UK Gay News - Archive

JUNE 2010

June 30: UK/USA: Human Rights Watch Apologises to Gay Rights Activist Peter Tatchell. Peter Tatchell, the London-based human rights activist best know for his campaigning in the gay rights arena, has accepted a “full and unreserved apology from the New York-based NGO Human Rights Watch. The apology has been made by HRWss executive director, Kenneth Roth, in New York.

June 28: Europe: European Gay Marriage Right ‘Only a Matter of Time’ – Ludford. While most gay and lesbian rights groups in Europe were disappointed at last week’s European Court of Human Rights judgement by the Chamber against a claim by an Austrian same-sex couple that the authorities’ refusal to allow them to marry was a breach of their rights, Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP said this morning that there was a prospect of a more liberal interpretation in the future.

June 26: UK: Gloucestershire Gay Pride in Pictures. A selection of more than 20 photographs for the Gloucestershire Gay Pride staged in Gloucester this afternoon.

June 25: Gibraltar: Gibraltar Gay Rights Group to Host Visit by International Law Professor. A leading UK law professor is to visit Gibraltar as guest of Gibraltar Gay Rights, the group announced this morning.

June 24: USA: Gay Rights Are Human Rights – Hillary Clinton. “Human rights are gay rights and gay rights are human rights,” United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told a reception to mark “Pride Month” at the State Department on Tuesday (June 22). Embedded video of Mrs. Clinton's 17-minute address on LGBT issues is on this page.

June 23: Russia: St Petersburg Bans First Gay Pride for Second Time as City Hall OKs Counter Demo by Putin Supporters. An “embargo on human rights” say gays, while UK government and EU stay silent. City Hall in St. Petersburg has today told organisers of Saturday’s Gay Pride for the second time in a week that the parade cannot go ahead. Last Friday, the authorities rejected the original proposal for the parade saying that there was “construction work” on the route. A second application was submitted to City Hall proposing three possible routes, but these have now been rejected

June 22: Iraq: Fears of Witch Hunt against Iraqi Gays after Police Raid on Karbala Safe House. There is growing concern that the Iraqi government is stepping up a witch-hunt against gays and lesbians in the country after a police raid on a Karbala safe house, the London-based Iraqi LGBT said at the weekend.

June 22: UK: Message of Solidarity from Gloucestershire to Banned St. Petersburg Gay Pride. Gloucestershire Gay Pride has sent a letter of solidarity to the organisers of banned St. Petersburg Pride. Both Prides are scheduled for Saturday, June 26, with the LGBT activists in the second city of Russia vowing to march whatever the outcome of the appeals to the ban.

June 22: Belarus: Gay Activists Send Case to the UN Human Rights Committee against Belarus over Banned Protest. Two gay activists revealed late last night that they have submitted an “individual complaint” to the United Nations Human Rights Secretariat in Geneva. Sergey Androsenko, chief organiser of Minsk Gay Pride, and Sergey Praded, editor-in-chief of the Belarus national gay magazine Gay: Good As You, said the complaint was against Belarus for breaching their right to freedom of assembly last December.

June 21: Russia/UK: Pride Organisers Seek Police Protection Following Threat by Ultra Nationalists in St. Petersburg. Police protection has today been requested by the organisers of St. Petersburg Gay Pride following calls over the weekend for violence by several ultra nationalist groups on their Web sites. And yesterday the committies of Gloucestershire Pride in UK, which also has a Gay Pride march scheduled for June 26, disscussed the problems in Russia and decised to show "solidarity" with St. Petersburg.

June 19: Russia: Russia Asks the United Nations to Dismiss Complaint of a Russian Lesbian. The Russian authorities have asked the United Nations Human Rights Committee to declare inadmissible the complaint lodged by a Russian lesbian who was fined by a court for the “propaganda of homosexuality to minor” during a demonstration last year.

June 18: Russia: City Officials Turn Down Request for St Petersburg Gay Pride, But Ask Organisers to Propose Different Routes. Organisers of next week’s St. Petersburg Pride have been told today by city officials that there would be no permit issued to stage a parade on the proposed route along Konnogvardeisky Boulevard to Decembrists Square.

June 17: European Union: European Parliament Says the EU Should Do More for Transgender People’s Rights. The European Parliament adopted today a strong position in favour of safeguarding transgender people’s fundamental rights. MEPs officially acknowledged discrimination on grounds of gender identity, called for accessible gender reassignment procedures, and insisted that future EU gender equality initiatives should address issues linked to gender identity and gender reassignment.

June 16: UK: End to Deportation of Gay Asylum Seekers as British Government Unveils Its Gay and Transgender Rights Agenda. The British Government has pledged to stop the deportation of asylum seekers who have had to leave particular countries because their sexual orientation or gender identification puts them at proven risk of imprisonment, torture or execution.

June 15: Russia: St Petersburg Gay Pride Organisers Apply to City Chiefs for Rally, But Vow to Hold the Event Regardless. The organisers of the first St Petersburg Gay Pride March said today they have applied for permission to hold their rally on June 26. In the request sent to the City Hall, the organisers said that if their march is allowed they plan to have between 500 to 600 participants who will parade Konnogvardeisky Boulevard to Decembrists Square.

June 12: UK: Oxford Gay Pride in Pictures. Four pages of photographs of Gay Pride in Oxford start here.

June 8: Russia: St. Petersburg Gay Pride Organisers Ask for Political Support from Foreign Embassies. Organisers of St. Petersburg Gay Pride have asked for support from the governments of 18 countries – and the Ambassador for the European Union.

June 7: Belarus: Gays Concerned as Poll Shows 63% of Belarusians OK to Re-Criminalise Homosexuality. A poll released last week by the Belarusian Institute ‘Novak’ suggested that 63% of Belarusian are in favour of returning a soviet law repealed in 1994 which criminalised homosexuality.

June 6: UK: Punch Taverns Give Unreserved Apology to Gay Political Group. Punch Taverns have this evening have given an unreserved apology to LGBT Labour following Saturday’s incident at the Greencoat Boy in Westminster.

June 6: UK: Gay Group in Gloucestershire Writing Its History Over Four Decades. For four decades, the Gloucestershire Gay and Lesbian Community group (GGLC) have been meeting weekly, making it one of the oldest social groups in the country still active.

June 6: UK: Punch Taverns Must Call Time on Homophobia, Say LGBT Labour. LGBT Labour is calling an apology from Punch Taverns after the group fell victim yesterday evening to homophobic abuse at the company’s Greencoat Boy pub in Westminster, London, where they had booked a social event.

June 5: UK: London Pub Refuses to Serve Gay Political Group Which Had Booked a Social Evening. It was to have been an enjoyable social gathering following an Annual General Meeting. But for members of LGBT Labour the evening turned into one of homophobic horror.

June 3: European Union: Gay Rights Group in Euro Parliament Quiz Officials on Lack of Support for Moscow Gay Pride. Questions had been tabled today in the European Parliament by the all-party ‘Intergroup’ for gay and lesbian rights asking about the lack of support for last weekend’s Moscow Gay Pride from the European Union and its member States.

June 3: Russia: St. Petersburg Gay Pride Organisers Arrested at Opposition Demo. Gays and lesbians who joined the “March of Opposition” on May 31 in St Petersburg were arrested by anti-riot police (OMON).

June 2: UK: LGBT Network Demands Answers from Government on ‘Gay Genocide’. The Glasgow-based campaigning LGBT Network is asking the Government in London what action it is taking to address the serious issues on LGBT asylum in the UK.

June 2: Europe: Gay Pride Events Are Still Hindered – and This Violates Freedom of Assembly. By Thomas Hammarberg, Human Rights Commissioner, Council of Europe. In Moscow, gay pride events scheduled for May 29 were banned as the authorities claimed they were unable to guarantee the security of the participants, and they wanted to avoid traffic jams. The organisers appealed against the decision, but the court upheld the ban. However, some gay rights activists managed to hold a brief protest in central Moscow.