Peter Tatchell punched by church goers

Three gay rights protesters say they were punched while being forcibly removed yesterday from a conference at which rebel bishops were trying to attract recruits to a network for Anglicans who believe all same-sex relationships should be condemned.

The protest, led by Peter Tatchell, comes as the Anglican communion goes through what is possibly its greatest crisis in 450 years, with many senior clergy predicting that a split in the Church is almost inevitable.

Yesterday’s meeting, at All Souls Church, London, followed a conference in Jerusalem of Anglican bishops from around the world who are defying the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, because they believe he has failed to follow the biblical line on homosexuality.

The General Synod of the Church of England is also in danger of being split this weekend in an equally passionate dispute over whether to permit women bishops.

“We were punched and physically ejected,” Mr Tatchell said yesterday. “We were very polite. We folded up our banners and tried to walk into the conference. They did not say a word to us, they just started punching and shoving.”

After they were turned out, the protesters unfolded banners with slogans saying “Church of Hate! Stop Crucifying Queers!”, “Defend gays, fight Christian bigots” and “Anglicans Repent Your Homophobia”.

Written by TechStickle on July 3rd, 2008 with no comments.
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Australian Olympic diver Matthew Mitcham comes out

Australian Olympic diver Matthew Mitcham came out to the media for the first time on Saturday, in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald. He’ll be the first openly gay athlete from Australia to compete in the Olympics:

“The gold medal hopeful’s journey has not been easy. Those close to him have seen Mitcham, 20, battle depression, retire in his teenage years after physical and emotional burn-out, then nine months later resume his sport and build himself into the champion he is today. One person who has been by his side for the entire tumultuous journey is his partner, Lachlan. ‘We can’t afford for Lachlan to go at the moment,’ Mitcham said. ‘But Johnson & Johnson offer grants to go to Beijing and I’ve nominated Lachlan as the support person I want to go.’ It’s not only Lachlan who has helped Mitcham to Beijing. His coach, Chava Sobrino, had faith in him when no one else did and resurrected his career. Former athlete Sarina Bratton cares for him like a son and fellow diver Alex Croak is a constant sounding board and his best friend. ‘That little support network has made my dream possible,’ Mitcham said. ‘It would have been impossible and I probably wouldn’t have made it without their help.’”

Written by TechStickle on May 28th, 2008 with 1 comment.
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Australia accepts gay unions not straight symbolism

In Australia marriage is for one man and one woman. It is not for two men or two women, unless one is no longer a man or woman. A woman born a man may marry a man, as long as he remains a man, and she keeps taking her hormones.

The only way gays may marry in Australia is by sex-change, a rather extreme declaration of love, and anything that even “mimics” marriage is likewise banned.

The federal Attorney-General, Robert McClelland, said last week his government would make 100 or so changes to tax, social security and other laws to stop discriminatory treatment of gay couples. The changes are welcome and enjoy bipartisan support. But he has scuppered civil unions.

“We don’t support a measure that mimics marriage,” he told The 7.30 Report, which sounds a lot like: “you’re not welcome in our marriage club, and don’t start one of your own.”

That notable gay-rights activist, George Bush, said in 2004: “I don’t think we should deny people rights to a civil union, a legal arrangement, if that’s what a state chooses to do.”

But the Rudd Government is doing precisely that, forcing the ACT to water down its second attempt at introducing civil partnerships, and making things tricky for its senior minister, Penny Wong.

In 2006, Wong said the Howard Government was more extreme and conservative than Bush for having the Governor-General invalidate the ACT’s first attempt. When asked this week whether her government was too, she concentrated on the 100 changes.

Meanwhile, Labor does “positively encourage” a nationally consistent system of relationship registration, an unfortunate term more often used for dogs, although there’s no proposal to microchip gay couples.

McClelland said such a system might be for more than gay couples. It might be for financially dependent carers, or good friends or two firemen who pretend to be gay to get benefits (as in last year’s Adam Sandler comedy, I Now Pronounce You Chuck And Larry).

This wider net is more palatable to the religious right, as the qualification moves from bonking to banking. It also increases the potential cost to taxpayers if it means Chuck and Larry, for example, qualify for the family Medicare Safety Net.

Both registration and civil unions would qualify couples for almost-equal treatment, but civil unions look like weddings. Ergo, they are bad.

The ACT Attorney-General, Simon Corbell, thought the attitude to civil unions would change with the government. In December, Kevin Rudd said this issue was for the states and territories. But Rudd’s government has since decided to mimic its predecessor, and heavied Corbell to water-down his plan. It vowed to again override the legislation if he didn’t.

Written by TechStickle on May 17th, 2008 with 1 comment.
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Boris Johnson is our new Night Mayor

I cant believe Londoners voted for Boris Johnson. He is going to be our worst night mayor.

According to pollsters Ipsos Mori, the congestion charge topped the list of reasons for dissatisfaction with Mr Livingstone. I cant help disagee with most people then. I think the congestion charge is great. The roads are now much freer of through traffic, which was causing not only congestion but the worst air quality in Western Europe.

Also safety and crime and the health service were the top priorities for improving London as a place to live. Right now as I write this there is a shooting on the Kings Road. There is a helicopter above our apartment. I cant get to the Queens Head to play Trivial Pursuit with Jacquie Dee tonight! So much for a great fight on crime Boris. I feel less safe than ever.

Written by TechStickle on May 7th, 2008 with no comments.
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The London Fire Brigade sponsors the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.

This is quite enlightening. David and I went to see East West last night at the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. I was really pleased to see that the London Fire Brigade are proud to be a sponsor of this year’s festival. The film was a bit depressing, covering the struggle to hold a Pride march in Moscow. Last year’s Pride march in Moscow ending up with severe beatings for the demonstrators (including local Peter Tachell).

The London Fire Brigade are now 13th in Stonewalls list of top employers! Here are the ten top-scoring companies on the Work Equality Index:

1 IBM 95%
2 Staffordshire Police 94%
3 Greater London Authority 93%
3 Manchester City Council 93%
5 Nacro 92%
6 Lloyds TSB 91%
7 Brighton & Hove City Council 90%
8 Goldman Sachs 89%
8 KPMG 89%
8 Transport for London 89%
11 Hampshire Constabulary 88%
11 Sheffield City Council 88%
13 BT 87%
13 Greater Manchester Police 87%
15 West Midlands Police 86%
16 Barclays 85%
16 Home Office 85%
18 Citigroup 84%
19 Accenture 82%
19 JPMorgan 82%

Written by TechStickle on April 1st, 2008 with no comments.
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Homophobic Scottish Bishop attacks the “gay lobby”

A Scottish Bishop has attacked the “gay lobby” for what he percieves as their attack on Christian values.

The Right Rev Joseph Devine, the Bishop of Motherwell, told a Glasgow audience that the gay lobby presented “an image of a group of people under persecution”.

In the fourth of the Gonzaga Lectures held at the city’s St Aloysius’ College, Bishop Devine also spoke about sectarianism, praising joint-campus schools and noting the significant rise of Polish Catholics in Scotland.

He vowed to “fight on against the forces of secularism” saying this was “more dangerous as a threat because it is much more insidious”.He said: “The homosexual lobby has been extremely effective in aligning itself with minority groups. It is ever present at the service each year for the Holocaust memorial.

“We neglect the gay movement at our peril.

“I want to ask you if you are able to see the giant conspiracy that’s taking place before our eyes?”

He said: “It’s a very small group of people, but very active and organised, and extremely indulgent. The opposition know exactly what they’re doing. We don’t.”

What outrageous paranoia! How can an intelligent man come out with such crap.

And as for the quote that Gay people are ever present at the Holocaust memorial - sadly, another example of ignorance and the ignoring of Gypsies and Gays who were victims of the Holocaust.

Written by TechStickle on March 14th, 2008 with 3 comments.
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Is Pink Gay ?

This is sad - they were such a cool couple. Pink and her motocross biker husband Carey Hart have officially split. Her publicist announced the end of the couple’s long-term relationship in a really nice statement:

“This decision was made by best friends with a huge amount of love and respect for one another,” the statement read. “While the marriage is over, their friendship has never been stronger.”

Pink’s liaisons with female friends have had eyebrows raised for ages - this divorce will do nothing to squash those gay rumours!

Written by TechStickle on February 20th, 2008 with no comments.
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Theatre Outing - The History Boys

David and I went to see the excellent play by Alan Bennett tonight.

The action of the play takes place in Cutlers’ Grammar School, Sheffield, a fictional boys’ grammar school in the north of England. Set in the 1980s, the piece follows a group of History pupils preparing for the Oxbridge entrance examinations under the guidance of two teachers (Irwin and Hector) with contrasting styles.

Irwin teaches the essay style of brisk generalities flavoured with sufficient facts and quotations to engage the examiner’s interest. He teaches the boys to find a (sometimes controversial) angle on a point in History and find evidence to support it, enabling the student to prove a less than truthful perspective of History. He believes the truth is irrelevant when it comes to finding a stance that will make his pupils stand out in the examination board. This method was one of ‘false pretences’, that Bennett felt he had had to teach himself in order to succeed in examinations, one academic pursuit with which he constantly had trouble. Hector, however, wishes to teach knowledge, especially English Literature, for its own intrinsic value, hoping his students will benefit greatly from his influence. He wants the boys to become cultured, rounded human beings and believes that such contrived methods are practically indecent. Exams are the enemy of all that he stands for.

The play blends both comedy and tragedy, with multiple layers and themes, including growing up, the wider purpose of education in adult life, teaching methods, homosexuality, and the English education system.

Indeed the role of the pupil Posner with his hopeless attraction to classmate Dakin, fondness of Hector’s teaching methods and late development into adulthood represents deep autobiographical details of Bennett’s life. The play also takes much influence from director Nicholas Hytner’s time at Manchester Grammar School and indeed that institution is referenced in the play.

Written by TechStickle on January 30th, 2008 with no comments.
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Russian minister censors kissing policemen picture…

Russian minister censors kissing policemen picture
A photo of two policemen kissing, inspired by British graffiti artist Banksy, has been banned by Russia’s culture minister from an exhibition of contemporary Russian art.

Alexander Sokolov announced on Monday that the photo, Kissing Policemen (An Epoch of Clemency) by Russian art collective Blue Noses, would no longer be part of next week’s show at the Maison Rouge exhibition hall in Paris.

Alexander Shaburov, one of the Blue Noses, said the picture was homage to Banky’s famous stencil of two policemen kissing.

Written by TechStickle on October 16th, 2007 with no comments.
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John Howard calls November election in Australia

John Howard calls November election in Australia
Australian Prime Minister John Howard today called a general election, to be held on the 24th November. It has been speculated that he will support moves towards an increase in pro-gay legislation.

Mr Howard’s Liberal Party is around 12 per cent behind Kevin Rudd’s opposition Labor party in the polls.

At that level of support, switching LGBT voters, traditional supports of the Labor party to vote Liberal will become more significant.

Written by TechStickle on October 16th, 2007 with no comments.
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