LGBT History Month

Cashman: Putin’s Hate Speech Caused Murders

History Month — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 06:29:32 +0000

The European Parliament has adopted a resolution condemning Russian MPs for passing a draconian homophobic censorship law, with Labour MEP Michael Cashman saying “hate speech” from President Putin and others has resulted in the “barbaric killing of gay men”.

Several violent homophobic killings have taken place in Russia since the start of 2013 – the most recent involving a 39-year-old man in a village on the Kamchatka.

Yesterday, the European Parliament adopted a resolution condemning the “anti-propaganda” law voted in Russia’s federal Duma earlier this week.

It fines anyone organising a gay pride event or giving information about LGBT issues to those under the age of 18.

Members of the European Parliament noted that “[Russian] federal authorities have done nothing to stop discriminatory legislation banning ‘homosexual propaganda’ from coming into effect in nine regions of Russia”.

To read more go here

Warsaw Pride

History Month — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 09:03:44 +0000

Warsaw pride took place on June 15th. Here is Pride Solidarity’s Claire Dimyon’s account of the march and parade:

8-9,000 participants partied along a 5km route through central Warsaw shutting down the transport systems for a while, taking the Polish capital by storm. Participants also included LGBT from Belarus, Ukraine and Russia and a vigil/demo was held at the Russian Embassy just before parade kick-off to mark the passing of the Section 28+++ law outlawing the promotion of homosexuality in the Russian Duma last week.

At the starting point at the Polish Sejm (parliament) the Polish anthem was robustly sung with classic lines such as ”While we exist Poland will not perish” and ”It is by your example that we created our nation” all wrapped up by a stirring chorus of “March march”. It wasn’t like we needed any encouragement!

One woman appeared in a rainbow burka in solidarity with Muslim LGBT and the parents group “Akceptuje” (Acceptance) stylishly stole the show with an open topped limo. Out of nowhere the Norwegian ambassador appeared and said “Where’s my float?” and volunteers helped to get it decked out in all its finery, this being the first float ever sponsored by an embassy, ever! The weather was perfect bright and sunny with cooling winds which made the flags fly just perfectly, including the Belarusian rainbow with its characteristic stripe.

The Women’s congress meeting in Palac Kultura all cheered and waved and the anti protests were small and few in number and seemed rather half-hearted.

The route had been adjusted to pass by the new plaque to Izabela Jaruga-Nowacka MP, who perished with 3 other LGBT defenders in the presidential aircrash in April 2010. As deputy Prime Minister she saved the day when Lech Kaczynski as Mayor of Warsaw banned the parade and told the Justice Minister he had better police it because she was going, over-ruling the then Mayor’s instruction not to protect the participants. That case subsequently went to the European Court of Human Rights which ruled that PRIDE parades were covered by Freedom of Assembly, a milestone ruling in the development of PRIDE in central & eastern Europe.

Clare Dimyon MBE of PRIDE Solidarity “There is just nothing like PRIDE in Warsaw!”

Best wishes

Poland scores a miserable 22% LGBT satisfaction rate on the ILGA map of quality of life for LGBT citizens. While this is the norm for the former Eastern European Baltic states it is a better score than that earned by the Ukraine, Belarus and, of course, Russia, which is pushing forward legislation banning the mention of homosexuality with the support of Vladimir Putin.

Singing the Changes

History Month — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 11:58:57 +0000

An exhibition telling the vibrant story of LGBT Londoners since 1983 through the voices of Europe’s longest running LGBT choir, The Pink Singers.

In 1983 the social landscape for LGBT people in the UK was radically different from where we are today. The age of consent was unequal, homosexuality had only just been decriminalised in Northern Ireland and the prospect of any kind of same-sex marriage was a distant dream.

That year, a group of nervous Londoners with a shared passion music met for the first time and the Pink Singers were formed.

Singing the Changes is a new exhibition, telling the powerful story of the 30 years between 1983 and 2013, portraying the dramatic social change witnessed by ordinary Londoners in those years, where we are now and the challenges still to be overcome.

The Pink Singers is a diverse organisation with a rich history. We’ve grown from a few members in our early years to 80 singing members today. We continue to sing about, react and feed into the debate about LGBT rights and we’re still a family united by our love of music.

Singing The Changes presents artefacts from our history, compelling interviews and includes excerpts from our early performances.

Moving, celebratory and informative; our exhibition is designed to provoke and inspire people from every walk of life into thinking about LGBT rights and their own histories.

The exhibition is generously supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and forms part of our 30th anniversary celebrations this summer. It takes place at Audit House, 58 Victoria Embankment until July the 12th and at The Guardian, King’s Place, from July the 15th till August. Admission is free.

For details go here

Turing Remembered

History Month — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 06:42:09 +0000

The thirty-ninth anniversary of the death of Alan Turing was commemorated on June the 7th with a number of events. As a tribute, here are all the plaques that are currently known about celebrating this extraordinary man and telling us something about his whereabouts;

http://openplaques.org/people/368

Britten 100 website open

History Month — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 11:22:27 +0000

2013 marks the centenary of Benjamin Britten and LGBT History Month will be holding its pre-launch on November the 27th in Birmingham; five days afetr Britten’d 100th birthday on the 22nd. The theme of LGBT History Month in 2014 will be music. As with the centenary of Alan Turing last year, a host of events celebrating the life and achievements of Britain’s most famous composer have been and are being orgainised to celebrate the year. They can all be found on the The Britten100 website, which is run by the Britten-Pears Foundation. It can be accessed here:

www.britten100.org

Trans Woman in Hammer Attack in Copenhagen

History Month — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 08:36:19 +0000

A trans woman was attacked with a hammer in broad daylight in Denmark on the 5 of June.

In the unprovoked attack, the victim had been walking past City Hall at around 6pm when she was brutally attacked on the head.

The woman, yet to be named, suffered serious head trauma. She is in a stable condition in hospital.

Mads Helios, from Copenhagen Police, told local news sites the authorities had been working intensively on the matter.

‘We have been out to get some video surveillance and we have some really good pictures of the perpetrator,’ he said.

‘Later, we’ll look at whether they should be published. I would encourage him he himself comes and admits what he has done.

Germany: Anguish for Merkel As Same Sex Couples Win Tax Breaks

History Month — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 08:29:19 +0000

Germany’s top court has told Angela Merkel same-sex partners in civil unions the right to the same tax benefits as married heterosexual couples.

Ruling today (6 June), the Federal Constitutional Court said their judgment would apply retroactively to 1 August 2001.

This could mean millions could be making its way to gay couples in civil partnerships who have overpaid in tax.

The FCC said denying gay people in committed relationships tax breaks was a violation of their civil rights and there were no ‘substantial grounds for unequal treatment’, the Associated Foreign Press reports.

They said a failure to move forward with their ruling would go against the equal treatment clause of Germany’s Basic Law and ordered Merkel’s government to pass the legislation.

‘What a joy – another step toward equality,’ Green politician Katrin Goering-Eckardt said. ‘And another embarrassment for the Merkel government.’

All parties in the Bundestag lower house had expressed their support for giving same-sex couples tax breaks with the exception of the Chancellor’s conservative Christian Democratic Union.

To find out more go here

Gendered Intelligence Showcase

History Month — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 07:52:07 +0000

GI’s Anatomy is a Wellcome Trust funded project delivered by Gendered Intelligence, in collaboration with London Drawing. It aims to engage the public with ideas of sex and gender diversity through a series of life drawing workshops. We worked with 30 transgender and intersex people who took part in a series of practical life drawing workshops drawing life models who were also transgender and intersex identified.

This discussion event will focus on the process and practice of the project, drawing on various stimulus from the art world, both historically and contempory. We will consider some of the final art pieces made by the participants in anticipation of the exhibition that will take place in August 2013 and draw on some critical thinking around ideas of non-normative sex and gender identities and bodies.

This is our second public event as part of the project

When: Thursday 27th June 6pm – 8.30pm.
Where: Central School of Speech & Drama, Embassy Theatre, 62-64 Eton Avenue, London, NW3 3HY (map)

book now to reserve your place by clicking here

Five Held in France As Clement Meric Dies

History Month — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 07:49:02 +0000

FRENCH authorities have detained five people in connection with the death of a leftist student activist following a skinhead attack that sent shock waves across the country.

The five suspects, aged between 19 and 32 and including one woman, were due to appear before a judge on Saturday.

Earlier on Friday, French Interior Minister Manuel Valls vowed to crack down on far-right groups after 18-year-old Clement Meric, a student at the country’s prestigious Sciences-Po university, died following a fight with skinheads in Paris.

His death on Thursday, the day after the incident, brought condemnation across the political spectrum and prompted thousands of people out onto the streets in Paris and other major cities in protest.

As well as the five suspects held, three more were picked up and later released on Friday.

According to a police source, several of the suspects are known to have links to far-right groups.

The fatal fight occurred on Wednesday near the city’s central Saint-Lazare railway station.

Flowers left at the site where left-wing activist Clement Meric was allegedly attacked by skinheads in Paris. Picture: Antoine Antoniol

Meric, a model student, was left brain dead.

The man suspected of having dealt the fatal blow said he did not intend to kill, a police source said.

The alleged attacker, who is in his 20s, is a known skinhead.

The tough-talking Socialist Valls pledged a ”merciless” crackdown on far-right groups, while admitting it could not be accomplished overnight.

When asked if such groups would be dissolved, he said on RMC radio: ”We will do it without doubt, but it will take a little time, lots of determination.

Lord Alli: We’ve Still a Long Way To Go

History Month — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 07:31:58 +0000

Lord Alli has written to the Pink News expressing his pleasure at the majority vote to reject the same sex marriage wrecking bill in the House of Lords but warning that there is still a long way to go.

Lord Waheed Alli, a gay Muslim elected to the Lords in 1998, said that despite changes, young people still faced homophobic bullying and “growing up gay in Britain” is still “tough”.

The Labour peer said that attitudes had changed in the Lords since 1998 but there were still people who labelled homosexuality as “not normal”, “dangerous” and “a perversion”. Some peers till identified being gay with paedophilia and believe us to be predatory, he added.

But he also praised the “seismic shift” in some Tory circles, expressing admiration for David Cameron’s “courage and leadership” and Lord Jenkin for speaking “simply, beautifully and powerfully” in favour of equality. However, he also made reference to Lord Tebbitt’s “rant about lesbian queens” and the publicity it raised.

The 390 – 148 vote against the amendment is big and welcome but it does not mean that same sex marriage is safe. The bill comes back in committee the week commencing 17th June, it will have its report stage 8th July and third reading on the 15th July. According to Alli, it’s opponents are determined to scupper it and we must support it every step of the way.

To read the full article go here