her for her role in an insider-trading scandal in New York. The U.S. Attorney’s office alleges that investment banker James McDermott leaked details of a bank merger to Gannon while the two were having an affair and that Gannon capitalized on the information. Other female porn stars who have performed sex scenes with Gannon are selling T-shirts that read, “Run Marylin Run.” “Kathryn is bisexual, and a couple of [the fund-raisers] are her former lovers,” said Marc Medoff, a close friend of Gannon’s and president of Adult Press Service, which distributes erotic photos. Authorities believe Gannon is in hiding in Vancouver with her fiancé. Before fleeing authorities, she maintained that she is innocent of the charges. ``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xMoney for defence!``x946510649,48623,``x``x
``xA gay couple who won a landmark legal victory to father surrogate twins in America could now be forced to go through a lengthy adoption process in this country, the government has said.
Barrie Drewitt and Tony Barlow were told by immigration officials when they arrived back in the UK last week that the three-week-old babies do not qualify for automatic residency.
The passports of twins Saffron and Aspen were confiscated and they were granted one month's temporary stay in Britain while Mr Barlow, 35, and Mr Drewitt, 32, plan their next step.
The two millionaire businessmen, who spent £200,000 on the surrogacy and are named on the twins' US birth certificates as "parent one" and "parent two", said they were exasperated by the development.
Mr Barlow said: "We've been through so much before just to get pregnant and then worrying all through the pregnancy. All we want to do is just get on with our lives."
But a Home Office spokeswoman said the surrogate mother was still the legal parent of babies under British law.
'No guarantee'
She said Mr Barlow and Mr Drewitt could apply for an extension to the month-long temporary stay to begin an attempt to adopt the children.
But there is no guarantee they will be granted adoption rights or how long the process would take, she said.
Another option would be to ask Home Secretary Jack Straw to intervene and grant the children residency under the British Nationality Act of 1981.
But the spokeswoman said Mr Straw would be wary of setting a precedent which could later be regretted when applied to other child immigration cases.
The third option would be to apply for entry clearance rather than citizenship for the twins - which would mean they would remain American
nationals, but would be allowed to live in Britain.
The spokeswoman said: "With any case that raises unprecedented issues we would want to be careful to consider the implications.
Legal restrictions
The welfare of the children has to be taken into account. We have to be careful the case would not set a precedent that would have unfortunate consequences."
The twins, who were born in a Californian hospital in early December, were conceived using donor eggs from one woman, and sperm from one of the men - they have not revealed whom - and carried by a second woman, Rosalind Bellamy.
The men's lawyer, Alison Stanley from Geoffrey Bindman and Partners, has told them that under UK law, British citizenship can only pass through a father if the father is married to the mother.
However, if either of the two men adopted the children they would automatically acquire British citizenship.
Mr Barlow and Mr Drewitt say they believe the case could be discriminatory against the children of gay couples and could be taken to the European Court of Human Rights.``xno1``xnews@gaylifeuk.com``xGay parents could now loose child``x946842995,20660,``x``x
``xQueer As Folk has a second series coming out! It's official. Even though most of the Gay community moaned how unrealistic it was, but all of who pretended that they were a Vince or a Stuart, or had shagged a guy who looked like Nathan (I personally had a boyfriend who looked like Nathan when the first series came out).
For those people who for some reason missed the first series. Its is a series based on 3 main characters, Stuart, Vince, and Nathan. The story is based in Manchester around the Gay Scene. I won't spoil the storyline of the first series if youve not seen it, as it is currently being repeated on Channel 4 on Tuesday nights at 10pm.
For those who have seen it, your probably aching to know what will happen in the second series. Well GayLifeUK can EXCLUSIVELY REVEAL the following things that will happen.
Nathan is brought back home from London by the police for using his dad's Credit Cards, and moves back home. Vince goes for promotion at the Supermarket. He also goes to his Step Mothers wedding. Stuart also comes out to his parents. Those are the details that we can reveal at the moment. But watch it as there is alot more which we have not said! The last 20minutes of the second series we have been told will be pretty Epic and will suprise everyone as nobody will expect it.
Queer As Folk 2 will be shown on Channel 4 in Mid Febuary.
Remember you heard it here first on GayLifeUK.``xno1``xnews@gaylifeuk.com``xGayLifeUK Exclusive: Queer As Folk Series 2 to be shown``x948241851,89220,``x``x
``xThe legal age of consent for gay couples was passed through parliment this week to lower the age from 18 to 16 if it is passed through the house of lords the age will be lowered to join up with hetrosexual couples.``xno1``xnews@gaylifeuk.com``xConsent for gay sex at 16 passed in parliment``x950384345,15576,``x``x
``xThe government wishes to remove section 25 giving the right for teachers to teach kids that being gay is a suitable lifestyle. The government wants the section to be removed to prevent bullying to gay pupils and let teachers make a stand against this type of bullying without getting sacked or warned.``xno1``xnews@gaylifeuk.com``xSection 25``x950384630,84468,``x``x
``xThe new series of Queer as folk begins tonight at 10pm on Channel 4 for more information read the Gay Life UK exclusive.``xno1``xnews@gaylifeuk.com``xQueer as folk 2 begins``x950642539,36883,``x``x
``xHomophobia in the Metropolitan police should be an explicit offence in the disciplinary code, according to London campaigners.
Gay and Lesbian London (Gallon) have produced a policy document for the consideration of mayoral candidates.
All the candidates have said they are sympathetic to Gallon's issues of concern, and the group says: "We particularly appreciate the way the candidates joined together publicly to call for the repeal of Section 28."
The group was asked to come up with proposals for candidates to study, and the call for homophobia in the police to be a disciplinary offence is one of the major issues.
The group wants the mayor to use his or her influence on legislation, with the emphasis on decriminalising victimless crimes.
"Until the law is amended, the Mayor should use his or her influence to ensure that the police allocate resources away from victimless crimes, and towards crimes of violence and harassment," says the group's statement.
Other areas the group looked at - as they affect the LGBT community - were economic development and culture, social and employment issues, licensing, HIV and AIDS, and transport. ``xno1``xnews@gaylifeuk.com``xLondon group's plea on police homophobia``x952277469,77861,``x``x
``xThe man who planted the nail bombs in London last April has pleaded guilty to manslaughter at the Old Bailey.
David Copeland, a 23-year-old engineer, admitted three charges of manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility and admitted causing the three explosions in Brixton, Brick Lane and Soho.
The prosecution told the judge that the Crown was not going to accept the manslaughter pleas at this stage.
Judge Michael Hyam imposed reporting restrictions on the case, and adjourned the proceedings until June.
The first device was near a market in Brixton and injured 39 people. More people were hurt a week later when a second nail bomb went off in Brick Lane in East London.
Three people died as a result of the third bomb, which exploded on 30 April in the Admiral Duncan pub in Soho, a popular venue for the gay community.
Those killed were 32-year-old John Light, 27-year-old Andrea Dykes and Nick Moore, who was 31. Dykes's husband, Julian, was badly hurt in the blast. Around 60 other were hurt, too, many of them seriously.
Copeland arrived at the hearing yesterday from Broadmoor special hospital, where he is having psychiatric tests. ``xno1``xnews@gaylifeuk.com``xNail-bomb man's case adjourned till June``x952277549,55172,``x``x
``xGay rights campaigners in Scotland have challenged those opposing repeal of Section 28 to shut up and end their homophobic crusade.
Their call comes after yesterday's announcement by the First Minister, Donald Dewar, that the Scottish Executive will add a new nondiscriminatory clause to the Bill that will see off Section 28.
After a day of wrangling, ministers agreed to insert the wording "a stable family life in a child's development" into the Ethical Standards in Public Life Bill, saying that local authorities should have regard to this.
The legislation will also insist that sex education be age-appropriate.
Duncan Hothersall of the Equality Network said: "We welcome the fact that the Executive is proposing nondiscriminatory legislation. We also welcome the emphasis on age-appropriate education for all young people in Scotland."
Hothersall said the proposal guaranteed that no "inappropriate material" will be used in schools, and called upon the anti-repeal camp to "cease their campaign against the repeal of Section 28".
He continued: "If they do not, it will be clear that they have been misleading the public, that their statements about protecting our children were a smokescreen, and that their real agenda is the promotion of discrimination against gay people."
Meanwhile, the Keep the Clause Campaign - bankrolled by Scotland's richest businessman Brian Souter, chair of the Stagecoach transport group - has dropped its Freepost address after it was bombarded with material by people opposed to its views. It also received a lot of abusive mail and some from irresponsible people that brought complaints from Post office staff because it was dangerous and intended to cause injury.
The Keep the Clause campaign has come in for a lot of criticism from the Equality Network, who say it plays on the fears of parents that "inappropriate materials" will be used in schools should Section 28 be scrapped. However, this was never going to be the case, and, says the EN, its continued opposition to repeal will show it up as an anti-gay organisation, which it claims not to be.
The first words seen on the Keep the Clause Campaign's website are "Protect your children".
Meanwhile, the new wording for the Bill has been criticised by the leader of Scotland's 750,000 Catholics, Cardinal Thomas Winning, who says it's an attempt to please everyone but pleases no one.
"Stable family life is not defined and therefore could be interpreted to include homosexual or lesbian domestic arrangements," he said. ``xno1``xnews@gaylifeuk.com``xCampaigners challenge to anti-repeal lobby over S28``x952277645,36178,``x``x
``xThe popular and controversial Queer as Folk is among the short-listed shows in this year’s Royal Television Society Programme Awards, which will be made later this month.
The Channel 4 drama series – which had a second run of two one-hour episodes last month – caused uproar when the first series of eight episodes was shown last year.
The drama showed in gritty and honest detail life in Manchester’s gay scene, and followed the exploits of Nathan – 15 going on 16 – and his new-found friends Stuart and Vince, in their late 20s.
The awards ceremony will be hosted by Angela Rippon, and amongother showsshort-listed is Shooting the Past, whose writer Stephen Poliakoff and its leading actress, Lindsay Duncan, are also nominated/``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xQueer as Folk in short list for top TV award``x952473600,18429,``x``x
``xA new group called Scrap the Section has been formed in Scotland to campaign for the repeal of Section 28.
It comes in response to the vociferous Keep the Clause campaign, which has been bankrolled by the Stagecoach millionaire tycoon, Brian Souter.
The new group comprises people from various organisations as well as gay groups, and some Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs)were present at the Edinburgh launch.
The group’s inception coincides – deliberately – with the beginning of the Ethical Standards in Public Life Bill’s passage through the legislative labyrinth. It is beginning the committee stage.
Scottish ministers want to repeal Section 28 and replace it with a form of words that would oblige local authorities to have regard to the value of ‘stable family life’ in its services relating to children.
The Scottish School Boards Association carried out a survey recently, which was inconclusive on whether most of its members wanted the section to be scrapped, although some quarters claimed that it was conclusive, and that the law should remain.
George McGregor is a spokesman for Scrap the Section. He told BBC Online that the group may not have Souter’s millions but is convinced it will ‘secure the repeal of Section 28 because we have right on our side’.
And Tim Hopkins of the Equality Network says gay and straight people all over Scotland are outraged by Souter’s campaign. Some of Scotland’s leading stand-up comics will be taking part in a fundraising event in Edinburgh tonight``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``x‘Scrap the Section’ versus ‘Keep the Clause’``x952473600,23656,``x``x
``xScotland Yard has confirmed that two officers have been suspended on suspicion of victimisation of a gay colleague.
The officer claimed he had suffered 18 months of assault and homophobic abuse, including an incident in which his underwear was torn off.
The two officers are based at a south London police station, and were suspended just over two weeks ago. The force has a campaign toeradicate homophobic crime, and another five officers are understood to be under investigation.``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xYard suspends two cops after bullying claims``x952732800,60973,``x``x
``xStephen Gately of the boy band Boyzone is to headline the Mardi Gras 200 festival in London this summer.
Gately spoke publicly of his being gay last year, and has received praise for what is seen as his courage.
The concert, to be held in Finsbury Park in north London, is expected to attract 85,000 revellers. It will be held on 1 July.
The pop idols Steps will also be on the bill, as will the re-formed 1980s band Bananarama and the gay singer Marc Almond.
In March, the Oasis star Noel Gallagher criticised Gately for not being frank about sexuality earlier in his career. He also criticised George Michael.``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xBoyzone?s Gately to headline summer Mardi Gras event``x956347152,81352,``x``x
``xA collection of memorabilia belonging to the gay Beatles manager Brian Epstein is going under the auctioneer?s hammer.
It?s being sold by Brian Barrett, the man who was Epstein?s chauffeur and bodyguard for the last two years of his life.
It includes diaries, letters and manuscripts, and is expected to fetch up to £45,000.
The memorabilia will be sold by Christie?s as part of the famous auction house?s Pop and Guitars Sale. It takes place on 27 April.
Since Epstein?s death there have been rumours that he once had an affair with John Lennon. They have been vigorously denied. During Epstein's lifetime, in 1963, John Lennon allegedly assaulted a disc jockey who made suggestions about Lennon and Epstein after the pair had been on a holiday in Spain. Lennon later apologised for the incident, which had attracted wide media attention.
It was Epstein who enthused about the Beatles when, as a local businessman in 1961, saw them perform at the Cavern Club in their native Liverpool.
He became their manager, and encouraged them to dress differently. He also got them a deal with Parlophone, an EMI Records subsidiary, June 1962.``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xEpstein's diaries under the hammer later this month``x956347247,87639,``x``x
``xPeter Tatchell has announced he?s leaving OutRage!
Tatchell, the only independent candidate for a seat on the new London Assembly, says he?s returning to mainstream politics in order to give gay and lesbian people a voice in London?s government.
He helped to found the sometimes controversial campaign group 10 years ago, and since then it has often lived up to its name, holding numerous protests and staging many stunts, some of them attracting international publicity.
In 1998 Tatchell was convicted of ?indecent behaviour in a church?, after he and other OutRage! members had disrupted an Easter Sunday service at Canterbury Cathedral while the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr George Carey, was delivering his sermon.
Last year, with two other crusaders, he staged a ?citizen?s arrest? of Zimbabwe?s President Robert Mugabe, on the grounds of torture. He and the others were arrested, but charges were later dropped - because, it was felt in some circles, too much dirt on Mugabe would be raked up if the matter went to a public trial, and this might upset international relations.
Meanwhile, Tatchell outlined his programme for reform of the Metropolitan Police at a press conference yesterday (Thursday) outside New Scotland Yard.
He is calling for an enquiry into homophobic hate crimes; he wants homophobia to be a police disciplinary offence; he wants gay representation on the Metropolitan Police Authority; and he?s seeking for prosecutions of victimless offences to cease.
On the last of these, Tatchell says the zero-tolerance approach to crime is ?seriously misguided and dangerous?, and in New York it ?has led to harassment of gay people and the closure of gay clubs?.``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xTatchell steps down from OutRage! for mainstream politics``x956347301,70778,``x``x
``x
The parents of Matthew Shepard - the American student beaten and left for dead by homophobic thugs - have been presented with a Special Award for Courageous Response to Hate Crime by the USA?s Attorney General, Janet Reno.
Shepard was a student at the University of Wyoming. He was lured to a rural road, tied to a fence, beaten till he was unconscious and left to die. His funeral and the trials of his killers have generated much media interest in the past 18 months.
Since then, Judy and Dennis Shepard have used the visibility caused by their son?s brutal killing to draw attention to hate crime, which thousands of Americans suffer each year because of their religion, colour, sexual orientation, race or ethnicity.
The Shepards have also spoken out, says the citation, ?on the need for stronger state and federal legislation to protect against hate-inspired violence?.``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xMatthew Shepard?s parents get hate-crimes citation``x956347352,18597,``x``x
``xThe gay lobby group Stonewall takes to the road next month as part of its national campaign to repeal Section 28.
It’s organising a tour, which will travel from Glasgow to London to promote equality in the month before the Local Government Act – of
which Section 28 is a part – reaches the House of Lords for the last time.
Stonewall is asking supporters to join members in Glasgow on 7 May; in Newcastle at Gray’s Monument on 11 May; In Leeds at Albion Place on 12 May; in Canal Street, Manchester on 13 May; in Leicester at Humberstone Gate West on 14 May; on 18 May at the Millennium Centre in Bristol; on 19 May at St John’s Church, Cardiff; on 21 May at Centenary Square, Birmingham; at Guildhall Square, Southampton, on 26 May; and on 27 May at Brighton Piazza, Churchill Square. Then there’ll be a march in London on 28 May.
It will proceed down Whitehall Place to Victoria Embankment and to the Houses of Parliament, past Downing street, ending at Whitehall Place. Stonewall organisers are asking marchers to meet at 1.30 p.m. for a 2 p.m. start.``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xStonewall ready to take to the road for Section 28 repeal``x956790000,75392,``x``x
``xOutRage!’s Peter Tatchell has been talking about how he feared for his safety after an election meeting was disrupted by Islamic fundamentalists.
The meeting was at a school in east London and was being addressed by Tatchell in his role as Independent candidate for the London Assembly, elections for which are to be held in a few days’ time.
The meeting was called to a halt after it became impossible to continue, says Tatchell. Organisers were fearful for his life and drove him out through the school gates past a screaming mob.
During the meeting he had called for the creation of an equality task force.
‘I want the [new London] mayor to demonstrate a serious commitment to combating discrimination by appointing an equality commissioner to head an equality task force, with a remit to monitor, promote and facilitate equality of opportunity for all Londoners’, said Tatchell.
‘The equality task force would tackle racism, homophobia and all other forms of discrimination. It would devise model equality codes of conduct for adoption by companies, and set equality action plans for GLA-controlled bodies such as Transport for London. It would also compile annual equality audits to assess progress towards eradicating discrimination, and subject all new policies to equality impact assessments in a bid to pre-empt bias and exclusion’.
Tatchell was speaking at a GLA election meeting organised by Operation Black Vote, at Stepney Green School earlier this week. The other speakers included London mayoral candidates.
Tatchell said he wanted the GLA’s equality initiatives to be ‘comprehensive and inclusive, in order to combat all forms of discrimination and disadvantage – including discrimination on the grounds of race, sex, age, disability, religion and sexual orientation’.
He continued: ‘The equality task force could have separate committees to deal with the different forms of discrimination experienced by women, black people, the disabled, senior citizens, religious minorities and lesbians and gay men.
‘Discrimination blights lives and wastes talents. The mayor should put the issue of equality on a par with transport, jobs and the environment’, said Mr Tatchell.``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xTatchell mobbed by religious extremists at ‘equality’ meeting``x956962800,64858,``x``x
``xAn act of remembrance will be held in London’s Wardour Street Gardens this evening (Sunday) to mark the first anniversary of the bombing of the Admiral Duncan pub in Soho.
It takes place at the back of St Anne’s Church at 6.30.
Three people died in the bombing and 85 were hurt when a nail bomb exploded in Old Compton Street in the heart of London’s gay district. It was the third in a series of bomb incidents for which a man is awaiting trial having pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
Three cherry trees will be planted today in memory of the three who died: Nik Moore, Andrea Dykes and John Light. They will also be in memory of all the people injured in all three bombings. The London Gay Men’s Chorus will sing and paper flowers made by pupils of Soho Parish School will be exchanged.
The event will also mark the launch of the April Bombings Memorial Fund, which is intended to raise money for a permanent memorial to the victims.
The man accused of the bombings, David James Copeland, will go on trial at the Old Bailey in June.``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xMemorial on anniversary of Admiral Duncan bombing``x957049200,39913,``x``x
``xAn act of remembrance was held last night to mark the first mark the first anniversary of the Soho pub bombing that claimed three lives.
Those who were there heard pleas for an end to sexual bigotry and racism, among them weeping relatives and friends of the victims, John Light, Nick Moore and Andrea Dykes.
It was a year ago that a nail bomb went off at the Admiral Duncan pub in Old Compton Street, a favourite venue for gay people.
Some of those attending were still in wheelchairs, made necessary by the injuries they suffered in the bombing. They joined in a rendering of ‘We Shall Overcome’.
The ceremony included the symbolic planting of three cherry trees in the gardens of St Anne’s Church in central London.
One relative, Natalie Hogg, sister of Andrea Dykes, said to those gathered: ‘Bombs do not discriminate, they destroy.’
She continued: ‘When I think of Andrea, I remember a beautiful young person full of life, warmth and loyalty. She was devoted to and cared very much for her family, husband and friends.
‘She had so much to live for with the upcoming birth of her child Jordan and I know she would have made a wonderful mother.
‘These trees, while they symbolise their lives, also represent the pain and suffering of the survivors of the tragedy one year ago today and symbolise the hopes and growth for the future.’
There was a two-minute silence during which sobs could be heard from the 400-strong crowd.
Andrea Dykes (27) was four months pregnant when she was killed with John Light (32), who had been the best man at her wedding. Her husband, 25-year-old Julian, spent weeks in hospital after the blast.
Their friend, 31-year-old Nick Moore, had recently returned to work in London. His brother said: ‘It doesn’t seem possible that it is a year since we lost Nick. It’s been a year punctuated with feelings of disbelief, sadness and loss, anger and resentment.’
He said society should be more tolerant of minorities.
London Gay Men’s Chorus sang songs before the tree-planting ceremony.
There was an alternative event in the Admiral Duncan itself, where the manager, 32-year-old Mark Taylor, who himself suffered 75 per cent burns in the bombing, said: ‘You could have heard a pin drop.’
Just before the time of the bomb a year before – 6.37 p.m. – total silence descended on the assembled drinkers.
Over the entrance of the pub hung a lamp with 83 twinkling bulbs in it – one to represent each of the injured – and three white bulbs, to represent those who died.
The man accused of the bombings, David James Copeland, will go on trial at the Old Bailey in June.``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xRemembered – the dead and injured of the Soho bombing``x957135600,52175,``x``x
``xVoting papers have begun going out to Scotland’s households today asking people to vote on whether they want to keep Section 28.
The ‘referendum’ is being organised by Brian Souter, head of the massive Stagecoach empire, who is sinking hundreds of thousands of pounds into his Keep the Clause campaign, which aims to prevent repeal of Section 28 of the Local Government Act, which outlaws the so-called ‘promotion’ of homosexuality by local authorities.
Four million Scots will get papers in the privately funded ballot, which has been severely criticised by campaigners as undemocratic.
The Electoral Reform Society has said it would not carry out the so-called referendum for the campaign, because it would not be a ‘legitimate democratic exercise’ to ask people for their opinions before it was know what was going to replace the law.
And Scotland’s First Minister, Donald Dewar, has described Souter’s ‘referendum’ as ‘extraordinary’, saying he will pay heed only to the votes of elected MSPs.
The result is expected towards the end of May.
Meanwhile, campaigners battling against Brian Souter’s Keep the Clause campaign have had to give up handing out leaflets because of lack of funds, according to the Daily Record.
They have just £198 to pit against Souter’s millions. Scrap the Section – the campaign that wants the law to be repealed – is running on a shoestring.
The paper says they’ve given up handing out leaflets because they can’t afford to have people just dumping them in the nearest bin.
It quotes one volunteer, 60-year-old Maddy Marshall, as saying: ‘I say to people, "Please, if you aren’t interested, don’t throw it away. Give it to someone else." ’
The paper says Scrap the Section has just four core members including Tim Hopkins of the Equality Network, who is a lecturer at Edinburgh University.
``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xSouter’s ballot papers go out to 4m Scots from today``x957222000,42339,``x``x
``xBaptists in Britain are being challenged to change their conservative views on homosexuality.
They are also being urged to move away from their traditional standpoint that sex is something nice people don’t talk about.
The Baptist Assembly in Plymouth are launching a new study guide that says Christians have in the past tended to concentrate on the negative aspects of sex, which sends out the message that there is something cheap and tainted about it.
The guide argues that homosexual relationships involve emotions and love, and challenges the evangelical views on homosexuality that have hitherto marked out many Baptists as homophobes.
‘There is no doubt that God's gift of sexuality has enormous potential for joyful fulfilment or for pain and misery, depending on how it is used,’ says the guide.``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xBaptist guide says gay people have emotions, too``x957222000,80019,``x``x
``xIt has emerged that gay rights protesters tried to confront Scotland’s richest homophobe, Brian Souter, in his church.
Souter – head of the Stagecoach empire – is bankrolling the Keep the Clause campaign, which aims to prevent the Scottish Parliament from repealing Section 28 of the Local Government Act, which outlaws the so-called ‘promotion’ of homosexuality by local authorities.
However, the tycoon was not at the Trinity Church of the Nazarene in Perth when the protesters entered. According to the Sunday Mail, the campaigners – about a dozen members of the Perth and Dundee branches of the Scottish Socialist Party – tackled other members of the congregation. His preacher brother, David Souter, had come out of the church to tell them he was not there.
Brian Souter later appealed to campaigners to respect his right to go to church without harassment.
A spokeswoman for the SSP, Sarah McDonald, said the campaigners were disappointed that Souter was not in church.
‘All we want from him is the chance to debate the truth of the matter openly in public,’ she tells the paper.
‘We came here to tell him that we want the clause scrapped and that he has no right to use his cash to influence legislation.’
``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xProtesters try to confront Souter at church service``x957222000,57930,``x``x
``xA lesbian teacher has vowed to continue her fight for fairness after she was harassed from her job by homophobic pupils.
Shirley Pearce (52) took her case to an industrial tribunal, appealed and lost the appeal in a long-running dispute over her former job at Mayfield School in North End.
She plans to petition against the decision in the Appeal Court and may take the case to the European Court of Human Rights.
She says the issue is not just about her, but about protecting the rights of all gay and lesbian people.
She has since left teaching because of ill health and is hoping to get funding from her union, the National Association of Schoolmasters/Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT).
She’s also getting the support of the Portsmouth gay and lesbian community.
The grounds for her defeat at the industrial tribunal were that sexuality was considered a different issue from gender. She was claiming that the governors at Mayfield School did not do enough to protect her from abuse by homophobic youngsters, who called her names and once left an open tin of cat food in her pocket.``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xTeacher says she’ll fight for fairness after loss of job``x957308400,35119,``x``x
``xMel C, one of the Spice Girls, is denying reports that she is gay and having an affair with her personal assistant.
Twenty-six-year-old Mel C (actually Mealanie Chisholm) was responding to reports that she shared a hotel room with a Girl Friday, Ying Yau, during a Caribbean holiday recently.
Chisholm, also known as Sporty Spice, says people ask her when she’s coming out, but she won’t come out because ‘I’m not gay’, she says in an interview in Heat, the showbiz magazine.
She’s quoted as saying: ‘I really don’t care what people say about me. But if I was gay I couldn’t live a lie. I’m too honest a person – I would have to admit it. I’ve had worse things said about me. It’s not even a bad thing, it’s just not true.’
In the interview Chisholm says reports that she shared a room with a double bed at the Royal Pavilion Hotel in Barbados with Yau as ‘lies’.
She tells the magazine: ‘I think it has always been funny before but it’s gone beyond a joke this time. At first we did laugh but then all the lies about us sharing a room were said.’``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xI’m not having lesbian affair, says Spice Girl Mel C``x957394800,11627,``x``x
``xKen Livingstone, the man who has consistently supported gay and lesbian rights, is the new Mayor of London.
The other person gay and lesbian campaigners have their eyes on is OutRage!’s Peter Tatchell, who is running for a place on the Greater London Authority. Counting is continuing.
The Tory, Steve Norris, is in second place followed by Labour's Frank Dobson, third, and the Liberal Democrat, Susan Kramer, fourth.
Livingstone scored 776,427 votes and Norris scored 564,137; both totals included first- and second-choice votes.
In keeping with expectations throughout the race, Livingston has almost certainly landed the job as the city’s first directly elected mayor.
Some opponents say he will revert to the ‘Red Ken’ persona that the tabloids – notably the Sun – liked to dwell upon in the 1980s when Livingstone was leader of the Greater London Council. However, while it’s a persona that has been denied by Livingstone – as recently as this morning on Radio 4’s Today programme as he spoke to John Humphrys – it’s an image that cannot fail to have lodged in the minds of many tabloid readers.
He did more than any other politician for the gay and lesbian cause, and flew flags on County Hall supporting gay rights.
What both opponents and allies alike do agree on is that Livingstone is an astute politician, and has pulled off his mayoral race with astute, almost Machiavellian, adroitness and consummate political deftness.
All the main candidates for mayor have shown some gay credentials, as demonstrated by the hustings hosted by GALLON (Gay and Lesbian London).``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xIt's Livingstone! Ken has become London’s pro-gay mayor``x957481200,23830,``x``x
``xScottish campaigners are on the lookout for ‘irregularities’ in the handling of the ‘referendum’ by the millionaire homophobe Brian Souter.
Souter, head of the Stagecoach empire, has put hundreds of thousands of pounds into his Keep the Clause campaign, which aims to prevent the repeal of Section 28 of the Local Government Act, which outlaws the so-called ‘promotion’ of homosexuality by local authorities.
This week nearly 4 million ballot papers went to households asking whether people supported the repeal of the law. The Electoral Reform Society had already refused to handle the polling because it said it was unfair to ask the question when it was still not known what would replace the law, which is known as Section 2a in Scotland.
However, the ‘referendum’ is being handled by ICM Research, an opinion-polling company, and will present the simple options:
I vote to retain Clause 28 (Section 2a)
I vote to repeal Clause 28 (Section 2a)
Tim Hopkins, of the Equality Network – one of Scotland’s main gay rights campaigning bodies – has send a message to fellow campaigners: ‘It would be helpful if you could let us know, by e-mailing a reply, if you hear of any irregularities relating to the delivery of the Keep the Clause opinion poll on Section 28. That would include things like receiving one or more forms for people who are not resident at your address, or receiving more than one form addressed to the same person, etc.’
The result of Souter’s ‘referendum’ is expected to be known towards the end of May.``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xCampaigners look for ‘irregularities’ in Souter anti-gay poll``x957481200,50936,``x``x
``xA teachers’ union says members should be able to opt out of giving sex lessons in schools.
The Association of Teachers and Lecturers says the government can’t expect high standards of teaching about such mattes as sex and relationships if it forces teachers to give lessons against their will.
The association was giving its response to the government’s guidelines on sex education, which have been published as part of its determined efforts to repeal Section 28 of the Local Government Act, which outlaws the so-called ‘promotion’ of homosexuality by local authorities.
To do so it has been doing battle with peers, notably Baroness Young, who have blocked the move in the House of Lords.
The ATL is today calling on the government to give its members the same opt-out on sex education as that enjoyed by the children themselves (parents are allowed to withdraw their children from sex education lessons).
A recent poll of teachers – published by the ATL – showed that more than eight out of ten wanted parents to take prime responsibility for their children’s social and health education.``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xLet us opt out of sex education, say teachers``x957481200,87462,``x``x
``xKen Livingstone, the candidate who has most consistently supported lesbian and gay rights, has become the first elected Mayor of London.
OutRage!'s Peter Tatchell, who was standing as an independent candidate for the Greater London Assembly, suffered a humiliating defeat, winning fewer votes than the British National Party.
Tatchell achieved less than 1.4% of the overall votes cast, half of the BNP's 2.8%, despite an expensive media campaign and support from the gay press.
He said earlier in the week that he was confident about the result and expected to be elected. Writing in Time Out, he even suggested that he was in the running to become Ken Livingstone's Deputy Mayor. He was unavailable for comment this evening.
``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xTatchell in humiliating defeat as Ken becomes London’s pro-gay mayor``x957567600,86742,``x``x
``xSir Elton John has told of the day he came to the conclusion that dressing up in silly wigs and costumes was a bad idea.
The gay rock star reveals in an interview in Now magazine how he got lost on his way to his fiftieth-birthday celebrations because an outrageous wig he was wearing gave off smoke from a model ship on top of it, causing his driver to lose his way.
It was a hugely ‘bouffant’ wig, and John had to be transported in a separate van.
‘What with all the smoke coming from the wig, the driver lost his way and we were driving around for an hour and a half, with me screaming in pain because the wig was held on with knitting needles and glue, which hurt like hell,’ he tells the mag. ‘When we finally arrived at the party and I was lowered out of the van, I looked like Joan Crawford on a bad day.’
Fifty-three-year-old John says that the incident convinced him that dressing up in outrageous costumes had become a burden``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xElton’s bad-hair day was a turning point in his life, he says``x957826800,28365,``x``x
``xSo-called ‘black diaries’ that detailed the homosexual activities of an Irish revolutionary are to come under the forensic spotlight.
The question being asked is: Did the British secret service forge diaries in order to smear Roger Casement before his execution for high treason.
Both DNA and chemical tests should verify the authenticity of the diaries, according to James Horan, a former head of New York Police Department laboratory.
Casement – a former British consul – was hanged in August 1916 after he tried to obtain aid from Germany for the Easter Rising against British rule in Ireland.
He’s revered by many in the Republic as a patriotic fighter for independence. They say the British created the diaries to portray him as a ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ character, to smear his name and wreck an appeal to save his life.
Horan says tests similar to those that debunked the authenticity of the Turin Shroud could ascertain where the diaries were actually written.
He says they were supposedly completed in the Amazon, so there could be telltale signs in fragments of, for instance, native pollen preserved in the fabric of the paper.
Strands of hair or saliva could be found in the ink, and DNA testing would then be a possibility.
The Irish prime Minister Bertie Ahern has ordered an investigation into the diaries’ authenticity and has written to the British PM, Tony Blair, to appeal for more information about Casement to be released.``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xForensic tests to prove whether Casement was really gay``x957826800,68932,``x``x
``xGay and lesbian teachers are preparing for their annual conference in Leicester later this month – although numbers are down so far on last year.
The keynote speaker at this year’s conference of Schools Out! is to be John Ford, head of the Department for Education and Employment’s Personal Health and Social Education team.
Ford is responsible for, among other things, new guidance for schools on sex-and-relationships education – an important subject area for teachers as governments north and south of the border wrangle over wording to replace Section 28 of the Local Government Act, which outlaws the so-called ‘promotion’ of homosexuality by local authorities.
Organisers of the conference say numbers so far are down on last year.``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xTeachers’ conference will hear talk on sex and relationships``x957913200,15420,``x``x
``xDiscontent in the ranks of the Greater Manchester police force has spread to anti-gay hatred.
Officers have been using the force’s internal e-mail to suggest a ‘whites-only’ pressure group, according to a report in today’s Daily Telegraph.
The paper says some police are thought to resent what they see as the growing influence of the Black and Asian Police Officers’ Association (BAPA). On one occasion, when an officer anonymously accused BAPA and PC Paul Bailey, its chair, if being ‘overtly militant’, a senior officer stepped in and struck the reference, resulting in his being accused of stifling debate.
One officer left a message that read: ‘Perhaps being white and having an opinion is regarded as racist’, while another referred to BAPA and the gay and lesbian officers’ group with the words: ‘I feel the time has come for an association which represents the views of white heterosexual officers.’
The paper quotes PC Bailey as saying: ‘If white officers feel the need to get together and share their common experiences through a support network, then I would have no objection at all.’
The incidents have been played down by Sergeant Mike Huby, chair of the Police Federation in Greater Manchester. Those involved were ‘not facing muck and bullets on the streets’ and that another debate had been about body-piercing. ‘That is about the intellectual level of people who use the intranet,’ he said.``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xAnti-gay and racist slurs appear on police intranet``x957999600,64113,``x``x
``xBoy George and the Scottish millionaire behind the Keep the Clause campaign, Brian Souter, are to appear on the same Question Time programme on BBC television tonight.
Souter – Scotland’s richest businessman and the head of the giant Stagecoach group – has sunk hundreds of thousands of pounds into campaigning against the repeal of Section 28.
He’s behind the ‘Keep the Clause’ campaign, which was responsible for erecting offensive posters in the run-up to the Ayr by-election earlier this year.
The BBC say it’s a mere coincidence that Boy George and Souter are to appear together.
The Scottish Executive is set to scrap Section 28, saying that it is discriminatory, and gay rights campaigners say it makes it difficult for teachers to tackle homophobic bullying – a phenomenon Boy George says he suffered at school.
The BBC say Souter was to have appeared on a programme held in Scotland recently, but couldn’t make it, so he was moved to the next available slot.
While it’s up to the audience what questions are asked, it’s thought unlikely that the question of Section 28 will be neglected.
Last night Boy George joined MPs, peers and Stonewall representatives at a public meeting at the House of Commons. Stonewall’s director Angela Mason was there, as were Baroness Massey, Jackie Ballard MP and the Local Government Minster Hilary Armstrong.
Stonewall say MPs will soon be voting on Section 28. Boy George was ‘coming out’ in the meeting, to tell his story and support all MPs who are standing up for tolerance.``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xBoy George and Brian Souter: TV debate tonight``x957999600,62770,``x``x
``xBoy George told Brian Souter what he could do with his money when the two clashed publicly over Section 28 on British television last night (Thursday).
Because a planned appearance by Souter – the millionaire Scot who wants his government to keep Section 28 – was postponed from an earlier date, it meant the two appeared together on BBC1’s Question Time. It was inconceivable that Section 28 would not be raised.
Souter is funding an unofficial referendum, and his Keep the Clause campaign has sent out ballot papers to nearly 4 million Scottish voters. Results are expected late this month. The papers ask whether the voter wishes to see retention or repeal of Section 28 of the Local Government Act, which outlaws the so-called ‘promotion’ of homosexuality by local authorities.
Last night, Boy George said Souter would be better giving his money to charity, and he dismissed the notion that telling children about gay lifestyles would make them ‘queer’.
‘You’ve wasted your money,’ Boy George told the chairman of Stagecoach. ‘Section 28 is going to be repealed anyway.’
He went on: You could have given your money to Great Ormond Street [children's hospital] or any other charity. This idea that if you tell somebody about homosexual lifestyles they’ll become gay is absolute rubbish.
‘I am promoting it by being here. I’m a gay man speaking about living my life as a gay man. I am promoting homosexuality.’
The Culture Club star turned to the audience and asked: ‘Should I be kept away from my nieces and nephews? Should I be kept away from them because they might become queer?
‘People don’t choose to become gay. It’s not a choice: it’s a twist of nature.’
Souter – contrasting in his sober style of dress with Boy George’s flamboyant purple hat, lipstick and mascara – defended his decision to fund the referendum.
‘We have to look at why it came into being in the first place,’ he told the audience. ‘Politically correct councils were putting into place materials which parents found completely unacceptable."
He said there was a difference between tolerating adult’s gay lifestyles and teaching children about them.
‘It is that way because it’s a moral issue and the law is backing up morality. This issue of promotion that people are concerned about – it’s to do with the difference between tolerance and licence.
‘Tolerance is when I accept my neighbour. Licence is when he forces his way into my house and tries to force his views on my children."
The leader of the Liberal Democrats, Charles Kennedy, condemned Souter’s referendum and challenged Souter to stand as a councillor.
He told him he was in a privileged position because he was rich, and he could afford to intervene in the democratic process. If he was so unhappy with local authorities, ‘don’t waste your money and time in running a referendum. Put yourself up for election and try to run the councils better than the people trying to do it at the moment.’
Souter also came under attack from a member of the audience, who said he was a bigot
The Scottish Executive is set to scrap Section 28, saying that it is discriminatory, and gay rights campaigners say it makes it difficult for teachers to tackle homophobic bullying – a phenomenon Boy George says he suffered at school. The BBC say Souter was to have appeared on a programme held in Scotland recently, but couldn’t make it, so he was moved to the next available slot.
``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xBoy George takes on Brian Souter in TV clash``x958086000,96788,``x``x
``xA lesbian couple were given their official chains of office last night (Friday) as mayor and mayoress of Aberystwyth in West Wales.
Jaci Taylor, who’s 55, is a Plaid Cymru councillor in the town, and officially became the town’s mayor.
She’s chosen her partner, Felicity Roberts, as mayoress. The couple have been in a relationship for over 20 years and between them they have eight children from past marriages.
Taylor has been open about her sexuality for some time. She says: ‘Choosing a mayoress was not an issue. Felicity is my partner and that’s all there is about it. We’ve been together for so long that no one seems bothered.’
She says they’re well known as a couple and, while it would have been a scandal 20 years ago, it is acceptable now.
Birmingham-born Taylor – her married name – moved to Wales with her husband Brian in the seventies. They have two daughters. They separated after Taylor met Roberts – her married name, too.
Both women teach Welsh. She said she and her husband had separated 20 years ago but remained legally married because of the girls. ‘We have a good friendship,’ she said. ‘I have been with Felicity ever since.’
Taylor told reporters: ‘We had to make the decision. We do not see it as a stigma. Everyone has a place in society. Everyone is equal and it doesn't matter about their sexuality, race or culture.’``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xLesbian couple get chains off office in West Wales town``x958172400,49047,``x``x
``xThe gay couple from the south of England who fathered twins have said they won’t risk using surrogacy again.
Barrie Drewitt – a 30-year-old millionaire businessman, and his partner Tony Barlow (35) still have two dozen embryos on ice following the birth of their children four months ago, Aspen and Saffron Drewitt-Barlow.
After the children’s baptism at the weekend the couple said they were having second thoughts about further children, even though they had intended to use some of the embryos.
Drewitt said outside the Essex church at which the baptism took place: ‘I would not recommend anyone to do surrogacy. My opinions and views on surrogacy have changed a lot.’
He said they had 24 embryos still on ice and they ‘were planning to go again next year’ (their children had been carried by a biological mother in the USA).
About 150 friends and members of the men’s families attended the baptism, including the donor of the egg, Tracie McCune, and her husband.
McCune criticised the tighter legislation in Britain that forced the couple to have their surrogate babies in the States.``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xFathers of surrogate twins say: never again``x958345200,11172,``x``x
``xStephen Gately, the Boyzone star who came out last year, has told a TV programme he’s a ‘completely different person’ since he declared he was gay.
Twenty-four-year-old Gately told ITV’s This Morning that he no longer needed to hide his boyfriend, Eloy de Jong.
Nor did he need to worry about making elaborate arrangements as a smokescreen.
Gately spoke of his relationships with de Jong – a Dutch boy-band star – after someone had tried to sell the story of his homosexuality to a newspaper.
But Gately told viewers: ‘I’m just a completely different person.’ He was so stressed, he said, that he felt as if he were bearing the ‘weight of the world because I was in the public eye, because I was worrying about where I was going or what I was doing.
‘If I got flights Eloy would have to get a later flight.’
He said he had to arrange different cars, different check-ins at hotels at different times.
Pressure was difficult for de Jong, too, because he was in a big band in Germany and going through similar anguish.
Gately told the programme: ‘I’m so much more relaxed. I can go out shopping, me and Eloy can go for walks, and it’s not a problem. I’ve had loads of guys come up and say: "Fair play to you – it takes a lot of guts and courage to do that", which it does.’
When Gately came out he received messages of support from George Michael, Elton John, Lily Savage and Dale Winton.
Recently, the Oasis star Noel Gallagher took a public swipe at Gately – and George Michael – for not having spoken of their sexuality earlier.``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xGately is ‘completely different person’ since coming out``x958431600,94212,``x``x
``xThe queer current affairs magazine Outcast has at last published an article it says the bosses of the Pink Paper wanted to censor.
The controversial article had not even been written earlier this year, when Outcast’s website was closed down because its hosts feared legal action.
This happened in March, when solicitors for the Pink Paper’s owners, Chronos, wrote to Outcast’s website provider, NetBenefit plc, who promptly shut down the site, leading Outcast’s editor, Chris Morris, to initiate a case in the European Court of Human Rights
The article that Outcast has now published – under the headline, Hello, Boyz! Who runs the Pink Paper – alleges that the owners of the Pink Paper also run a seldom-publicised HIV charity that has been trading for five years without publishing up-to-date accounts. It says that the charity has received more than half a million pounds of income but won’t say where the money has gone.
The article also quotes former editors of the Pink Paper who say that OutRage! is on a ‘blacklist’ of gay community groups that are not allowed to be given positive coverage in any of Chronos’s publications, and that Peter Tatchell has been airbrushed out of photographs because the owners disapprove of OutRage! activities.
One former editor is Nigel Edwards, who, according to the article, says he’s witnessed Angela Mason, executive director of Stonewall, being cropped out of a photo after she upset Kelvin Sollis, one of the owners of Chronos.
The article makes allegations that Sollis and his business partner David Bridle have not always followed good business practice in filing records with Companies House, and, although they agreed to answer written questions from Morris, had refused to answer some of these points.
‘Outcast will, of course, allow Bridle and Sollis … the opportunity to respond to this article in the next issue,’ says the article, written by Morris himself.
Outcast mentions the two men’s other business interests: ‘As well as owning the Pink Paper, Boyz, Fluid and Homosex, Britain’s most successful gay media owners have also forged links with a host of other businesses and good causes, including London Mardi Gras – the new "Gay Pride", the SoNow Internet portals and Body Positive. They even run their own HIV charity, "Positive Lives", which was set up five years ago to establish hostels and a network of helplines for HIV positive people. (It doesn’t appear to have begun work on those projects yet, and Bridle and Sollis did not answer our questions about the charity’s finances.)’
The piece also claims that the founders of the Pink Paper were bullied into resigning from Mindmaster Limited, ‘one of the many limited companies’ that have ‘been used to publish the popular weekly newspaper Pink Paper’.
It gives details of two such companies, Chronos Publishing Limited and Chronos Publishing Services – both owned by Bridle and Sollis.``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xAfter all the controversy, queer magazine publishes that article``x958431600,75185,``x``x
``xScotland’s Equality Network is appealing to people who have not yet received one of Brian Souter’s ‘referendum’ ballot papers to ensure they fill one in and send it back.
The lesbian and gay group’s Tim Hopkins also says he’s pleased with press coverage of ‘irregularities’ with the ballot, which is being funded by Souter, Scotland’s richest businessman and the man behind the Keep the Clause campaign.
Keep the Clause opposes the repeal of Section 28 of the Local Government Act, which outlaws the so-called ‘promotion’ of homosexuality by local authorities.
Ballot papers went out a couple of weeks ago, and the results are expected towards the end of the month.
Hopkins says a number of people have e-mailed or phoned details of irregularities with the ballot, and there has been press coverage of such things as the use of an out-of-date electoral roll and the sending out of multiple ballot papers to ‘significant numbers of people’.
‘Particularly good has been the press coverage in the Sunday Mail,’ says Hopkins, ‘which, despite being the Daily Record’s sister paper, firmly supports repeal. It is the largest-circulation newspaper in Scotland.’
The Daily Record is notorious for its anti-gay stance on the issue.``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``x‘Irregularities’ claim in Souter’s ballot on Section 28``x958518000,99931,``x``x
``xEarly results of the so-called ‘referendum’ on Section 28 organised by Scotland’s richest businessman point to a humiliating defeat for the government, according to reports.
Souter – chair of the Stagecoach empire and the man who has bankrolled the Keep the Clause Campaign – could not get the Electoral Reform Society to run his private ballot, but ICM Research stepped in and some weeks ago sent out nearly 4 million ballot papers asking the question whether Section 28 should or should not be repealed.
According to the Glasgow Record, the ICM research found that the government should have tested public opinion in advance.
Early results – the papers are due in in four days’ time – show that three-quarters of Scots want to keep Section 28 of the Local Government Act, which outlaws the so-called ‘promotion’ of homosexuality by local authorities.
The results are expected to be announced at the end of the month.
The Record says that, in a poll at the weekend, a thousand voters were asked how they would vote on Section 28, and 74 per cent of those who replied said they would vote to retain the legislation.
As many people thought the Scottish Parliament should have held a referendum on the issue.``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xScottish ‘referendum’ could spell humiliation for government – claim``x958518000,60729,``x``x
``xBritain’s lesbian and gay teachers are gearing up for their annual conference this weekend, at which the question of Section 28 will loom large.
‘The national debate over Section 28 has increased awareness of the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender pupils, but has made everything teachers do to address their needs the object of public scrutiny’ said School’s Out!’s secretary, Steve Bonham. ‘Our conference aims to discuss, develop and disseminate good classroom practice.’
The controversial legislation is the conference’s theme this year: ‘Section 28: What Now? Addressing LGBT issues in the classroom’.
Last summer government guidance made it clear that schools had a legal responsibility to prevent homophobic bullying. Bonham says that soon-to-be-issued sex education guidance is likely to include a section on sexual orientation and to tell teachers that they should meet the needs of all pupils, regardless of their sexuality.
One motion to Saturday’s event in Leicester condemns the stand taken by the House of Lords in opposing the repeal of Section 28 of the Local Government Act, which outlaws the so-called ‘promotion’ of homosexuality by local authorities. It claims the debate has led to more homophobic bullying.
Another motion calls on the government to maintain ‘its election manifesto commitment to repeal Section 28’, and another expresses regret that the government’s proposals to introduce guidelines to replace Section 28 will be statutory and not voluntary. The motion says: ‘Conference believes that such an approach will not assist teachers in responding to the needs of all their pupils.’``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xSection 28 at top of agenda at teachers’ conference``x958518000,5169,``x``x
``xHomophobia is still rife in the ranks of the police, leading even to the placing of petrol bombs through the doors of gay officers’ homes, it has been claimed.
The horrifying allegations emerged at a fringe meeting organised by LAGPA, the Lesbian and Gay Police Association, at the Police Federation annual conference yesterday.
LAGPA claim that one gay officer was ‘degraded’ by colleagues, who pulled down his underwear and sexually assaulted him. Others have had their cars smashed up in police force car parks.
LAGPA’s spokesperson, Ray Upson, told the meeting that homophobia was still rife, and he himself had been ‘reduced to tears’ by some of the stories hd had been told about the treatment of gay and lesbian colleagues.
‘Gay and lesbian officers have been and are still subjected to verbal abuse, bullying, violence, criminal damage, hate mail, denial of rights and outing to relatives and colleagues,’ he told the meeting.
‘Quite frankly, some of the treatment has been appalling.’
Upson said a hotline had been set up last year to help officers who had been victimised, and it had received more than a thousand calls. One young officer was told – on telling his boss he was gay – that he would go off sick and get treatment for his ‘condition’.
Upson told reporters after his speech that one officer had sent a letter to the mother of a gay colleague, describing him as a filthy, disgusting animal, and alleging that the officer had taken part in ‘perverted acts’ in pub lavatories.
He also spoke of cases of vandalism – including smashing of cars in police car parks – which, he said, were being investigated by the Metropolitan force.
And he said that, last year, petrol bombs were posted through the doors of gay officers.
Upson urged heterosexual officers to join LAGPA so they might better understand the issues affecting lesbian and gay officers.``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xGay police officers suffer petrol bombs, vandalism and assault, it’s alleged``x958604400,20705,``x``x
``xCampaigners are preparing to march on parliament and Downing Street next Sunday in a ‘Stop Section 28’ protest.
The event is being organised by OutRage!, Stonewall and Gay Men Fighting AIDS.
A joint statement says: ‘Our lesbian and gay community is under attack. The Christian Institute is using Section 28 to stop councils funding gay groups and HIV charities. They’ve succeeded in Glasgow. Who will be next?
‘This is the biggest danger to the lesbian and gay community since Section 28 became law. Every lesbian, gay and HIV group that receives local authority support is now under threat.
‘Tell the bigots to get their hands off our community, and urge the Government to stand firm against prejudice.’
The Glasgow reference is to the city’s council’s decision to stop funding following a case taken under Section 28 by a nurse, Sheena Strain, to the Court of Session in Edinburgh. She said it was flouting the law by granting money to lesbian and gay groups. It was the first time Section 28 had been used since it came onto the Statute Book 12 years ago. Although Strain failed to win an interim interdict – equivalent to a temporary injunction in England and Wales – the city council said it had voluntarily agreed to suspend the grants until judicial review is completed by the end of this month or early next.
The case led to the formation of a new group, the West of Scotland Alliance, to fight for the repeal of Section 28 and to protect funding.``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xAnti-S28 protesters to march on Parliament and Downing Street``x958950000,49807,``x``x
``x‘Family’ campaigners have hit out at proposed changes in the law that will allow men to kiss in public without committing a criminal offence.
The government has signalled a wide-ranging overhaul of Britain'’ sex laws, covering many areas where current legislation is out of date and, in some cases, illogical and unworkable.
One such is the offence of two men kissing in public. But Valerie Riches of the Family Education Trust said lifting this ban was ‘part of the homosexual agenda’ of what she called the powerful gay-rights lobby.
She said: ‘There comes a time when tolerance ceases to be a virtue. I’m sure it would not end there.’
Opposition also comes from the National Board of Catholic Woman, which represents 32 Catholic women’s organisations in 23 dioceses in England and Wales.
The board’s Freda Lambert said: We do not oppose homosexuality but men kissing in public is a homosexual practice and we oppose it. It would make us feel uncomfortable.’
Both groups have welcome in principle a shake-up in Britain’s sex laws, and the Catholic group said there should be stronger action to wipe out pornography.
But Angela Mason, executive director of Stonewall, said the group strongly supported the principles of nondiscrimination embodied in the proposed review.
‘What has been good about the review is the acceptance that sexual offences law should provide better protection for young, vulnerable people and facilitate prosecutions of sexual offenders,’ she said.
‘In order to do that it should not be discriminatory in any way and should abide by the principles of the Convention of Human Rights – those are principles that our organisation very much supports.’``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``x‘Family’ groups oppose change in law that would let men kiss in public``x958950000,16384,``x``x
``xVotes in Brian Souter’s private referendum on Section 28 should be in by today, with the result expected within about a week.
Nearly 4 million ballot papers went out to householders at the beginning of May asking whether they thought Section 28 should be repealed or remain law.
It was Scotland’s first privately funded ballot. The Electoral Reform Society had refused to handle the ballot, saying it was pointless to ask these questions when the alternatives to Section 28 were not yet known.
The ballot has been handled instead by ICM Research. Counting is expected to begin within about three days.
Brian Souter is the chairman of the huge Stagecoach group, and is using his substantial wealth to fund the Keep the Clause campaign.``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xScots referendum result should be known within days``x958950000,6436,``x``x
``xSir John Gielgud, who has died aged 96, once wrote to a journalist thanking her for being discreet after she had written an article about him but had not mentioned his homosexuality.
Gielgud will be greatly missed not only by the theatregoing public and his many colleagues in the world of stage and film, but by the gay community, too.
It was an open secret that Gielgud was gay, although he did not discuss his sexuality in public.
Indeed, he is known to have written to at least one journalist to thank her for her discretion after she did not mention his partner in an article she wrote.
Corinna Honan, writing in today’s Daily Telegraph says she once visited his home to conduct an interview with the great man.
‘We perched on a blue silk sofa and sipped tea from bone china,’ she writes. ‘Mostly, we talked about the house, which was soaking up all his money, and, inevitably, the conversation wound round to "the man I live with". It was Martin Hensler, his companion since the early Sixties, who had painted the floors and gilded the mouldings; Martin who had had the vision of what this house could be like when they found it, dilapidated and institutional, in the early Seventies.
‘A man with very dark hair and glasses peered at us round the door from time to time. Later, as a photographer took the first pictures of the glorious interiors and formal garden, I saw him hovering at a distance. I was told that he was Austro-Hungarian, but we were never introduced.
‘It was well known in theatrical circles that Sir John was homosexual, but he chose never to discuss this in public. I decided not to mention Martin Hensler in my article. A week or so later, a letter arrived in Sir John's characteristically tiny writing: "Thank you for being so discreet." ‘
He did speak of Hensler to the journalist, although only now will that conversation have been made publicly known, with today’s Telegraph tribute. He told Honan: ‘I am not lonely. Martin and I have been together for 30 years, so it's a marvellous thing to have somebody there. He does everything for me: runs the house, cooks the dinner, does my fan mail. He's an absolutely magnificent manager. Although he isn't English, he's learned to cope with my legal things in the most wonderful way. I wouldn't have gone on living in that house without him. He's made the house and the garden, really.’``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xGielgud the discreet homosexual dies aged 96``x959036400,15746,``x``x
``xChannel 4 are planning a documentary following the trial of the man who has admitted planting the London nail bombs, David Copeland.
In February the 23-year-old admitted three charges of causing explosions in London last year – including the one at the Admiral Duncan pub, a popular venue for gay people – had his case adjourned until June at the Old Bailey.
Copeland, an engineer, also admitted three charges of manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility.
The prosecution told the judge that the Crown was not going to accept the manslaughter pleas at this stage.
Judge Michael Hyam imposed reporting restrictions on the case, and adjourned the proceedings to June.
The first device was near a market in Brixton and injured 39 people. More people were hurt a week later when a second nail bomb went off in Brick Lane in East London.
Three people died as a result of the third bomb, which exploded on 30 April in the Admiral Duncan pub in Soho, a popular venue for the gay community.
Those killed were 32-year-old John Light, 27-year-old Andrea Dykes and Nick Moore, who was 31. Dykes’s husband, Julian, was badly hurt in the blast. Around 60 other were hurt, too, many of them seriously.
Channel 4 have put out an appeal to people who were in the Admiral Duncan when the bomb went off. The film, they say, will look at the background to the case and speak to some of those whose lives were affected by the event.
Yvette Edwards of Channel 4 is asking anyone who can help to contact her by e-mail or on 020 7430 4686.``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xChannel 4 to screen film after nail-bomb trial``x959036400,62871,``x``x
``xThe gay entertainer Michael Barrymore will be joining the Gay Men’s Chorus when he makes his Top of the Pops debut.
It’s been announced that he’ll join a host of other stars, including the bad boy of British art, Damien Hirst, for an appearance by the creators of the Euro 2000 anthem, Fat Les.
And the band will help to set a new record for the long-running BBC music show as more than 70 people cram onto the tiny stage at the Elstree studio in Hertfordshire.
They have recorded this summer’s terrace anthem, a version of ‘Jerusalem’, which will be released next Monday.
Barrymore will feature in the video for the hobby group, which comprises the actor Keith Allen, Alex James from Blur and Damien Hirst.
There’ll also be 20 members of the Gay Men’s Chorus and a 20-strong group of child singers.
The show will be recorded tomorrow, but will not be shown until Friday of next week, 2 June.``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xBarrymore joins Gay Men’s Chorus in TOTP debut``x959122800,18279,``x``x
``xStonewall says its nationwide ‘Promote Tolerance’ tour is going to need more helpers this weekend because the final leg is going to be much bigger than expected.
The lobby group says recent developments over Section 28 in Scotland have fuelled extra interest in the tour.
The tour moves to Southampton on Friday (26th) and Brighton the following day, before participants gather in London on Sunday (28th).
‘We'll be marching past the Houses of Parliament,’ say Stonewall, ‘up Whitehall, past Downing Street, where we'll be handing in our "Repeal Section 28" petition, before marching back to Whitehall Place.’
A stewards’ briefing is planned for 1 p.m. on Sunday, and an assembly for non-stewards at about 1.30.
There’ll be speeches in Whitehall Place at 2.50.
Stonewall say they may need more volunteers than they anticipated, and anyone who can help is being asked to contact Rupert by e-mail or phoning on 020 7336 8860. ``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xMarch for tolerance: last leg may be much bigger than expected``x959122800,72637,``x``x
``xA day of meetings to look at the history of gay struggle in the UK and abroad is to be held next month.
The event is being organised and sponsored by activists from the University of North London, who say it will be a refreshing alternative to the Pride event.
The organisers say: ‘The efforts of thousands of lesbian and gay activists that contributed to the relative freedoms we have today are truly something to be proud of and to take inspiration from. This event has been organised to present a free alternative to the apolitical and commercial nature of the annual Pride event and to show that being gay doesn’t necessarily mean you have loads of money, listen to Abba and go clubbing every weekend. There will be four informal meetings in which there will be a main speaker/speakers and plenty of time for discussion.’
Topics include the history of gay liberation in the 20th century and gay and lesbian activism within organisations such as trade unions and other organisations.
A view of some of the events in the rest of the world will come from the secretary general of the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA).
The event is to be held on 10 June from 10.30 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the University of London in Malet Street.
The organisers say: ‘All the speakers are activists from different areas of lesbian and gay politics and there will be time for questions and discussions. The aim of the meeting is to celebrate the past and prepare for the future. You are all invited to learn from and contribute your own thoughts on the past and present struggle for homosexual equality.’
They’re asking anyone interested to get in touch on 020 7753 3261 or to write for a free ticket to Paula Darwish and UNISON Event, Student Records Office, UNL, 166–220 Holloway Road, London N7 8DB.``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xAn alternative to Pride – but take pride anyway …``x959209200,53536,``x``x
``xColchester Gay Switchboard has been awarded a grant of £10,000 from Lloyds TSB for an new pilot project.
The grant was allocated to the charity over two years to establish the new post of part-time project worker for people with a learning disability. This award follows a recent grant of £73,500 from the National Lottery Charities Board to fund a centre development worker.
The charity says in a statement: ‘Colchester Gay Switchboard has identified a significant number of potential users who have learning disabilities. Some already access the telephone helpline and social drop-ins offered by the charity. The aim of the new post is to improve this service and to increase the number of people with a disability being helped by the organisation.’
The post holder will initially staff the charity’s twice-weekly drop-ins to help users with learning disabilities to integrate with other users and access the support facilities the organisation has to offer. The worker will also train volunteers to equip them with the skills and knowledge to better support these users.
The switchboard coordinator, Nick Winch, told Gay News: ‘This is fantastic news for Switchboard, the local gay community and for Colchester. We are delighted that Lloyds TSB has awarded us this grant in recognition of all the positive work we do as an organisation.
‘People with a learning disability coming to terms with their sexual orientation face even greater discrimination and need effective support during this vulnerable period. This innovative new scheme will help to overcome the isolation and stigma lesbian, gay and bisexual people with a learning disability often feel. The results of this pilot project will allow us to assist other agencies and hopefully encourage the development of similar projects locally and nationally.’``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xSecond big funding award for Colchester Gay Switchboard``x959209200,30007,``x``x
``xThe Promote Tolerance tour culminates in London this afternoon with a march past the Houses of Parliament, up Whitehall and past Downing Street.
Stonewall’s adventurous tour began at the beginning of May in Edinburgh and has been through Glasgow, Newcastle, Leeds, Manchester, Leicester, Bristol, Cardiff, Birmingham, Southampton and Brighton.
The event has been sparked by religious intolerance to moves to repeal Section 28 of the Local Government Act, which outlaws the so-called ‘promotion’ of homosexuality by local authorities.
It’s a joint event, organised in conjunction with Gay Men Fighting Aids and OutRage!
Angela Mason, executive director of Stonewall, says: ‘This is a fight that we have to win. They may be rich, but they’re wrong. Send your message to this government and give the lie to the homophobes and the xenophobes. As lesbians and gay men, as bisexuals and transgendered people, we demand the right, for ourselves and for all people to live equally and freely. All human beings are equal in dignity and human rights,’ she added, quoting Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. ‘Make sure your voice is heard.’
A joint statement from the organisers says: ‘Our lesbian and gay community is under attack. The Christian Institute is using Section 28 to stop councils funding gay groups and HIV charities. They’ve succeeded in Glasgow. Who will be next?
‘This is the biggest danger to the lesbian and gay community since Section 28 became law. Every lesbian, gay and HIV group that receives local authority support is now under threat.
‘Tell the bigots to get their hands off our community, and urge the Government to stand firm against prejudice.’
The Glasgow reference is to the city’s council’s decision to stop funding following a case taken under Section 28 by a nurse, Sheena Strain, to the Court of Session in Edinburgh. She said it was flouting the law by granting money to lesbian and gay groups. It was the first time Section 28 had been used since it came onto the Statute Book 12 years ago. Although Strain failed to win an interim interdict – equivalent to a temporary injunction in England and Wales – the city council said it had voluntarily agreed to suspend the grants until judicial review is completed by the end of this month or early next.
The case led to the formation of a new group, the West of Scotland Alliance, to fight for the repeal of Section 28 and to protect funding.
This afternoon, marchers will meet at Whitehall Place at 1.30 and will march past the Houses of Parliament. Then they’ll process up Whitehall and past Downing Street, where they will hand in the ‘Repeal Section 28’ petition, before marching back to Whitehall Place.``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xTolerance tour to end today with march up``x959295600,80669,``x``x
``xAn MSP has demanded an apology by pollsters after reported blunders in the ‘referendum’ being financed by the Stagecoach tycoon, Brian Souter, on the repeal of Section 28.
Mike Russell, the MSP for Scotland South, says the embarrassing errors have caused ‘great distress’ to people, after ballot papers were sent out to dead people, including one who died 14 years ago.
The poll – being carried out by ICM Research and the little-known poll company Vote It – has also come in for harsh criticism from the Electoral Reform Society, which refused to handle the ballot, saying that to ask whether Section 28 should be repealed was meaningless unless votes knew what would take its place.
The ERS – which carries out ballots for various organisations – says Souter’s poll is ‘meaningless’. Its chief executive, Ken Ritchie, says eyebrows were raised at the way the mailshot was conducted.
Ritchie has told Scottish newspapers that thousands of Keep the Clause papers had been sent to wrong addresses because an electoral register was years out of date. And he says tens of thousands of forms have been addressed to dead people.
He has also expressed surprise that the voting deadline was extended from 22 May to today (Friday). this, he says, legitimises criticism that this is not a referendum, but an opinion poll.
Martin Boon, an assistant director at ICM Research, said his organisation had no regrets at getting involved. Boon – who wrote the questions – said that writing questions was the company’s core business, ‘but other aspects of the referendum are not our responsibility, and our responsibility, and if people perceive there to have been any problems they should address them to the relevant people.’
One woman received a paper for her husband, who has been dead 14 years. Jean Brogan (67) of Dunoon was shocked when she saw a letter addressed to him.
Mike Russell says: ‘This has caused great distress to people.’``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xMSP demands apology after ‘referendum’ fiasco``x959295600,57152,``x``x
``xThe Promote Tolerance tour ended in London yesterday – but one of the joint organisers, Stonewall, says it’s not too late to send back petitions.
The adventurous tour of speaking engagements, photo opportunities, gathering of names on petitions and social events began at the beginning of May in Edinburgh and went through Glasgow, Newcastle, Leeds, Manchester, Leicester, Bristol, Cardiff, Birmingham, Southampton and Brighton, before ending in London with speeches and marching.
The event was sparked by religious intolerance to moves to repeal Section 28 of the Local Government Act, which outlaws the so-called ‘promotion’ of homosexuality by local authorities. It was a joint event, organised in conjunction with Gay Men Fighting Aids and OutRage! Angela Mason, executive director of Stonewall, says: ‘This is a fight that we have to win. They may be rich, but they’re wrong.
‘As lesbians and gay men, as bisexuals and transgendered people, we demand the right, for ourselves and for all people to live equally and freely. All human beings are equal in dignity and human rights,’ she added, quoting Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. ‘Make sure your voice is heard.’
A statement from the organisers of the mammoth tour said: ‘Our lesbian and gay community is under attack. The Christian Institute is using Section 28 to stop councils funding gay groups and HIV charities. They’ve succeeded in Glasgow. Who will be next?
‘This is the biggest danger to the lesbian and gay community since Section 28 became law. Every lesbian, gay and HIV group that receives local authority support is now under threat.’
The mention of Glasgow was a reference to the city’s council’s decision to stop funding following a case taken under Section 28 by a nurse, Sheena Strain, to the Court of Session in Edinburgh. She said it was flouting the law by granting money to lesbian and gay groups. It was the first time Section 28 had been used since it came onto the Statute Book 12 years ago. Although Strain failed to win an interim interdict – equivalent to a temporary injunction in England and Wales – the city council said it had voluntarily agreed to suspend the grants until judicial review is completed by the end of this month or early next. The case led to the formation of a new group, the West of Scotland Alliance, to fight for the repeal of Section 28 and to protect funding.
Strain’s case was backed by the right-wing Christian Institute. Her husband is a Church of Scotland minister.
Meanwhile, Stonewall’s Laura Willoughby says any petitions that weren’t handed in before the end of the tour can still be sent to Stonewall’s HQ at 16 Clerkenwell Close, London EC1R OAN. There’s also an online petition at the group’s It’s understood that a shortlist of six ideas are being considered by programme makers – but all will be competing with plans to bring back the rickety seventies soap Crossroads, which looks set to replace the lucrative ITV slot that has been vacated by the Australian soap, Home and Away.
It’s thought that ITV want a home-grown series rather than take something ‘off the shelf’ to replace Home and Away, which has been snatched away by Channel 5 in a bidding war.
One idea being considered is from Jonathan Harvey, tentatively called Bit Smoke, which would be set in a block of flats on a city estate. This has been put forward by the makers of Emmerdale, Yorkshire Television.
A pilot episode is in production, and its makers describe the format as ‘flexible’. It is understood that the idea by the gay playwright was first proposed when ITV’s director of programmes, David Liddiment, took over at the network in 1997. It could be commissioned for the 10 p.m. slot instead of early evening.``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xGay playwright’s idea could replace Home and Away``x959641200,72350,``x``x
``xAn amendment to the Scottish bill that is expected to replace Section 28 looks like being thrown out today before it is even discussed.
The amendment – which would recognise the importance of heterosexual marriage in teaching about relationships – has come from the Labour MSP Michael McMahon. His introduction of the amendment is being seen as a tactical move, because he wants it to be discussed by the full Parliament in a few weeks’ time.
However, the Communities Minister Wendy Alexander is expected to defend the Executive’s refusal to consider the amendment this afternoon.
She says: ‘We do not honour marriage by ignoring the importance of other long-established relationships in our community.’
The amendment – which also says that children should not suffer intolerance because of their family background – could end the row between the Scottish Executive on the one hand, and the Catholic Church and Brian Souter’s Keep the Clause campaign on the other.
Both organisations have said they will accept the inevitability of the repeal of Section 28 if such an amendment is allowed, and its wording finds its way into the Ethical Standards in Public Life Bill, which is being debated today following the announcement of the results of Brian Souter's private referendum, which has shown a majority of those who voted in favour of retaining Section 28.
Alexander said in GMTV: ‘The issue is whether we single out marriage to describe the relationships in which we live. It is not the only form of stable family life.
‘In a Scotland where more than four out of ten children are born out of marriage we do not want to start discriminating according to their background.’``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xMSP’s attempt to end Section 28 row could be thrown out today``x959641200,38323,``x``x
``xYesterday’s private ‘referendum’ in which Scots voted to retain Section 28 has strengthened resolve on both sides of the argument.
While the Scottish Executive say they’ll continue with plans to scrap the hated law, the millionaire tycoon who financed the ballot, Brian Souter, has vowed to continue opposing repeal.
Only a minority of Scots voted to retain Section 28 of the Local Government Act, which outlaws the so-called ‘promotion’ of homosexuality by local authorities. While the more lurid headlines may suggest it was a big victory for the pro-Section 28 lobby, more than a quarter of a million ballot papers were undelivered by the Royal Mail because people had moved house or died since the voting register was published.
Nearly 4 million ballot papers were sent out, but only 1,272,202 were returned. Only 1,260,846 valid votes were cast, and 1,094,440 voted in favour of keeping Section 28. The poll represented only 32.04 per cent of the full register of Scottish voters.
About 11,350 papers were rejected for various reasons and 11,856 envelopes were sent back empty.
So, although 86.8 per cent of the respondents were in favour of keeping Section 28, campaigners say the poll was an insult to democracy.
Tim Hopkins, of the Equality Network in Scotland, said the result was not unexpected, but the ballot was one of the most unbalanced and misinformed in Scottish history.
Three-quarters of the electorate didn’t take part, he said, which showed that campaigner’s ‘bin the ballot’ campaign had worked.
Trade unionists, too, are scathing. Rozanne Foyer, assistant secretary of the Scottish TUC, said they had been ‘utterly opposed’ to the ballot from the start. ‘It has been nothing more than a cynical attempt to undermine our democratic processes and its execution has been insecure, unfair and ill thought-out.
‘However, we have been very encouraged that despite the fact Keep the Clause spent huge sums of money on inciting homophobia, spreading misinformation and stirring up false concerns and fears among Scotland's parents, the vast majority of people who were balloted have rejected the Keep the Clause message, by either not participating in this flawed exercise or by voting for repeal.
Meanwhile, the Scottish Parliament’s Local Government Committee threw out an amendment from a Labour MSP that would have introduced a form of wording as a compromise. This showed that ministers are still determined to see Section 28 consigned to history.``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xScots vote to keep S28 in Souter’s poll, but combat continues``x959727600,973,``x``x
``xThe perennial row over the age of consent and Section 28 will be back in the Lords after the Whitsun recess.
Three Bills are on the agenda for peers: the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill, the Learning and Skills Bill and the Local Government Bill.
And Baroness Young – the former Tory leader in the Lords, who has so far successfully defeated the lowering of the age of consent – will be at the forefront the battle to keep the status quo.
She will also take up her well-used cudgels to ensure that Section 28 of the Local Government Act, which outlaws the so-called ‘promotion’ of homosexuality by local authorities, remains firmly on the statute book.
Her campaign is backed by Colin Hart, of the Christian Institute, who said: ‘The government may ignore the one million people who have just voted in Scotland [to keep Section 28], but they are not ignoring the gay rights groups.’
Hart says the House of Lords had an opportunity to speak for the people, as the Scottish referendum had done.
‘The number of pro-gay pieces of legislation currently going through the House of Lords will mean peers would have to sit for a whole week just to debate them,’ he said.``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xLords prepare to return to battle stations over Section 28 and the age of consent``x959727600,42757,``x``x
``xCampaigners in Scotland are urging people to write to newspapers following this week’s private ‘referendum’ result on Section 28.
The ballot was paid for by the millionaire bus tycoon Brian Souter, whose Keep the Clause campaign wants to see the legislation remain on the statute book.
Only a minority of Scots voted to retain Section 28. More than a quarter of a million ballot papers were undelivered by the Royal Mail because people had moved house or died since the voting register was published.
Nearly 4 million ballot papers were sent out, but only 1,272,202 were returned. Only 1,260,846 valid votes were cast, and 1,094,440 voted in favour of keeping Section 28. The poll represented only 32.04 per cent of the full register of Scottish voters.
About 11,350 papers were rejected for various reasons and 11,856 envelopes were sent back empty.
So, although 86.8 per cent of the respondents were in favour of keeping Section 28, campaigners say the poll was an insult to democracy.
Tim Hopkins, of the Equality Network in Scotland, says the press coverage was mixed, with an ‘excellent editorial’ in the Scotsman. He says it has good overall coverage, pointing out that turnout was low.
The Herald, too, he says, had a good editorial, but its news coverage was ‘a bit disappointing – they seem to have uncritically printed the Keep the Clause line that the result is "much bigger than expected",’ he says.
Now, Hopkins is urging people who support repeal of Section 28 to write to their newspaper: ‘It is very important that we have our voices heard at a point when Keep the Clause is saying that it will step up its campaign.
‘Whichever paper you get, the address, fax no and e-mail address should be given on the letters page. You might want to simply write in support repeal of Section 28, or you might want to say something about the poll, or you might want to make the point that amendments to the Ethical Standards Bill that give more value to marriage than to other forms of family discriminate against the almost one in three of children in Scotland who live in families not headed by a married couple.’``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xCampaigners urge writing campaign after ‘referendum’ result in Scotland``x959814000,10229,``x``x
``xThe Scottish cabinet was in chaos yesterday as the Local Government Minister who has defended repeal of Section 28 was criticised by her own colleagues.
Wendy Alexander said new guidelines would emphasise marriage, but some MSPs and ministers are said to have claimed that they will not be obligatory.
According to today’s anti-gay Scottish tabloid, the Daily Record, Alexander’s own Executive colleague, the Education Minister Sam Galbraith, shot her down when his spokesman insisted there would be no ground given over the proposed repeal of Section 28 and that the guidelines she was referring to – a report by ‘the obscure McCabe Committee – would not be binding.
The McCabe Committee is expected to report that the importance of marriage be reflected in a new set of education guidelines.
The Record says that Alexander tried to present this as a major concession to silence churchmen and the man behind the Keep the Clause campaign, Brian Souter, chairman of the Stagecoach empire.
A spokesman for the leader of Scotland’s Catholics, Cardinal Thomas Winning, said it would take a lot more to appease them and end their opposition.
He referred to Brian Souter’s private referendum, which showed that, while a minority of Scots voted for repeal, a majority of the small proportion who did vote wanted it to be retained.
‘The vote made clear that people do not want Section 28 repealed. Any attempt to replace a law with unenforceable guidelines simply isn’t on.’
The Record also claims that the Scottish Executive is also facing major pressure from Westminster MPs, who are scared of losing their seats in a General Election backlash.
The Scottish Executive’s Local Government Committee threw out an amendment on Tuesday that might have appeased opponents of Section 28, sticking by the Executive’s resolve to scrap the hated law, which outlaws the so-called ‘promotion’ of homosexuality by local authorities.
It already has a form of wording in its proposed Ethical Standards in Public Life Bill that stresses the importance of stable family life in the bringing up of children, without promoting heterosexuality over homosexuality or vice versa.``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xNew row erupts as minister claims guidelines will stress marriage – claim``x959814000,43603,``x``x
``xIt’s emerged that the two millionaire men who became the first gay couple in Britain to father surrogate children are planning a third.
Tony Barlow (35) and his partner Barrie Drewitt (31) last year paid an American woman to act as a host biological mother to their twins, Aspen and Saffron.
Their decision to go for a third child has brought predictable cries from ‘family’ campaigners. Valerie Riches, director of a group called Family and Youth Concern, says children need a mother and a father. While children born to gay parents may be given all the material things they want, they will be ‘living in an extremely unbalanced situation and for emotional and sexual development it will be bad for them’.
Adrian Rogers, representing another right-wing group, Family Focus, says the men’s decision is ‘deplorable’.
Drewitt and Barlow have now paid for a woman from California to fly out to the Tunisian resort of El Kantaoui with her husband and children to discuss another deal.
Drewitt told reporters they were determined to have a family of three children and had even chosen a name: they want a girl and she will be called Jasmine.``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xGay fathers reveal they’re going for a third child``x959814000,93474,``x``x
``xTHE number of gay men having anal sex without using a condom is on the increase, according to new research.
Academics from the University College Medical School in London interviewed more than 6,000 gay men over a three year period and found that new treatments combined with the lack of a coherent health-promotion strategy has led to an increase in 'risky' behaviour, especially amongst men under 25.
London's leading HIV centre, Body Positive, was forced to close last week after severe funding problems made its job impossible. It was the latest in a series of closures that health workers warn will lead to a significant rise in HIV infections.
The Government is due to unveil its HIV prevention strategy in the next few months. It will be the first strategy since Labour took office in 1997 and is expected to pledge more cash to fund awareness campaigns amongst gay and straight young people.``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xUnsafe sex is on the increase as HIV groups are forced to close``x960073200,37701,``x``x
``xLORD Norman Tebbit, former Conservative Party Chairman and Thatcher loyalist, has accused Tony Blair of surrounding himself with 'raving queers'.
His claim, published in this week's New Statesman, was dismissed as 'ludicrous' by Labour Party bosses. One insider told Gay News that Tebbit should be more worried about the 'raving queers' in his own party. 'They are more likely to cause embarrassment because they are secretive and closeted about who they are', he said, adding that only three members of the Cabinet are openly gay.
Tebbit also angered politicians by claiming that sensitive positions such as the Home Secretary should be reserved for heterosexuals. 'The Home Office is responsible for laws affecting society - the adoption of children and the strengthening of the family', he said in the New Statesman. 'It is better not in the care of someone who doesn't feel for those issues.'
Turning to his own party, he says: 'there are one or two people I know who are very good and who, I suspect, may be homosexual.'
Could he possibly mean Hague? 'Nah... I think he and Ffion are very happy', he says. 'Another daft thing about politics is that you can't be celibate without people saying you're homosexual.
'For example, there's Ted Heath. He was celibate. But Ted wasn't a raving queer.'``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xLord Tebbit accuses Blair's Cabinet of being 'too gay'``x960159600,23061,``x``x
``xSCOTTISH gay activists have announced plans to march through Edinburgh later this month to promote equality and diversity in Scotland.
The Scottish TUC and 'Scrap the Section' - the coalition campaign to repeal Section 2a (the Scottish equivalent of Section 28) - will march along Princes Street and up the Mound, past the Scottish Parliament, on Saturday 24th June.
Organisers say it will be an opportunity to reject Brian Souter's attempt to 'use chequebook democracy to impose a narrow view of traditional family values'.
A statement issued this afternoon says that campaigners in favour of repeal - 'the real mainstream majority' - want to build a 'modern Scotland on the foundations of respect for diversity'.
It says the march is supported by many trade unions including the AUT, EIS, GMB, MSF, TGWU and UNISON, and that various groups representing students, women and religious people have been invited to take part.``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xScots prepare to march for equality and diversity``x960246000,59920,``x``x
``xDAVID Copeland told detectives that he felt nothing for the gay men he was planning to kill as he stood in the Admiral Duncan pub in Soho just minutes before his deadly bomb went off, the Old Bailey heard yesterday.
'I saw the people I was going to maim and kill. I didn't feel joy about it, I didn't feel sad. I didn't feel anything', he said.
The jury heard how David Copeland, 24, arrived at the pub looking uneasy and ordered a Coke before leaving his bag by the bar and moving out into Old Compton Street.
The court then heard that Copeland told detectives he 'felt sick' that one of his victims was a heterosexual pregnant woman, but said: 'I just had to do it, it was my destiny'.
He is also reported to have told police that he planted the bombs to make himself famous. 'If no one remembers who you are, you never existed', he is reported as saying.
The trial continues.
Meanwhile, GALOP, the lesbian and gay voluntary group that works with the victims of homophobic crimes, has warned lesbian and gay businesses to be vigilant throughout the trial. A press release issued last week said: 'With the trial of accused nail-bomber David Copeland starting on Monday, it is worth reminding LGBT businesses and organisations to be extra vigilant'.``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xAdmiral Duncan bomber: 'I was destined to kill'``x960332400,601,``x``x
``xBRITAIN'S only gay cricket team, the Graces, has formally applied to join the prestigious Surrey Cricket Board, it was announced today.
The all-male team, which is named named after WG Grace, includes a former Yorkshire League semi-professional and several minor-counties players, and has already won nine out of ten 'friendly fixture' games this year.
Captain Ian Crossland, 38, who has played for the Halifax second XI in the Surrey Championship, said: 'People think we're just a load of old queens who think we look good in white, but actually we can and do play well.
'The introduction of a gay cricket team means that gay cricketers have a new impetus to play sport and can expect not to find prejudice on the field', he added.
A decision is expected from the Surrey Cricket Board in the next few weeks.``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xGay team applies to join the Surrey Cricket Board``x960505200,72084,``x``x
``xRELATIVES of the Victorian cricket legend W.G. Grace are reportedly 'outraged' that Britain's first gay cricket team have named themselves 'The Graces'.
'We are not gay bashers but we are the Graces and we object to them using our family name', said Morny Grace, widow of W.G. Grace's great-grandson.
Mrs Grace said the team should have asked permission. 'My family are horrified,' she told the Evening Standard.
Her outburst follows news that the gay team, which won nine of their 10 fixtures last year, have applied to the Surrey Cricket Board for admission to a competitive league.
Captain of The Graces, Ian Crossland, described the family's objection as 'pathetic'.
'They can get lost as far as we are concerned', he laughed. 'Grace was a pioneering figure in his time, just as we are now.'``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xHeirs and Graces``x960505200,52224,``x``x
``xLONDON Lighthouse, the largest independent HIV centre in the capital, has admitted that it is considering a proposal to merge with the mighty Terrence Higgins Trust (THT).
Critics of THT, which acquired the Aled Richards Trust and two other smaller groups last year, say that its chief executive Nick Partridge is using his power to 'buy up' independent groups to create 'a monopoly ideas'.
Others say Partridge is ensuring that the smaller groups have an infrastructure and enough guaranteed funding to continue.
Grainne Morby, acting chief executive of London Lighthouse, said in a statement this morning, 'London Lighthouse and Terrence Higgins Trust have begun to discuss the possibility of merging.
'At a time when government funding is falling and the number of people being diagnosed HIV positive is rising, working more closely with THT will enable us to offer sustainable services that are relevant to people living with HIV and AIDS.'
She added that the proposal would only succeed if it is given the backing of London Lighthouse's service users.
Comments are invited. Call London Lighthouse on 020 7792 1200 for details of the consultation exercise.``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xLighthouse considers merger with THT``x960505200,31606,``x``x
``xIRISH rock singer Sinead O'Connor has finally 'come out' as a lesbian.
The star, who was recently made a priest by rebel bishop Michael Cox, told the American Hot Gossip magazine: 'I love men, but I prefer sex with women and I prefer romantic relationships with women'.
The revelation follows a previous interview in the same magazine claiming she prefers men - just two weeks ago!
O'Connor also added: 'I was lusting after grown-ups when I was eight.'``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xSinead O'Connor: 'I prefer sex with women'``x960505200,81090,``x``x
``xA group of lesbian activists will appear at Bow Street Magistrates' court today after hijacking a bus to protest against Stagecoach boss Brian Souter's support for Section 28.
The Lesbian Avengers painted a double-decker bus pink and drove it around London displaying 'repeal Section 28' placards when Souter launched his 'Keep the Clause' campaign in Scotland.
They say they were drawing attention to homophobia and hate.
Activists from OutRage! will be present outside the court to show solidarity with the Avengers. A spokesman for the OutRage! said 'it is important that the lesbian and gay communities come together at times like these'.
The protest will begin at 12:30 outside Bow Street Magistrates' Court. Call 020 8240 0222 for details.``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xLesbian Avengers in court over Section 28 protest``x960764400,35656,``x``x
``xPEERS from all the main political parties have welcomed news that the government is set to combine its national 'HIV/AIDS prevention strategy' with its 'Sexual Health Strategy'.
In a debate in the House of Lords yesterday, junior health minister, Lord Hunt, repeated the government's commitment that minority groups, including gay and bisexual men, would receive targeted information campaigns.
He also told peers that over 75% of HIV-positive heterosexuals in the UK were infected in Africa.
'In terms of any prevention programme in the future, we have to think about how to get the message through, particularly in the context of people traveling abroad,' he said.
The short debate, titled 'HIV/AIDS Awareness Campaigns', was organised by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on AIDS and was well attended, with the Lord Chancellor in the Woolsack.``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xPeers welcome new HIV prevention campaign``x960850800,55105,``x``x
``xTHE man responsible for the nail bomb attacks in Brixton, Brick Lane and Soho told detectives that he is confident of being free within five years, the Old Bailey heard yesterday.
The jury was told that Copeland believes Tony Blair will be replaced by an extreme right-wing prime minister whose first action will be to release him from prison.
The 24 year old has pleaded guilty to three counts of manslaughter but denies murder on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
Opening for the defence yesterday, Michael Wolkind QC said: 'We say that he was suffering from diminished responsibility. He was turned into a robot, his illness obsessed him'.
The court also heard evidence that threw doubt on Copeland's own sexuality. A psychiatrist who interviewed him at Belmarsh prison and later at Broadmoor said that the defendant had toyed with the idea that he might be gay after his mother repeatedly made that suggestion to him during his teenage years.
The bomber denied ever having a homosexual relationship.
The psychiatrist said: 'his mother was constantly asking him if "there's anything you want to tell us", which he interpreted as suggesting he was homosexual'.
The trial continues. ``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xDavid Copeland: 'a right wing government will set me free'``x961195554,17559,``x``x
``xPOP legend Sir Elton John has thrown his weight behind the gay humanist lobby, accusing Scotland's most senior Roman Catholic of being ignorant about issues of human sexuality.
In a move that some gay campaigners describe as 'the first shot in what could become a full-scale war between religious leaders and the gay community', Sir Elton wrote to the Spectator magazine accusing Cardinal Winning of being 'ill-informed' and out of touch.
He wrote: 'As a gay man I am perfectly happy with my sexuality and my life. I can honestly say that the deepest longings of my heart are satisfied.
'He [the Cardinal] argues that homosexuality "ensnares them in a lifestyle that can never respond to the deepest longings of the human heart". From what practical perspective does he form this point of view?
'As a Cardinal and presumably a celibate and solitary individual, how can he possibly be in a position to judge?'
Terry Sanderson, author of 'How to be a Happy Homosexual' and a spokesperson for the Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association (GALHA) responded: 'Sir Elton has brought into the spotlight something we have been saying for several years now - religion is responsible for almost all the hostility that is being directed at the gay community.
'It isn’t only Roman Catholics - although the Christian Institute and Brian Souter are waging a disgraceful campaign in Scotland to retain Section 28, and the Vatican is attempting to get the World Gay Pride event in Rome cancelled. Gay people and the community they have created are also being attacked by the Chief Rabbi, Jonathan Sacks, and in quite extreme terms by spokespeople from the Muslim community.'
Cardinal Winning's press spokesman refused to comment.``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xElton John: 'Cardinal Winning is a homophobe'``x961195635,38665,``x``x
``xMEMBERS of the Scottish Parliament have voted to scrap Section 28. Lesbians and gay men around the world are celebrating the dawn of a new era of Scottish politics.
MSPs voted by a majority of 82 to repeal the notoriously homophobic law.
Tim Hopkins of the Equality Network said: 'Everyone who supported our campaign can celebrate today - we have won at last!
'The long winter of discrimination against gay people is turning, not yet to summer, but at least to spring.'
Keith Cowan, convener of Outright Scotland added: 'This is a great day for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people
of Scotland. Not only are we finally rid of one of the most prejudiced, ugly pieces of legislation but we have also managed to secure legally enforceable measures on preventing discrimination and promoting equal opportunities.'
International solidarity
In London, the gay lobbying group Stonewall have organised a photocall with Rhona Cameron, the Scottish presenter of GayTime TV, to celebrate the victory.
Angela Mason OBE, executive director of Stonewall, said: 'The Scottish Parliament has shown us the way. We are now the only country in the world with legislation like section 28'.
An OutRage! spokesman also paid tribute to the work of Scottish activists: 'The campaign in Scotland has been inspiring. With next to no money, the Equality Network and Outright Scotland have defeated Brian Souter's propaganda machine.'
From America, Dane Kennedy from ACT-UP Florida told Gay News: 'This is really good news. Section 28 was vile and undermined the work of activists in all areas. This vote marks a new era'.``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xSection 28 banished to history - Scotland leads the way``x961542000,32152,``x``x
``xCAMPAIGNING homophobe Brian Souter has announced that his 'Keep the Clause' group, which spent over a million pounds on a campaign to keep Section 28, will close down for good next week.
MSPs voted by a majority of 82 to repeal the notoriously homophobic law after an historic debate on Wednesday evening.
After the result was announced, Souter insisted that his efforts had not been in vain. In a written statement, he said: 'I believe the fight has been very worthwhile and it is good to see marriage placed at the centre of statutory guidance for future generations.
'At the end of the day, the values we have fought for are priceless.'
'Keep the Clause' has organised a 'family day out' in Scotland this weekend but organisers say it will be their last ever event.
Tim Hopkins of the Equality Network celebrated that news last night. He told Gay News: 'Keep the Clause has failed to keep the clause. They have failed in their fallback attempt to get "the importance of marriage" written into the law. They have even failed in their final fallback, to get anti-gay discrimination written into the sex education guidelines.
He added that, although 'Keep the Clause' is planning its final event, there are many important issues for gay rights campaigners to keep fighting for.
'The long winter of discrimination against gay people is turning - not yet to summer, but at least to spring. There remains lots to do', he said.``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``x'Keep the Clause' to close after swan song this weekend``x961714800,28847,``x``x
``xGAY Labour peer, Lord Alli, is set to call upon police chiefs not to recruitment or promote candidates who display racist, sexist or homophobic behaviour.
Lord Alli, a founder of Planet 24 and now a director of Carlton Television, will challenge the police to 'prove' they are tackling homophobia and racism.
He will use the Greenwich Memorial Lecture - intended to mark the lives of Stephen Lawrence, Rolan Adams and Rohit Duggal, all victims of racist attacks - to demand a pro-active campaign to rid the police forces of racist and homophobic prejudice.
'We have a major opportunity but I think we need to be clear and disciplined about the terms of engagement', he said.
Lord Alli, whose friendship with Tony Blair led to him being given a life peerage in 1998, is the only openly gay peer in the House of Lords.
``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xLabour peer tells police not to recruit homophobes or racists``x962060400,82424,``x``x
``xLESBIAN and gay rights campaigners have announced that they will picket the House of Lords for three weeks as part of a protest to secure the repeal of Section 28.
In their boldest campaign to date, Stonewall will directly confront members of the House of Commons and the Lords before two crucial debates on the issue.
They are calling on other lesbian and gay groups and individuals to support the picket.
A flustered Baroness Young refused to comment this afternoon. A spokesman for the Conservative Party said: 'Stonewall are free to do whatever makes them happy'. ``xlurch``xwebmaster@gaylifeuk.com``xStonewall to stage a three-week protest outside Parliament``x962060400,34618,``x``x
``xDR. Laura Schlessinger, the American talk-show host whose homophobic comments have angered gay activists around the world, has told a leading magazine that her critics have often reduced her to tears.
Dr. Laura, who has branded lesbians and gay men 'a biological error’ and vociferously and publicly opposed same-sex partnership and parenting rights - told Time magazine that many of her comments have been taken out of