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Sunday, November 28, 2010

Quote Of The Day - Tony Perkins

"The Southern Poverty Law Center is a massively funded liberal organization that operates under a veneer of public justice when, in fact, they seem more interested in fundraising ploys than fighting wrongdoing.

"This is a deliberately timed smear campaign by the SPLC. The Left is losing the debate over ideas and the direction of public policy so all that is left for them is character assassination. It's a sad day in America when we can not, with integrity, have a legitimate discussion over policy issues that are being considered by Congress, legislatures, and the courts without resorting to juvenile tactics of name calling.

"The Left's smear campaigns of conservatives is also being driven by the clear evidence that the American public is losing patience with their radical policy agenda as seen in the recent election and in the fact that every state, currently more than thirty, that has had the opportunity to defend the natural definition of marriage has done so. Earlier this month, voters in Iowa sent a powerful message when they removed three Supreme Court justices who imposed same-sex marriage on the state. Would the SPLC also smear the good people of Iowa?

"Family Research Council will continue to champion marriage and family as the foundation of our society and will not acquiesce to those seeking to silence the Judeo-Christian views held by millions of Americans. We call on the Southern Poverty Law Center to apologize for this slanderous attack and attempted character assassination." - Family Research Council president Tony Perkins.

Notice how all these reactions are coming on Thanksgiving, when none of their followers will hear about it?

"This is an absurd distraction emanating from a once-great organization’s real mission---with all the actual hate groups out there, how can Southern Poverty Law Center stoop so low? This report is not an attack on NOM but on the majority of Americans who believe that to make a marriage you need a husband and wife. It is also further proof of what NOM has been saying: today’s gay marriage movement is no longer about tolerance, live or let live—it’s about driving out dissenting voices from the public square.

"Gay marriage now serves as the tip of the spear to a new campaign to demonize and generate hatred against those who adhere to traditional views of sex and marriage. Regular readers of NOM’s work know how we characterize gay people: those who support our vision of marriage, we welcome to join our work. For gay marriage advocates (the majority of whom are not gay) we say: we think you are wrong, and we will fight for our right to vote for marriage in the public square." - NOM president Brian Brown.

Yeah, as for that section I bolded, yes, Brian...we DO know how NOM characterizes gay people and it IS hatefully. We see the evidence every day and this week your Facebook moderator threw all pretensions out of the window.

"So, center-right America: If you happen to believe in the sanctity of natural marriage and that, as a culture, we're best served by honoring the Judeo-Christian sexual ethic of our forefathers, you're now an official 'hater.'

"Of course, the tired goal of this silly meme is to associate in the public mind's eye mainstream conservative social values with racism, white supremacy and neo-Nazism. The ironic result, however, is that, as typically occurs with such ad hominem and hyperbolic attacks, the attacker ends up marginalizing himself and galvanizing his intended target (I'm rubber, you're glue and all that).

"Hence, beyond a self-aggrandizing liberal echo chamber, the SPLC - and by extension the greater "progressive" movement - has become largely, as it stews in its own radicalism, just another punch line. It's often said that the first to call the other a Nazi has lost the argument. Congratulations, conservative America: They're calling you a Nazi. Carry on." - Liberty Counsel spokesbigot Matt Barber, riding the waahbulance over the SPLC's new hate groups list.

Labels: bigotry, hate groups, Liberty Counsel, Matt Barber, Quote Of The Day, religion, waambulance

In another excerpt from his coming book/interview, Pope Benedict says that he doesn't know if people are born gay or not. But even if God did make you this way, you shouldn't BE this way. Or something.

He said it was still an open question whether homosexual inclinations are innate or arise early in life. In any case, he said, if these are strong inclinations, it represents "a great trial" for the homosexual. "But this does not mean that homosexuality thereby becomes morally right. Rather, it remains contrary to the essence of what God originally willed," he said.

Remember, God doesn't make mistakes. But if he DOES make mistakes, that's your problem to deal with. Benedict also says there's no inherent contradiction in calling homosexuals "intrinsically disordered" and still offering them respect. Got that? Yes, you are a mentally ill freak. But we mean that in the nicest way.

US judge says lesbians can be ‘cured’ by male soldiers

An American judge has been accused of advocating corrective rape for lesbians.

Joe Rehyansky, a part-time magistrate and Vietnam veteran, wrote on conservative news site The Daily Caller that lesbians should be allowed to serve in the military because straight male soldiers could “convert” them.

The Daily Caller swiftly removed some of his remarks but not before they were picked up by other websites.

Mr Rehyansky, of Hamilton County, Tennessee, argued that men were naturally more promiscuous than women and “it fell to men to swing through the trees and scour the caves in search of as many women as possible to subdue and impregnate – a tough job but someone had to do it”.

Then, he claimed that the “promiscuity” of gay men, coupled with HIV, would have “the potential for disastrous health consequences” if gay men were allowed to serve openly in the military.

“Gays spread disease at a rate out of all proportion to their numbers in our population and should be excluded from the military,” he argued.

He continued: “Shouldn’t the overwhelmingly straight warriors who answer their county’s call be spared the indignity of showering with other men who achieve lascivious enjoyment from the sight of those lithe naked bodies, and who may be tempted to seek more than the view?”

Lesbian military personnel, who Mr Rehyansky praised for their “medical and administrative specialties”, should be allowed to serve because they apparently have low sex drives.

His final argument, which has now been removed by The Daily Caller, was as follows: “My solution would get the distaff part of our homosexual population off our collective ‘Broke Back,’ thus giving straight male GIs a fair shot at converting lesbians and bringing them into the mainstream.”

Mr Rehyansky was accused of advocating corrective rape for lesbians by some commentators.

Blogger Amanda Hess sardonically noted: “Once all the lesbians are easily accessible in one place, an army of straight dudes will turn them all straight, presumably through that time-tested tactic of subduing and impregnating women against their will.”

Five people in London were arrested on suspicion of homophobic and transphobic crimes yesterday as part of a series of dawn raids.

A total of 247 people were arrested in connection with hate crimes in yesterday’s Met police operation.

The raids were timed to coincide with International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, known as White Ribbon Day, and the majority of arrests related to domestic violence.

Of the five arrested in connection with anti-gay and anti-trans crime, one man was arrested in Islington for a public order offence on October 26th which allegedly involved homophobic abuse. He was bailed to return pending further enquiries.

Another man, aged 40, was also arrested in Islington and charged with a public order offence after allegedly verbally abusing a victim.

In Kensington, a man was arrested for breaching a restraining order which was issued in relation to homophobic harassment. He was bailed to return.

A man was arrested in Wandsworth for a public order offence. He was said to have verbally abused a trans woman and was bailed to return.

The fifth arrest concerned an incident in which two people were attacked in the street by a gang in Westminster. One person was arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and bailed to return.

There were also 19 arrests connected to racist offences and one relating to crimes against the vulnerable or elderly by members of their own family or carers.

Yesterday, Detective Superintendent Darren Williams, the head of the Public Protection Unit, said: “We know that these types of crime are still under reported and we will continue to work hard to gain the trust and confidence of communities so that victims feel that they can come forward.

“My key message to victims of these offences is tell us what is happening so we can help you but if you can’t tell the police – tell someone.”

The raids were part of Operation Athena and, since 2006, have been carried out twice yearly to coincide with White Ribbon Day in November and the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia in April.

London Friend hopes to buy the central London property it currently rents from Islington council after being told the building is to be sold imminently.

Founded in 1972, the charity offers counselling and support to lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people and receives little state support.

The charity was told last Friday that the building, on Caledonian Road, was to be put up for auction in three weeks.

London Friend chief executive Matthew Halliday said he was told that the charity would not be given “preferential treatment” or time to consider its options if it wished to purchase the property.

In a letter to council chief executive John Foster, he said he was “shocked” at having been given three weeks’ notice of the sale and that the “lack of consultation” undermined the charity’s 33-year relationship with the council.

London Friend’s rent was increased by 23 per cent this year, in line with other council-let properties in the area, and Mr Halliday said he feared that a commercial landlord could raise rates dramatically.

But this afternoon, after PinkNews.co.uk contacted Islington council, a spokesman said the building had been removed from the auction.

Cllr Richard Greening, Islington Council’s executive member for finance said: “We have received London Friend’s letter and are happy to talk to them about the possibility of them acquiring the property. It has been removed from this auction.”

Mr Halliday, who said he had not been informed that the auction had been cancelled, said: “I am so pleased that Islington council have acknowledged our concerns and are looking to help to continue to support Islington’s and London’s LGBT residents.

“If possible I hope to be able to discuss with the council how we may be able to purchase the London Friend Centre as a continuing resource and asset for London’s LGBT community.”

Prime minister David Cameron has urged gay men to use condoms, get tested for HIV and support each other in tackling the virus.

In a message for Boyz magazine for World AIDS Day, he said that HIV infection rates had increased in the last decade.

Mr Cameron also praised the “iconic” and “hard-hitting” tombstone AIDS ads of the 1980s but PinkNews.co.uk understands there are no plans to return to the controversial campaigns.

HIV activists are divided on the ads. Some argue that they “demonise” HIV-positive people, while others argue that a tougher new strategy is needed.

Mr Cameron wrote: “[The tombstone ad] was hard-hitting and thought-provoking. And yes, at times, it made uncomfortable viewing. But that was the point. It had such a positive effect on waking up my generation to the dangers of AIDS.

“More than twenty years on and we have come far. Prejudice is falling – though we still have to fight it. And increasingly effective medical treatments have been found – though there is still no cure and no one should be complacent, treatments are complex and have side-effects.

“However, one area where progress has not been good enough is infection rates. Over the last ten years, they have actually increased.”

Mr Cameron thanked the gay community for its work on HIV but said the fight was “still far from won”.

“You need to support each other in avoiding the virus. You still need to practice safe sex. You need to test and to know your HIV status,” he said. ” And as a society we need to continue to fight prejudice and stigma, especially as they can be a barrier to testing and treatment.

“I talk a lot about responsibility when it comes to my politics. And this World AIDS Day it’s important everyone thinks about the responsibility they have towards themselves, their partners and the wider community. Only together can we fight and then beat HIV and AIDS.”

Alan Wardle, head of health improvement at HIV charity Terrence Higgins Trust, told PinkNews.co.uk: “It is very welcome that the prime minister recognises that HIV remains a very serious issue and that we need to increase focus around testing.”

He added: “There need to be continued [HIV] campaigns, continued testing and efforts to tackle stigma.

“There should also be compulsory sex education in schools – a lot of young gay men are leaving school without any information, making them very vulnerable when they go out in pubs and clubs.”

The new head of the Conservatives in the European Parliament has been accused of trying to block a motion to call for recognition of civil partnerships across Europe.

Conservative MEP Martin Callanan, who began his new post this week, tabled amendments to a motion calling for member states to recognise legal documents, including civil partnership certificates.

Mr Callanan argued that the issue was a matter of states’ sovereignty but Labour MEPs accused him of trying to block equality.

Three amendments were tabled to the motion by Mr Callanan and Polish Law and Justice Party MEP Konrad Szymanski, who said last year his party would always vote against gay marriage and adoption.

The Polish party and the Conservatives are part of the European Conservatives and Reformists Group.

One amendment called for the deletion of a pledge to “strongly support plans to enable the mutual recognition of the effects of civil status documents” and add a reference to recognise “member states’ sovereignty in family law matters”.

The other two referred to respecting the principle of subsidiarity, or that government should not interfere more than is necessary with decisions regarding citizens.

The motion was passed without the amendments. It does not change the law but is seen as a step towards future legislation on recognition of relationships.

Arlene McCarthy MEP, Labour’s spokeswoman on the European Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee, said: “I am shocked that a Tory MEP felt the need to table amendments to this report deleting the reference to civil partnerships.

“They seem to be saying that people in a civil partnership in the UK don’t deserve to have their partnership recognised when travelling abroad.”

Labour MEP Michael Cashman, who is gay, added: “Claims that mutual recognition will ‘undermine national sovereignty’ are plain wrong: it won’t affect national marriage or partnership laws, but simply recognise civil unions that already exist.”

Mr Callanan could not be reached for comment but a Conservative spokesman said that while the party supports civil partnerships, it does not believe the EU should force countries to recognise them.

He told PinkNews.co.uk: “Our amendments sought to ensure that matters related to family law are decided under unanimity with all 27 countries agreeing, rather than under a Qualified Majority system where one country could find its family law altered against its will.

“We fully support civil partnerships in the United Kingdom and we hope that other countries will cooperate to ensure that such partnerships are recognised abroad. However, we do not believe that it should be the place of the European Union to dictate family law or social policy in another country.”

The Conservative Party has promised to push for international recognition of UK civil partnerships.

An equalities manifesto earlier this year said: “We will use our relationships with other countries to push for unequivocal support for gay rights and for UK civil partnerships to be recognised internationally.”

Last year, the party left its EPP grouping in the European Parliament to join the European Conservatives and Reformists Group, which includes the Polish Law and Justice Party.

A number of the Polish party’s senior politicians have made homophobic statements, with the late president Lech Kaczynski banning Pride marches.

David Cameron has consistently said that the Polish party are not homophobic, although the Tories’ most senior gay MP, Nick Herbert, said in March that other parties had unsavoury European allies.

“Labour is allied with parties who have banned gay pride and called homosexuality a disease; the Liberal Democrats with a party that called it a mental disability,” he wrote in the Guardian.

He is thought to have been referring to Labour’s Bulgarian and Lithuanian allies, and to the Lib Dems’ Latvian and Lithuanian allies.

Gay rights activists in St Petersburg held Russia’s first legal pro-gay demonstration last Saturday.

Around a dozen people gathered in the city centre with placards calling for gay rights, following a European Court of Human Rights ruling last month.

However, they were hugely outnumbered by an estimated 100 counter-demonstrators, who threw eggs and shouted anti-gay abuse.

Reports say no one was injured but gay activists claimed that officers had done little to ensure participants’ protection.

Maria Efremenkova, who organised the gay march, told Gay City News: “These fanatics screamed homophobic insults at us and chanted religious songs and slogans, threw eggs at us, and finally tore down our posters, banners, and rainbow flags, at which point we ended the demonstration after about 40 minutes.”

But she added: “The impact of breaking the silence on homosexuality cannot be overestimated.

“Seeing strong, proud gay people speaking out and standing up for themselves and declaring they want the same human rights as everyone else inspires many people – especially those gays in the closet and young people struggling with creating their own identity in a homophobic society – to know they are not alone.”

Last month, the European Court of Human Rights upheld three complaints over Russian capital Moscow’s ban on gay Pride marches.

Russian gay rights leader Nikolai Alekseev complained to the court that the parade bans in 2006, 2007 and 2008 breached the European Convention on Human Rights.

The court ruled that Russia could not justify bans on gay rights demonstrations.

US anti-gay organisations have hit back after being included on a list of ‘hate groups’.

The Family Research Council (FRC) and National Organization for Marriage (NOM) were named by a civil rights body as two of 18 groups which “demonise” gay people and propagate “known falsehoods”.

The list was compiled by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).

FRC president Tony Perkins accused the centre of slander and claimed his group always worked with ” civility and compassion”.

Calling the list a “deliberately timed smear campaign”, he added: “Family Research Council will continue to champion marriage and family as the foundation of our society and will not acquiesce to those seeking to silence the Judeo-Christian views held by millions of Americans.

“We call on the Southern Poverty Law Center to apologise for this slanderous attack and attempted character assassination.”

According to the SPLC, FRC senior research fellows Tim Dailey and Peter Sprigg have both claimed that homosexuality is linked to paedophilia and Mr Sprigg said in 2008 that there should be “criminal sanctions on homosexual behaviour”.

Another group on the list, the National Organization for Marriage, said the SPLC was trying to equate gay marriage opponents to racists.

President Brian Brown told the Washington Post: “This is about protecting marriage. This isn’t about being anti-anyone.

“The whole idea that somehow those folks who stand up for traditional marriage, like the Family Research Council, are hateful is wrong. [The law center is] trying to marginalise and intimidate folks for standing up for marriage and also trying to equate them somehow to the KKK.”

Last year, NOM was mocked by critics after it produced a video claiming that gay marriage would damage people’s rights and lifestyles.

The group was accused of peddling “outrageous falsehoods” by gay rights campaigners and tried to have its original films removed from YouTube after spoofs were made.

Pentagon: No gay soldiers fired this month

No US troops have been fired for being gay in the last month, the Pentagon has said.

Last month, defence secretary Robert Gates tightened the rules on dismissals, placing the power to sack out gay troops in the hands of just three officials.

Previously, hundreds of officers had the power to fire soldiers whose sexual orientation became known.

Pentagon spokeswoman Cynthia Smith told Associated Press that no discharges had been approved since October 21st. She could not give the total number of discharges for previous months.

Aaron Belkin, an expert on the law and the executive director of the Palm Center at the University of California, said that 428 gay and lesbian troops were honorably discharged under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell in 2009.

He said: “Statistically, it would be extremely unlikely if we had a month in which there were no gay discharges. When you require a service secretary to sign off on a discharge, you are basically saying, ‘We don’t want any people in this category discharged unless there is an exceptional situation.’”

A Pentagon survey on the impact of lifting the ban is due to be released on November 30th. According to reports, it will show majority support among soldiers for repealing the 1993 law.

On Sunday, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Admiral Mike Mullen, said Congress should not wait to repeal the law and should move before the courts do.

He told ABC’s Christiane Amanpour: “The other piece that is out there that is very real is the courts are very active on this, and my concern is that at some point in time the courts could change this law and in that not give us the right amount of time to implement it.

“I think it’s much better done if it’s going to get done, it’s much better done through legislature than it is out of the courts.”

Earlier this month, the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell should stay in place indefinitely after a US district judge ended the ban.

Lord Mandelson has said he will not rule out a return to politics.

The peer, who was considered the most powerful out gay man in Britain until Labour lost the general election, had to resign twice from the Cabinet during Tony Blair’s premiership.

He told Total Politics magazine that although he would not “sit by the telephone”, he would not rule anything out.

Lord Mandelson told interviewer Iain Dale: “I tend not to rule out of anything in politics, given my career, given my roller coaster career. Would you predict anything? I don’t think so. But I’m not going to sit by the telephone. I’m not going to hang around in expectation or with some sort of entitlement.

“I will find other things to do in my life. Things that I enjoy, things which I think are stimulating or important but also enable me to earn a living.

“If you were to ask me though, whether fundamentally I’d rather be in public service or the private sector… I’m a public service man. I was brought up in that way and that set of values and motives will never leave me.”

He added: “I’m not quite sure what [I will do], but amongst other things I have to earn a living. I don’t have an income any more.

The peer, who backed David Miliband to win the Labour leadership, said he would be loyal to Labour leader Ed Miliband, although he added that he felt “hurt” and “denigrated” by the latter talking about his”dignity in retirement”.

He said: “I felt as if I was being unfairly treated and packed off rather prematurely to an old folk’s home. I also thought to define himself against New Labour, as opposed to being a development of New Labour, was electorally unwise.

“But again, we’ve all moved on. What I’ve got to do now is remain a candid friend but also constructive and always loyal. I was always loyal.”

A fly-on-the-wall documentary about Lord Mandelson is to be screened on BBC4 this week.

‘Mandelson – The Real PM?’, filmed by Hannah Rothschild, shows the former business secretary in the eight months up to the May election.

A man who killed a trans prostitute has been handed an indefinite jail sentence for the earlier rape of another woman.

Neil McMillan, 43, of Brighton, has already been jailed for at least 22 years for the murder of Andrea Waddell, a trans woman.

Five weeks before he strangled Ms Waddell in September 2009, McMillan went to meet a 27-year-old prostitute to pay her money he owed but raped her instead.

He was found guilty of rape by jurors at the Old Bailey last month. They were not told that he had murdered Ms Waddell shortly after the attack.

McMillan’s sentence means that once he has served his 22-year sentence, he will not be released until a parole board is sure he is no longer dangerous.

According to the BBC, Judge Stephen Kramer told him: “You entered a sequence of behaviour involving offending against sex workers that rapidly escalated from rape to murder, over five weeks.

“You pose a future risk of serious harm, namely extreme sexual violence, and those most at risk are female sex workers.”
Police could not uncover a motive for McMillan’s killing of Ms Waddell but theorised he may have become enraged when he realised she was transgender.

Gene Robinson: Archbishop of Canterbury ‘abducted by aliens’ over homosexuality

The Bishop of New Hampshire, Gene Robinson, the first openly gay man to be ordained as a bishop has used his first interview since announcing his retirement to criticse the Archbishop of Canterbury. In a wide ranging interview with The Times, Bishop Robinson says Rowan Williams acts as if he was abducted by aliens and replaced with someone with a completely contrary view on homosexuality.

Rev Robinson was the first openly gay, non-celibate bishop to be elected when he was ordained in 2003. His appointment caused deep rifts between liberals and traditionalists.

“For 18½ centuries we had slavery and we used scripture to justify it … we have used scripture to subjugate and denigrate women … now we happen to be living in a time where we are trying to sort out whether we might have been similarly wrong about homosexuality,” he told the newspaper.

“What I point to is that Jesus clearly felt he had a special ministry and relationship to those who had been pushed to the margins. His central message was that no one is beyond God’s love. I would like to think that Jesus would have been arguing for the full inclusion of gay and lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in the life of the Church and in the life of the secular community.”

Robinson went on to express his perplexion at Dr William’s changing approach to homosexuality. “We were dancing in the streets when Rowan Williams was made Archbishop of Canterbury. We just thought it was a wonderful choice. And we are so perplexed here in the American Church about what he has done, what he has said. I have clergy friends in England who literally studied at Archbishop Williams’s feet when he was teaching and who have said to me it is almost as if aliens have come and taken Rowan away from us and they have left something here that looks like him but we don’t recognise him any more. And that’s from people who know him very very well. His writings and theological thinking have made enormous contributions to our common life. That will continue to be true. But I think writing and teaching is a different gift than leading and presiding over the Communion. And it’s in that latter area that I think we have so much confusion.”

A Bristol Tory councillor who criticised gay actor Ian McKellen’s visits to schools has been suspended by his party.

Chris Windows, who represents Henbury ward, has agreed to be “voluntarily suspended”, the Conservative Party said.

He told a council meeting on Tuesday that he was “disturbed” to hear that Stonewall and the actor had been speaking to local children about being gay.

“I am unhappy and a little disturbed at the involvement of Stonewall in our local schools and particularly the use of a certain leading actor as a potential role model for our impressionable young people,” he said.

A Conservative Party statement said: “In light of the controversy surrounding the remarks made by Councillor Chris Windows, from Bristol city council, he has agreed to voluntarily suspend himself from all his council responsibilities for an appropriate period. He has asked the Conservative group to decide upon the length of his voluntary suspension.

“The decision to voluntarily suspend the Conservative whip reflects his deeply held rejection of all forms of homophobia and his regret that offence may have been caused by his remarks.

“He intends to use his time away from council business to meet with Stonewall and understand the important work they do to prevent homophobic bullying.”

Mr Windows said he was not homophobic but was concerned that “confused” pupils could get bullied.

Matthew Sephton, chairman of Conservative-affiliated LGBT group LGBTory, said: “Cllr Windows was wrong to make the comments he did. What he said was potentially hurtful to the many young people who suffer from homophobic bullying in their schools.

“The Conservatives made a clear commitment in their equalities manifesto, published before the general election, to tackle homophobic and transphobic bullying in our schools and this work has already begun and has been welcomed by Stonewall. What Cllr Windows said is not compatible with the party’s pledges on this vital issue.”

He added: “I am pleased that Cllr Windows has been suspended from Bristol city council and I hope that, by meeting with Stonewall during the time of his suspension, he will truly appreciate the vital work they do in helping protect our young people from unnecessary and hurtful bullying that can have very serious consequences for our young people, and impact detrimentally on their lives, families and other relationships.”

Equalities minister Lynne Featherstone has said the government is committed to tackling hate crime against trans people.

Saturday is the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance. The international event, now in its 12th year, remembers trans people who have died as a result of prejudice.

In a message recorded ahead of the event, Ms Featherstone said the government was “determined to tackle hate crime” and was committed to publishing a Transgender Action Plan.

She said: “Together, we must tackle the transphobic prejudice which holds transgender people, and society, back. Equality is for all. That is why we have already committed to improving support and reporting services for transgender victims of hate crime – both by helping transgender people access help and by ensuring that services are better able to meet their needs.

“We cannot turn back time but together we can make a difference. This is our commitment to the memory of those we have lost and to a future free from ignorance and intolerance.

In London, a service will be held between 3pm and 6pm in Room LT1, the Cruciform Building, 5 University Street London WC1E 6JS.

Other events will be held in Brighton, St Andrews, Coventry and Sheffield.

For a full list of UK and worldwide events,

Prime minister David Cameron has added his voice to a campaign to support bullied gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans youngsters.

Mr Cameron recorded a video message for gay charity Stonewall in which he urged bullied teens to talk to someone about their problems.

In the message, which went online just after the Conservative Party suspended a councillor accused of homophobia, Mr Cameron said: “You don’t have to struggle on dealing with this on your own. Whether it’s your mum or your dad, or teachers, family friends or people who care about you and want to help you. Speak to them and you’ll feel so much better.

He added: “Britain is a diverse, open, tolerant place. This is not the sort of country where we label people for being different.”

Mr Cameron listed some of the progress made for gay equality and added: “Now, of course, there’s more to be done, which is why this government is working hard to drive homophobic bullying out of our schools.

“But overall, Britain is a place where you can be who you want to be and we should celebrate that.

“Talk to someone – if you do, things really will get better today.”

Today, the Conservative Party suspended a Bristol councillor who said he was “disturbed” that gay actor Sir Ian McKellen was visiting local schools to talk about homophobic bullying.

Chris Windows said he was not homophobic and that such issues should remain in the bedroom.

See below for Mr Cameron’s video message.

Two soldiers are being held by the Brazilian army after a teenager was shot at Sunday’s Rio de Janeiro Pride.

Nineteen-year-old student Douglas Igor Marques Luiz was shot once in the stomach during the gay festival.

He was treated in hospital and has now been released.

According to Associated Press, the army initially denied being involved in the incident.

It has now confirmed that two sergeants were arrested yesterday and will be questioned by police.

One is said to have admitted shooting the teenager.

Mr Luiz told police that he was verbally abused before being shot.

A gay man has been awarded more than £13,000 in compensation after a tribunal found he had been bullied at work for his sexuality.

Steven Bain said his colleagues at The Lighthouse in Glasgow, an architecture and design centre, asked him if he found the words “poof” and “queer” offensive and whether he had ever dressed as a woman, STV reports.

He also said his colleagues walked out of the room when he entered and told him they were “disgusted” that he had gone to a gay bar.

In addition, Mr Bain said they had discussed whether he should share cups with other workers and decked out a Christmas tree in red AIDS ribbons.

He had worked at the centre as a visitor service assistant and said that he had noticed a “change of culture” in 2007.

Mr Bain complained about his treatment but his grievances were dismissed in April last year. Five months later, he was made redundant, which he claimed may have been motivated by his complaints against colleagues.

He took his former employers to a tribunal, citing harassment on sexual orientation grounds and unfair dismissal, and was awarded £13,528 after the panel ruled that he endured a “hostile” and “degrading” working environment.

Labour Party general secretary Ray Collins and businessman Michael Bishop, who are both gay, are to become peers.

Mr Collins became Labour’s general secretary in 2009 but announced his intention to step down this week. He will remain in his post until a replacement is found.

Last year, he was ranked the ninth most powerful LGBT person in British politics by PinkNews.co.uk.

The former union official is one of 54 new working peers announced by Downing Street today and will join the Labour benches.

Mr Bishop, 68, the former owner of BMI, was one of the first openly gay senior executives in Britain.

A former chairman of Channel 4, he ran BMI from 1972 before selling his 50 per cent stake to German carrier Lufthansa for £223 million in 2009.

He will become the second out gay Conservative peer, after Guy Black, the former director of the Press Complaints Commission, who was appointed in July.

Other new Labour peers include Dame Joan Bakewell and former MP Oona King.

Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes was made a Conservative peer, while former MP Susan Kramer becomes a Liberal Democrat peer.

Former head of the Army Sir Richard Dannatt will sit as a cross-bencher.

A United Nations panel’s decision to remove sexual orientation from an anti-execution resolution is “shameful” and may encourage murders of LGBT people, gay rights campaigners say.

The body voted this week on the amendment, which was passed 79-70. The vast majority of countries in support of the change were African or Arabic.

Veteran gay rights activist Peter Tatchell said the move was a “shameful day in United Nations history” and would give a “de facto green light to the on-going murder of LGBT people by homophobic regimes, death squads and vigilantes”.

Gay rights group Stonewall also criticised the move and said the government should “lead from the front foot” to end homophobic persecution.

Chief executive Ben Summerskill said: “The vote by a UN panel to remove sexual orientation from this significant resolution is deeply disturbing. Lesbian, gay and bisexual people face violence, abuse and in some states, execution, because of their sexual orientation.

“This is a worrying and regressive step. We call on the UK government to lead from the front foot to end the persecution of gay people in other countries.’

The resolution, which the UN votes on every two years, has contained a reference to lesbian and gay people since 1999. It condemns extrajudicial, summary and arbitrary executions and other killings.

It still includes references to a variety of other groups, such as human rights defenders, religious and ethnic minorities and street children.

Introduced by Morocco and Mali, the amendment called for the words “sexual orientation” to be replaced with “discriminatory reasons on any basis”.

Mr Tatchell said homophobic countries would “take comfort from the fact that the UN does not endorse the protection of LGBT people against hate-motivated murder”.

He added: “The UN vote is in direct defiance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees equal treatment, non-discrimination and the right to life. What is the point of the UN if it refuses to uphold its own humanitarian values and declarations?

“Many of the nations that voted for this amendment want to ensure that their anti-gay policies are not scrutinised or condemned by the UN. Even if they don’t directly sanction the killing of LGBT people, they have lined up alongside nations that do.”

Mr Tatchell also criticised South Africa and Cuba, who voted in favour of the amendment.

“Presidents Raul Castro and Jacob Zuma should hang their heads in shame. They’ve betrayed the liberation ideals that they profess to uphold,” he said.

Earlier this week, Cary Alan Johnson, executive director of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, said the vote was a “dangerous and disturbing development” for gay people.

Around 5,000 children at Islamic weekend schools are being taught homophobic and anti-semitic views, it has been claimed.

According to a BBC Panorama investigation to be screened tonight, the Sharia law classes use textbooks which tell children that the penalty for gay sex is execution, that “Zionists” are plotting to take over the world for the Jews and the correct way to cut off the hands and feet of convicted thieves.

One book for six-year-olds asks children what happens to someone who does not believe in Islam. The answer, according to the programme, is “hellfire”.

There are said to be around 40 weekend schools, which are run under the banner of Saudi Students Clubs and Schools in the UK and Ireland. They teach the Saudi national curriculum and, as they are weekend schools, are not inspected by Ofsted.

According to the Daily Mail, one textbook for 15-year-olds identified by the programme says: “For thieves their hands will be cut off for a first offence, and their foot for a subsequent offence.”

Diagrams showing where cuts should be made accompany the text, which says: : “The specified punishment of the thief is cutting off his right hand at the wrist. Then it is cauterised to prevent him from bleeding to death.”

Gay sex is punished by execution, the schools allegedly teach. However, children are told that clerics are said to differ in whether the guilty person should be stoned, thrown off a cliff or burnt.

Other textbooks are said to ask students to list the “reprehensible” qualities of Jews and claim that Jews are transformed into pigs and monkeys.

Michael Gove, the education secretary, told Panorama: “Saudi Arabia is a sovereign country. I have no desire or wish to intervene in the decisions that the Saudi government makes in its own education system. But I’m clear that we cannot have antisemitic material of any kind being used in English schools.”

The Saudi ambassador to the UK said it had nothing to do with the schools and condemned the “dangerously deceptive and misleading” use of historical texts on Jews.

The Saudi embassy told Panorama: “Any tutoring activities that may have taken place among any other group of Muslims in the United Kingdom are absolutely individual to that group and not affiliated to or endorsed by the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia.”

Sexual health charities, politicians and gay rights campaigners have welcomed what appears to be a relaxation in Pope Benedict XVI’s opposition to the use of condoms. In an interview for a book that is due to be published this week, the Pontiff argued that in some cases, the use of condoms can be the first step in the direction of “moralisation” of an individual.

In 2009, the Pope told journalists on a flight to Cameroon that HIV/ AIDS was “a tragedy that cannot be overcome by money alone, that cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms, which even aggravates the problems.”

But now, speaking to a German journalist Peter Sewall for his ‘Light of the World’ book, the Pope said that “the sheer fixation on the condom implies a banalisation of sexuality, which, after all, is precisely the dangerous source of the attitude of no longer seeing sexuality as the expression of love, but only a sort of drug that people administer to themselves. This is why the fight against the banalisation of sexuality is also a part of the struggle to ensure that sexuality is treated as a positive value and to enable it to have a positive effect on the whole of man’s being.”

Burt he added: “There may be a basis in the case of some individuals, as perhaps when a male prostitute uses a condom, where this can be a first step in the direction of a moralization, a first assumption of responsibility, on the way toward recovering an awareness that not everything is allowed and that one cannot do whatever one wants. But it is not really the way to deal with the evil of HIV infection. That can really lie only in a humanization of sexuality.”

Asked if the Catholic Church is therefore not opposed in principle to the use of condoms, Pope Benedict XVI told the journalist. “She [the Church] of course does not regard it as a real or moral solution, but, in this or that case, there can be nonetheless, in the intention of reducing the risk of infection, a first step in a movement toward a different way, a more human way, of living sexuality.”

In a clarifying statement, the chief spokesman for the Vatican, Rev Federico Lombardi said the comments by the Pope does not indicate “reforms or changes” church teaching, which forbids use of condoms. “With this, the Pope isn’t reforming or changing the teaching of the church, but reaffirming it, putting it in the context of the value and the dignity of human sexuality as expression of love and responsibility,” he said.

Nevertheless, Lisa Power of sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust said: “We’re relieved that the Pope has accepted the reality that condoms are a major weapon in the fight against HIV.”

Prominent Catholic, Andy Burnham, the shadow education secretary told Sky News: “”This could save lives in parts of the world where use of condoms has been discouraged. The Church has had an unsustainable position on the use of condoms, particularly in Africa. If this is the first sign of a change I would welcome it.”

Gay rights campaigner, Peter Tatchell said that the Pope “seems to be admitting, for the first time, that using condoms can be morally responsible if they help save lives.

“Until now, Benedict XVI has always insisted that the church’s opposition to condom use was a fundamental, non-negotiable moral absolute that could never be changed. This new policy is a volte-face.

“Benedict seems to realise that his unrelenting, blanket opposition to condoms has damaged his own authority and that of the church.”

Mr Tatchell added: “If the Pope can change his stance on condoms, why can’t he also modify the Vatican’s harsh, intolerant opposition to women’s rights, gay equality, fertility treatment and embryonic stem cell research?”

A Tory councillor in Bristol who was accused of homophobia for criticising gay actor Ian McKellen’s visits to schools is to meet gay rights group Stonewall.

Chris Windows, the representative for Henbury, told a council meeting on Tuesday that he was “disturbed” to hear that Stonewall and the actor had been speaking to local children about being gay.

“I am unhappy and a little disturbed at the involvement of Stonewall in our local schools and particularly the use of a certain leading actor as a potential role model for our impressionable young people,” he said.

Mr Windows denied he was homophobic and said he was concerned that “confused” pupils could be identified and bullied.

His party has now suggested that he meet Stonewall to learn more about the charity’s work.

Tory group leader Geoff Gollop told the Bristol Evening News: “After the debate at full council, I suggested to Councillor Windows that he might consider meeting with Stonewall in order to gain a better understanding of what they are trying to achieve through these school visits.

“Furthermore, Chris has since expressed a willingness for this to take place.

“In such circumstances, this seems to me to be a sensible way forward in resolving any differences which have arisen in this matter.”

Stonewall reportedly said it would be happy to meet with Mr Windows.

Film chronicles Israel’s gay revolution

From 1985 to the present day, Israel’s gay community has undergone dramatic changes.

A film chronicling how the community found its feet will be shown during the UK Jewish Film Festival this week in London.

Gay Days will be screened on Thursday evening at the ICA in central London, followed by a panel discussion with the film’s director Yair Qedar and human rights activist Peter Tatchell. The panel will be chaired by Benjamin Cohen, Channel 4 News correspondent and publisher of PinkNews.co.uk.

The 1999 film shows the evolution of the LGBT rights movement in Israel since 1985.

It is billed as a personal story told through the eyes of Mr Qedar, who edited the Jewish LGBT paper The Pink Times. It shows the rapid increase in the number of openly LGBT people in Israeli society.

Using archive materials from television, film and home videos alongside photographs and extracts from Yair’s own diary, the film tells intimate, moving and humorous stories of the fight for equality through the movement’s key players, shedding light on their personal struggles as well those of the movement in general.

Contributors include partners Gal Uchovsky and Eytan Fox, Ellyot, Amalia Ziv, and Amit Kama.

The screening begins at 8.54pm. Tickets can be booked here.

PinkNews.co.uk is media-sponsor of this screening, in association with ENGAYJE.

His proposal on the front cover of Metro today was slightly overshadowed by a heterosexual couple but Jon Ireland is celebrating this afternoon after his boyfriend agreed to tie the knot.

Mr Ireland, 27, of Wood Green, was one of the winners of the newspaper’s Win The Cover competition and decided to surprise his partner of almost five years, 23-year-old Ben Collins.

Today’s cover, distributed around the country, read: “To my darling Ben Daniel Collins. Will you marry me? Lots of love, Jon Mark Ireland.”

Metro would not confirm until this afternoon whether Mr Ireland’s bid had ended in success.

Mr Ireland told the newspaper that his boyfriend, a carer, did not pick up a copy of Metro this morning but spotted the ad on the tube on his way to work.

He said: “He was all right about it but he was a bit ‘oh my god, my name!’”

“He said that he was a bit horrified to see his name but he was happy so it was a good job I suppose.”

Mr Ireland said his boyfriend initially texted him “I’m going to kill you!” but gave him a resounding ‘yes’ this afternoon.

The couple have not yet set a date for their civil partnership but say they may tie the knot in May on their fifth anniversary.

Sarah Palin’s daughter used the word ‘faggot’ to attack someone who criticised her mother.

Willow Palin, 16, told a Facebook friend that he was “so gay” and used the homophobic insult after he criticised former Alaska governor Mrs Palin’s reality TV show.

According to TMZ, Willow attacked a boy named Tre after he posted a status update saying “Sarah Palin’s Alaska is failing soo hard right now”.

Willow retorted: “Tre stfu [shut the f**k up]. Your such a f**got [sic]” and “Haha your so gay. I have no idea who you are, But what I’ve seen pictures of, your disgusting [sic]“.

Her older sister Bristol also joined the row, writing: “You’re running your mouth just to talk shit.”

When more Facebook users joined the argument, Willow wrote: “Sorry that you guys are all jealous of my families success and you guys aren’t goin to go anywhere with your lives [sic[.”

A Palin family source told TMZ that Willow does not usually use homophobic language and was defending her mother.

The secretary of the Campaign for Homosexual Equality, Griffith Vaughan Williams, has died at the age of 70.

Mr Williams, known as Griff, became involved in gay rights work in 1964 and was a leading member of CHE from its earliest days.

He was born in Bangor, North Wales, and was educated at a local grammar school and then at a college of journalism in Cardiff.

He worked for a number of magazines and provincial newspapers around the country, and later in the press office at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, before becoming a freelance journalist.

Ross Burgess, of CHE, told PinkNews.co.uk: “Griff was never going to retire from campaigning – despite increasing disability he continued to amaze us by his energy in travelling by train and bus, to promote his favourite causes at conferences and meetings all round the country.

“He was one of the small and dwindling band who had been campaigning for gay rights since the 1960s. He didn’t look like anyone’s idea of a gay man, which probably helped him get his message over in the early days.

“And he could still take people by surprise, for instance when a local meeting about services for older people heard this apparently conventional elderly man calling for condoms to be available in prisons.”

Funeral arrangements will be announced later. CHE will pay tribute to him at a reunion at Friends House on November 27th.

For more details, see www.slago.org.uk/ootsreunion.html

The Rugby Football League (RFL) held a reception in parliament last night to launch a campaign to welcome gay fans and players.

The event was hosted by Liberal Democrat MP Greg Mulholland and attended by a number of MPs from all parties and two players from Sheffield Eagles.

Former Great Britain Rugby Union Lions captain Gareth Thomas, who came out last year, was unable to attend due to illness.

However, he sent a message to the event: “All sports have a significant role to play in challenging homophobia and I am delighted to show my support to Rugby League and the RFL which has made such strong commitments to taking important issues like this seriously and is leading the way in terms of inclusivity.”

The RFL is the first and only sports body to be included on Stonewall’s annual diversity index and is launching a booklet to inform Rugby League clubs on how to deal with homophobia in the sport. It is also developing a new reporting service for homophobic abuse at matches, posters and DVDs.

Sheffield Eagles players Corey Hanson and Mitch Stringer presented new kit carrying the ‘Homophobia Tackle It!’ slogan, which will be worn during a home game in February, which is LGBT History Month.

Mr Stringer told PinkNews.co.uk that players hoped to be able to go into local schools to talk about homophobia and build a fanbase among LGBT people.

Lou Englefield of Pride Sports, which has been working with the RFL, said: “They’ll be wearing the shirts for a match in February. The fixtures aren’t out yet. We’re hoping to make this an annual event with a different team each year wearing the shirts.”

Opening the event, Mr Mulholland said: “Rugby League is perceived to be one of the toughest and most ferocious sports anyone could play. Whilst this is true in terms of the way the game is played, Rugby League has a history of being one of the most welcoming sports around.

“I am proud to play a sport that anyone can play irrespective of ability, gender, race, sexuality or background. It’s a testament to the work of all involved in the sport.”

Equalities minister Lynne Featherstone praised the sport for its “amazing message” and added: “This burns a great big hole in that horrible [homophobic] culture.

“They’re setting a really positive example that all other sports bodies should be proud to follow.”

Stonewall chief executive Ben Summerskill called the initiative “groundbreaking” and added: “For many, sport is still one of the last great bastions of homophobia but we warmly welcome RFL’s commitment to openly challenging prejudice and unfairness.”

Victoria Kolakowski has become the first trans person to be elected as a trial judge in the US.

She was elected as a superior court judge in Alameda County, California, beating deputy district attorney John Creighton with 51 to 48 per cent of the vote.

Ms Kolakowski has over 20 years of legal and judicial experience and currently serves as a judge for the California Public Utilities Commission.

She is also co-chair of the board of directors of the Transgender Law Centre and has represented trans plaintiffs in court.

During her campaign, she highlighted her trans history and said she would bring diversity to a bench which she claimed had too many white men.

She said earlier this year: “I believe that interacting with a transgender judge would help the other judges, court staff, police, district attorneys and the private bench to see people like me as respectable professionals and even colleagues, and not as ‘freaks’.

“Therefore I am passionate about blazing this trail for my community. I have been very fortunate to have a successful career as a public servant, and I feel an obligation to serve my community as a role model as well.”

Ms Kolakowski transitioned from male to female in 1989 and now lives with her wife, who she married in June 2008 on the first day gay marriage was legal in California

A Christian doctor who claimed she was a victim of religious discrimination has lost her case against Northamptonshire County Council.

Dr Sheila Matthews, of Kettering, claimed she was forced out of her post on the Northamptonshire Council Adoption Panel after she asked to be allowed to abstain from voting in cases involving same-sex couples, on the grounds that she believes gay couples should not adopt.

She went to an employment tribunal in Leicester to argue she was a victim of religious discrimination but the panel dismissed her claim and ordered her to pay the council’s legal costs.

According to the BBC, Dr Matthews told the tribunal the Bible was clear that “homosexual practice is not how God wants us to live”.

She told the hearing that she had seen research which claimed that lesbian couples may bring up children with an “anti-male bias” and that children brought up by gay couples are “more likely to consider or be involved in homosexual relationships themselves”.

Regional employment judge John MacMillan said: “The complaints of religious discrimination fail and are dismissed. This case fails fairly and squarely on its facts.”

He added: “In our judgment, at least from the time of the pre-hearing review, the continuation of these proceedings was plainly misconceived… they were doomed to fail. There is simply no factual basis for the claims.”

The tribunal said there was no evidence she had been treated unfairly on the basis of her Christianity and that there was no evidence that she was treated differently to any other panel member who asked to abstain from voting on whether parents should be allowed to adopt.

Dr Matthews said she was considering what action to take next.

Schools will be given new powers to deal with homophobic and transphobic bullying, Home Secretary Theresa May announced today.

Outlining the government’s new strategy on equality, Ms May promised that a provision to delete historic convictions for gay sex would be included in the upcoming Freedom Bill.

The Home Secretary also announced that the ‘socio-economic duty’ on public bodies to enforce equality would be scrapped, saying: “You can’t solve a problem as complex as inequality in one legal clause.”

The measure was included in the Equality Act by the then-equality minister Harriet Harman earlier this year. Critics called it “socialism in one clause”, but supporters said it would ensure better chances for underprivileged groups, by encouraging poorer parents to apply to send their children to good schools and forcing health authorities to dedicate funds to areas with poor health records.

Ms May said that “pointless political correctness and social engineering” had made equality “a dirty word”.

“You can’t make people’s lives better by simply passing a law saying that they should be made better. That was as ridiculous as it was simplistic and that is why I am announcing today that we are scrapping the socio-economic duty for good,” she added.

She said that the new duty “would have been just another bureaucratic box to be ticked. It would have meant more time filling in forms and less time focusing on policies that will make a real difference to people’s life chances.”

In January, Ms Harman said: “A person’s socio-economic background is still a key factor in determining their life chances – how they get on at school, the chances of continuing with their education, their employment prospects and their health.

“This new legal duty will fall on every strategic body that affects these life chances and will be a catalyst for change so that more people have a better chance to enjoy a higher standard of living.”

Speaking in London this morning, Ms May said: “We will give schools the power to take tough action to tackle bullying, including homophobic and transphobic bullying.

“And we also need to correct historical injustices. So I am pleased to announce today that we will introduce measures in the freedom bill so that it is possible for those with old convictions for consensual gay sex to apply for their record to be deleted from the police national computer so that they no longer have to declare them and they won’t show up on criminal record checks.”

In April, prime minister David Cameron told PinkNews.co.uk that convictions for acts which are now legal will be “treated as spent and will not be disclosed on a criminal record check when applying for a job”.

A government spokesman said that the details of the anti-bullying measures were still being discussed but would be implemented in a way that would not place bureaucratic restrictions on teachers.

Ms May did not mention religious civil partnerships or gay marriage in her speech. Ministers met with gay groups this summer and changes to civil partnerships are understood to be still under consideration.

Ben Summerskill, the chief executive of Stonewall, told PinkNews.co.uk that the new provisions were welcome.

On the measures to delete gay sex convictions from police records, he said: “Although that applies to a relatively small number of people, it was actually very traumatising for people who applied and are still applying for jobs, or indeed, applied to become politicians. So we warmly welcome today’s announcement.”

Mr Summerskill added that he would be meeting ministers in the next few days to discuss the new measures against bullying in schools.

He said: “It is a important step forward and it’s a very important recognition of the fact that the government acknowledges that it is a serious problem. We’ll be delighted once the final details of those proposals have been agreed with ministers and we’ll certainly be meeting with ministers in the next few days to discuss them.”

Bristol Palin, the daughter of former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, has said sorry after her younger sister used a homophobic slur.

Willow Palin, 16, told a Facebook friend this week that he was a “faggot” and “so gay” after he criticised Mrs Palin’s reality TV show.

Bristol initially joined in the row, telling the user named Tre: “You’re running your mouth just to talk shit.”

But yesterday, she added: “Willow and I shouldn’t have reacted to negative comments about our family. We apologise.”

Willow, who has not commented, is understood to have deleted her Facebook account.

The family was defended by Republican gay group GOProud, which said Willow was being unfairly criticised.

The group told TMZ: “The slur used here is one you could hear on the streets of West Hollywood or Chelsea every day of the week. Apparently, it’s only a homophobic slur when it comes from the daughter of a conservative female leader.”

“Make no mistake; this is all about destroying Sarah Palin by any means necessary.”

Australian politicians will ask voters whether gay marriage should be legalised after the Green Party won a motion on the issue.

The party won the motion by 73 votes to 72. It was deadlocked at 72-72 and Speaker Harry Jenkins was forced to use his casting vote.

A poll carried out for gay rights groups last month showed that 62 per cent of the 1,005 people surveyed supported allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry, up from 60 per cent last year.

The Greens are a coalition partner in prime minister Julia Gillard’s minority government. Ms Gillard and her Labor party oppose gay marriage but a number of Labor MPs broke ranks to vote in favour of the motion.

Labor will debate its policy on gay marriage at its conference in 2011. Ms Gillard said recently that she believes marriage should be between a man and a woman.

She told ABC: “I do believe that in our society, with our heritage, with our traditions, with our history, that marriage has a special place and special definition, so I’ve been very clear about that.”

Greens MP Adam Bandt, who introduced the motion, told reporters today: “The Australian parliament has just taken an important step to recognising that love is equal. It’s the first time the House of Representatives has recognised marriage equality.”

An amendment to the Marriage Act in favour of gay marriages has also been introduced by Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young.

Australian expat Portia DeGeneres, who married Ellen DeGeneres two years ago in California, has criticised Ms Gillard for her stance.

“I always thought Australia would pass this equal rights law . . . long before America would,” she told ABC radio this morning. She added that she was “a little bit disappointed in the new prime minister. But I am hoping Australia will be a leader in this.”

Fiona Mactaggart knows a thing or two about coming out.

But in her case, the revelation was about her multiple sclerosis and infertility, which she disclosed in a Commons debate in 2000.

Nevertheless, the Labour MP and shadow equality minister says that MPs must feel “safe” in order to be open about personal aspects of their lives.

However, she despises a liar and says the thing that bothers her most about whispers that she is a lesbian is the implication that she is not being honest.

Ms Mactaggart, 57, has been the MP for Slough since 1997 and was an NUS secretary, teacher and Liberty executive chairman before becoming an MP.

She was a junior Home Office minister between 2003 and 2006 and was named shadow equality minister in October. Her pet subjects as an MP have been immigration and women’s issues, especially prostitution.

She admits she hasn’t “led” on gay rights but has always supported the issue.

“I’ve always supported gay rights. I … haven’t led on it. Why? Because I don’t know anything special. On the bits where I do know something special, I’m happy to speak. But usually, on gay rights, I’m just part of the ‘poor bloody infantry’. And that’s fine, it’s a fine place to be if you’re working in solidarity with colleagues who know more, for whom it’s their number one issue.”

However, her history as a primary school teacher and later a lecturer on education informs her views on homophobic bullying.

“Firstly, you need to give teachers resources. Secondly, schools need clear policy about all kinds of bullying and particular this one.”

Bullying can be eradicated completely, she maintains. “You see schools where it really doesn’t happen. . . . it’s like saying can you ever get rid of petty theft? I think you can. It will still occur on the margins perhaps but why do the big stores always prosecute? Because they know that having a clear, explicit policy where everyone who goes in the store knows the policy changes people’s behaviour.

“It’s equally true of any form of bullying in my view. I’m not one to give up in the face of ‘oh, it’s too hard’. Things are hard but hard’s there to be dealt with, not to be avoided.”

Ms Mactaggart cites “feeling safe” as a key theme for gay equality, especially in the case of LGBT politicians: “You need people to feel that their career, family and life isn’t going to be threatened and unpicked.”

She said: “You don’t need to be as brave as Chris [Smith, the former Labour MP] was, but guess what, life is easier when you don’t stick your head out. The tall poppies get their heads cut off and it is easier to hide in a crowd.”

But she added: “I think the really terrible thing in politics is to tell lies. I think that’s the thing that rightly, voters will not forgive. I think that dissembling, pretending to be other than you are, that’s the unforgivable in most people’s views.”

Ms Mactaggart is not a lesbian but says that the fact she lives with a woman has been used by political opponents.

She said: “Certainly my opponents in Slough, on the doorstep, have suggested I’m a lesbian. The thing that makes me angry is not being accused of being a lesbian but the implication that I’m a liar. If i was a lesbian, I wouldn’t have any hesitation about being out.

“It was Conservative canvassers on the doorstep. It wasn’t printed anywhere. I gather, secondhand, that a Conservative candidate stopped elements within her party publishing a leaflet saying [that I was a lesbian].

“As I said, I came out about having MS and I know that feels different, but as a politician, actually, people thinking that you might end up in a wheelchair, might be a bit crippled, might have intellectual impairment, is kind of high risk. They might think, ‘why should I vote for her?’.”

Her admission of having MS and being infertile came out during a Commons debate on stem cell research in 2000. She had two frozen embryos and while it was considered too late at that stage to use them in fertility treatment, she says they could have been used to research her MS.

“It seemed to me that this experience was the kind of thing which might move some members of parliament’s view. So I think in moments like that, you have to feel safe. And actually I didn’t always [feel safe] talking about this. One of the Conservative MPs said that infertility was a social disease.”

Gay marriage is usually one of the topics which elicits the most reader interest in PinkNews.co.uk political interviews. Ms Mactaggart said: “I think everything should be equal but when I look at the difference between civil partnerships and marriage, the main difference seems to be that adultery isn’t grounds for a divorce.

“I don’t know… I just think we have to talk about it, listen, find out.

“I have no problem with calling it marriage. I honestly don’t feel very strongly about it. But I do think there are interesting issues about the actual differences in civil partnerships. like, for example, the issue of infidelity. . . I don’t know. But I think you need to address not just the name. most of the debate I’ve seen hasn’t explained beyond [that].

“Ed Miliband said that this is a matter the Labour Party should take very seriously. And I think he’s right. We should be part of the debate. We’ve been at the cutting edge of changing the law to provide rights for gay people and I want us to stay at that cutting edge.”

Faith organisations should not be forced to hold ceremonies for gay couples, she says.”While I think the state could properly legislate for civil marriage for gay people, and I have no reservations about that, I think requiring religious organisations to offer religious marriage to gay people might interfere with their rights.”

The coalition government met with gay rights groups in the summer to discuss the future of civil partnerships. Although Ms Mactaggart is more reticent than Mr Miliband and Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg on the subject, Labour won’t get another shot at persuading the LGBT community to vote for it until 2015.

When asked how the party can win back support, including from gay voters, she said: “Gay people felt the same as everyone else. They were worried about the economy, felt burdened by taxes, were stressed at work and didn’t feel we had a clear vision of where to go to next. I don’t’ think your sexual preference determines your view in any way.

“Our route back to government won’t be through this lot making mistakes – although they will – it has to be a recognition that actually, most people want to be able to get on with their own lives and have the support that’s necessary to be able to do that. But not to be nannied or nagged. I think we got a bit nannying and naggy. I don’t think we meant to. But I think people did feel that a bit.

“What we need to do is to demonstrate that we have a clear picture of how to run an economy well where people can expected to succeed and do well at life but we also have to provide the support to ensure people can thrive in a way that’s equal for everyone.

“I think it’s going to take time to get there. We also need a real relationship with voters. I think that’s why I am still a red dot in a very blue sea because of that very real relationship with voters.

“When they saw Tory canvassers on the doorstep saying that I was a lesbian, frankly, the people at the other end just didn’t care. They just didn’t care because they thought, ‘she stands up for us. do we mind? Not a bit’.”

Poll finds gay people are coming out at a younger age

A poll by gay rights charity Stonewall has found that the average age for gay and bisexual teenagers to come out is now 15.

The online survey of 1,536 openly gay or bisexual people found that the age for coming out has steadily fallen over the last 20 years.

Respondents aged 60 and over had an average of of 37 for coming out, but for those in their thirties, the average age was 21.

Those aged under 18 had an average coming out age of 15.

Ruth Hunt, Stonewall’s deputy director of public affairs, said: “People are coming out younger and younger. Everyone should come out when they feel ready and confident but this is an encouraging trend and sends a positive message to anyone not yet out: you don’t have to wait. Britain is a fairer country than it once was, and support is available to you.”

This week is National Anti-Bullying Week and Stonewall is encouraging students to write to their local MPs to ask whether education authorities will be using resources to counter homophobic bullying.

Ms Hunt added: “Young people are coming out in schools across Britain right now. As lesbian, gay and bisexual pupils become more visible than ever, it’s essential schools make things better for them.”

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