The melding of the Gay Multiverse

When significant events in the the gay calendar collide, can mayhem be far behind..?

Today is not only the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest aka "The Gay World Cup" (and our raucous party here at Dolores Delargo Towers to mark the occasion), not only our beloved "niece" Baby Steve's birthday [shy, unassuming thing that he is, as the pic above proves]...

...but it also happens to be the International Day Against Homophobia [originally founded to commemorate the World Health Organization's decision in 1990 to declassify homosexuality as a mental disorder on this date in 1990, it has now [inevitably; sigh...] been co-opted by other ideologies to include trans people as well, for some reason]!

It is shocking, in this day and age - we are in the third decade of the 21st century, not some Victorian pseudo-puritan nor Medieval god-fearing feudal world, ffs! - that in 64 UN member states homosexuality remains illegal, and in at least seven (if not more) punishable by death! Mali, Uganda, Guinea Bissau, Iran, Peru and Afghanistan have been particularly rabid in recent times in their crackdowns. Even in the so-called "civilised world", Eastern European states such as Russia and its allies and even EU member state Hungary continue to harass, punish and imprison gay people for no reason other than bigotry, and in the "saintly" US of A same-sex marriage and other rights are under attack in numerous Trump-loving states.

Even as I continue the tidy-up and preparations for the party, I still make time for this message to homophobes everywhere...

GayClic Collab Against Homophobia - Fuck You!

It's traditional.

Together always?

UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for the International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDaHoT) today:

As we mark the International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, we face a stark fact. In every corner of the world, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI+) people continue to face violence, persecution, hate speech, injustice and even outright murder.

Meanwhile, retrograde laws continue to criminalise LGBTQI+ people around the world, punishing them for simply being who they are. Each assault on LGBTQI+ people is an assault on human rights and the values we hold dear.  We cannot and will not move backwards.

The United Nations firmly stands with the LGBTQI+ community, and will continue working until human rights and dignity are a reality for all people.

I renew my call to all Member States to uphold the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and end the criminalisation of consensual same-sex relations and transgender people.  Being yourself should never be a crime.

In keeping with this year’s theme - “Together Always:  United in Diversity” - I call on the world to speak with one voice to eliminate the stigma, discrimination, harmful practices and often deadly violence endured by LGBTQI+ people.

Human rights are non-negotiable.  They belong to every member of the human family — no matter who they are or whom they love.  Let’s continue working to build a peaceful, just world in which all people are free and equal in dignity and rights.

Let's take a look at what actually is happening in some of those member states, shall we?

• USA
• Australia 
• UK
• France
• Uganda
• Russia (of course)
• Furthermore, a recent study showed Lesbians are being coerced into unwanted heterosexual marriages in Canada, Indonesia, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Malawi, Mexico, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Tunisia and Ukraine.

Despite some good news, such as Switzerland and Cuba legalising same-sex marriage, and Antigua, Barbados, Saint Kitts and Nevis decriminalizing homosexuality, let's charge our glasses for our traditional toast:

To the governments in the bulleted list above, and those of Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Oman, Jamaica, Myanmar, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Zambia, Sudan, Iran, Maldives, Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Italy, Romania and Bulgaria; and to all the insane Trump acolytes and wannabees (like DeSantis), the pseudo-religious evangelists, imams and and rabbis, the tin-pot dictators, rappers, media moguls and to anyone who espouses hate against us...

...All, together, now!

GayClic Collab Against Homophobia - Fuck You!

---

FOOTNOTE:

Fun fact for IDaHoT:

Did you know that Grandpa Walton was gay and Grandma Walton a lesbian? Well there goes the illusion of old time American values. Good night, John Boy.

When Ellen Corby (Grandma Walton) died in 1999, the chief mourner at her funeral was Stella Luchetta. If this lady was mentioned at all in the press, it was as friend and/or caretaker. However, it was an open secret in Hollywood that Stella was much more than that. The couple had been in a committed relationship for forty-five years by then. Ellen's last words were spoken to Stella. They were 'love you'.

When we look at the history of the Gay Rights Movement in the USA, only a handful of people stand out. One of those is Harry Hay. Harry was a member of the original gay rights organisation, the Mattachine Society. Yet go back to 1934, to the very beginning of this civil rights story, and look beyond Mr Hay to his boyfriend... young Grandpa Walton (Will Geer).

Take a stand!

Hurrah! With consummate timing, seventeen-year old footballer Jake Daniels has become the first out-gay male professional player in the UK, in a traditionally less-than tolerant sport - right on time for the International Day Against Homophobia (and bi- and trans- these days)!

If only other sports would follow suit (although the Olympics seems to be increasingly seen as a safe environment in which to come out in public) - and, for that matter, the world's organised religions, regimes and political bodies!.

From a statement to mark this annual event by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet today:

...Thanks to the arduous work of LGBTIQ+ human rights defenders, we have seen many positive changes around the world: decriminalization of consensual same-sex relations, the adoption of laws protecting LGBTIQ+ persons from discrimination, recognition of the gender identity of trans persons, marriage equality, and measures to combat hate crimes, harmful practices and advance social and economic inclusion.

LGBTIQ+ people are entitled to the equal respect for their dignity and equal respect, protection and fulfilment of their fundamental human rights, just like everyone else.

And yet, widespread violations continue: killings, torture, sexual violence, criminalization, arbitrary detention. Harmful practices such as “conversion” therapy, forced sterilization, surgery and treatment on trans and intersex people, degrading examinations. Widespread stigma, harassment, bullying and discrimination at work, at home, in education, health, housing, sports and access to public services. And the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have only exacerbated exclusion and inequality.

Despite advances, consensual same-sex relations are still criminalized in close to 70 countries. Only one out of three countries legally protect people from discrimination based on sexual orientation, only one out of ten protect people based on gender identity, and only a handful based on sex characteristics.

I am concerned by continued harassment against LGBTIQ+ human rights defenders, discriminatory restrictions on freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, and new proposed discriminatory measures in a number of countries, including some that specifically target trans people.

I urge States to act swiftly to repeal discriminatory laws, prohibit harmful practices, including in medical settings, combat hate crime and violence, adopt comprehensive anti-discrimination laws and policies, legally recognise the gender identity of trans persons based on self-identification, recognise same-sex couples, and protect LGBTIQ+ human rights defenders.

Tackling these issues does not just require changes in laws and policies – it also requires greater acceptance, support and celebration of LGBTIQ+ persons by everyone in society, including within the family...

...The United Nations will continue to stand up for the human rights of everyone, including LGBTIQ+ people – today and every day.

For a full list of countries that hate us and discriminate against us, check Wikipedia.

And to each and every one of the bastards, here's our "Anthem for the Day"!

GayClic Collab Against Homophobia - Fuck You!

Look inside
Look inside your tiny mind
Now look a bit harder
'Cause we're so uninspired, so sick and tired of all the hatred you harbour

So you say
It's not okay to be gay
Well I think you're just evil
You're just some racist who can't tie my laces
Your point of view is medieval

Fuck you
Fuck you very, very much
'Cause we hate what you do
And we hate your whole crew
So please don't stay in touch

Fuck you
Fuck you very, very much
'Cause your words don't translate
And it's getting quite late
So please don't stay in touch

Do you get
Do you get a little kick out of being slow-minded?
You want to be like your father
It's approval you're after
Well that's not how you find it

Do you
Do you really enjoy living a life that's so hateful?
'Cause there's a hole where your soul should be
You're losing control of it and it's really distasteful

Fuck you
Fuck you very, very much
'Cause we hate what you do
And we hate your whole crew
So please don't stay in touch

Fuck you
Fuck you very, very much
'Cause your words don't translate and it's getting quite late
So please don't stay in touch

Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you,
Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you,
Fuck you

You say, you think we need to go to war
Well you're already in one,
'Cause its people like you
That need to get slew
No one wants your opinion

Fuck you
Fuck you very, very much
'Cause we hate what you do
And we hate your whole crew
So please don't stay in touch

Fuck you
Fuck you very, very much
'Cause your words don't translate and it's getting quite late
So please don't stay in touch

Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you
Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you

---

Speaking of "fucking"...

click to embiggen

...Happy Birthday, Baby Steve!

So sick and tired of all the hatred you harbour

It is the International Day Against Homophobia [or whatever it's called these days, since the acronyms keep changing] and so, to the governments of Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Malawi, Oman, Jamaica, Myanmar, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Zambia, Tanzania, Sudan, Iran, Uganda, Maldives, Morocco, Algeria and Egypt [from this list]; to Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Italy, Romania and Bulgaria [see here]; and to all the insane Trump acolytes, the pseudo-religious evangelists, imams and and rabbis, the tin-pot dictators, rappers, media moguls and to anyone who espouses hate against us...

...we charge our glasses for our traditional toast. All, together, now!

GayClic Collab Against Homophobia - Fuck You!

Cheers!

'Cause we hate what you do

A statement from UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

The world marks International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT) at a time of great challenge.

Among the many severe impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic is the increased vulnerability of LGBTI people. Already facing bias, attacks and murder simply for who they are or whom they love, many LGBTI people are experiencing heightened stigma as a result of the virus, as well as new obstacles when seeking health care. There are also reports of COVID-19 directives being misused by police to target LGBTI individuals and organizations.

As the pandemic unfolds, the United Nations will continue to highlight these and other injustices, as well as the need for everyone to be protected and included in the response to the crisis. Together, let us stand united against discrimination and for the right of all to live free and equal in dignity and rights.

As ever, on this important day in the gay rights calendar, to the regimes exercising and encouraging discrimination against us across the world; to Putin in Russia, to Jarosław Kaczyński in Poland, to the Sultan of Brunei, to Muhammadu Buhari in Nigeria, to the rulers of Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Uganda, Chechnya, Cameroon, Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Turkey, Barbados, Malaysia, Ethiopia, Antigua and Barbuda, Egypt, Kenya, Tanzania, Dominica, Grenada, Malawi, Zambia, Sudan, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the mullahs of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Palestine, Yemen, Afghanistan, the Maldives and Iran, and any other tinpot dictator, so-called preacher, so-called "family values" advocate, or right-wing politician who hates us, there is, and will forever be, one message...

GayClic Collab Against Homophobia - Fuck You!

I'll drink to that.

Very, very much

In our "comfort zones" in the West, it is easy for people to say - as the usual pundits tend to do, in particular when such things as Gay Pride events are debated - that we have it all "sorted"; that the battles for equal treatment and recognition for gay people have largely been won. But even during the recent glitteringly camp Eurovision Song Contest, there was still evidence of homophobia - be it institutional, such as the Chinese censorship of rainbow flags and gay performers, or attitudinal: some of the commenters "below the line" in such august media as The Independent or The Telegraph still found the need to heap scorn and condemnation on the fact that Ireland's entry had the temerity to feature a gay kiss. At Eurovision, for fuck's sake!

Gay people in all societies - "First World" and "Third World" alike still encounter insults, discriminatory behaviours and sometimes violence. Trans people in their own struggles for recognition are regularly disparaged by right-wing and left-wing groups alike.

HIV/AIDS organisation Avert has some optimism:

"...progress is being made in overturning anti-gay laws. Last month saw the total number of countries with anti-LGBT laws drop to 74 with Trinidad being the latest country to join the modern statute books (pending an appeal).

"Activists hope that upcoming court rulings in Kenya and India will see this figure drop to 73 or even 72."

There was actual good news as Australia (finally) made same-sex marriage legal (as did Slovenia, Germany, Malta, Taiwan and Austria during 2017); darling Tom Daley used his position as a Commonwealth Games medal-winner to highlight homophobia in the world's media; cute Justin Trudeau's Canadian government formally apologised to the thousands of Canadians who suffered injustices during a decades-long campaign to root out homosexuality from the military and public service; and gay producer-director James Ivory received an Oscar for Call Me By Your Name (which itself was a smash hit in cinemas across the world).

None of this is anywhere near enough.

The continued active persecution, discrimination, imprisonment and even murder of gay people by ISIS and Islamist states such as Brunei, Iran, the Gulf States, Morocco and Saudi Arabia; and the spite, bile, cruelty and violence towards us that is actively encouraged by Russia and its ex-satellites, Catholic and African churches, US gobshite evangelists, and right-wing politicians across the globe proves that this is not the case for the majority of people in this world.

The list of modern-day horrors in just the last twelve months includes the persecution and torture of gay people in:

• Chechnya;
• Cameroon;
• Azerbaijan;
• Indonesia; and
• Turkey.

Shamefully, our own Commonwealth is a collective that includes a high proportion of the World's homophobic states. Prime Minister Theresa May last month expressed “deep regret” for Britain’s role in criminalising same-sex relations in its former colonies and announced Foreign & Commonwealth Office funding for an ambitious £5.6 million two-year programme to advance equality and equal protection before the law. Baby steps.

And I haven't even mentioned Trump...

As ever, on this International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHo), there is a simpler message for our oppressors, bullies and haters out there:

GayClic Collab Against Homophobia - Fuck You!

Indeed.

Freedom cannot be denied

To mark this year's International Day Against Homophobia (and Transphobia and "Biphobia"), I thought I would share with you the ever-incisive thoughts of our Patron Saint of Human Rights, Mr Peter Tatchell:

Queer freedom is an unstoppable global trend

The last few years have witnessed an unnerving backlash against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people in nearly 20 countries, including Russia, Morocco, Uganda, Iraq, Brunei, Syria, Nigeria and The Gambia.

This escalating repression has included more vigorous enforcement of long-standing laws criminalising same-sex relations; resulting in highly publicised arrests in countries such as Tunisia, Cameroon, India, Egypt and Senegal.

Prohibitions on same-sex relations

Seventy-three countries still have a total prohibition on same-sex relations. Half of them are members of the Commonwealth. Their homophobic laws were imposed by Britain in the nineteenth century, during the era of colonialism, and retained after independence.

The penalties for homosexuality include 25 years jail in Trinidad and Tobago and 20 years plus flogging in Malaysia. Several Commonwealth countries stipulate life imprisonment: India, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Pakistan, Uganda, Bangladesh and Guyana.

There have also been new laws enacted in some countries, most excessively in Nigeria, which has outlawed LGBTI organisations, fundraising and public advocacy – and even banned gay-focused HIV prevention and LGBT-themed books and movies.

Lesser repression involves restrictions on media coverage of LGBTI issues and on the foreign funding of LGBTI groups, as happens in Uganda.

In these backlash countries, LGBTI people are increasingly demonised and scapegoated by demagogic politicians and fundamentalist clerics as a cheap way to win popular support.

At the start of 2016, a spokesperson for Malawi’s opposition party, Ken Msonda, sought to bolster his profile and win bigoted votes: “Arresting them (LGBTIs) won’t address this problem because sooner or later they are being released on bail. The best way to deal with this problem is to kill them!”

Anglican churches in Nigeria and Uganda have contributed to the witch-hunting atmosphere; supporting draconian new anti-gay laws.

Distracting from economic failings and corruption

To the delight of many governments, having an “enemy within” has conveniently distracted public attention from economic failings and corruption.

Hate rhetoric is fuelling homophobic mob violence – sometimes perpetrated by right-wing death squads – especially in Honduras, Brazil, Mexico, Peru and El Salvador. Over 200 Honduran LGBTI activists have been assassinated since 2008.

A disproportionately high number of victims of anti-LGBTI violence are transgender people. The Trans Murder Monitoring project reports that over 1,300 trans and gender-diverse women and men were murdered in Latin America from 2008 to 2014.

In recent years, the Indian and Singaporean courts have upheld the criminalisation of same-sex relations, and Burundi and Chad have outlawed homosexuality for the first time in their history.

Islamic State in Syria is targeting LGBTIs for execution, mostly by throwing them off tall buildings. In neighbouring Iraq, Shia militias are also waging a terror campaign against LGBTI people.

Despite this bleak picture, in the overwhelming majority of the world’s 193 countries, the trend is towards ever greater LGBTI acceptance and equality.

Greater LGBTI legal protections

In recent years, we’ve seen the decriminalisation of gay sex in Belize, Palau, São Tomé and Príncipe, Northern Cyprus, Mozambique, Nauru and the Seychelles.

There are legal challenges to the ban on same-sex relations in Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.

A Ugandan court annulled the notorious Anti-Homosexuality Act, albeit on a technicality. The new Bill to replace it has never been legislated.

Vietnam lifted the ban on same-sex marriage in 2015, as a prelude to its expected eventual legalisation.

The Botswana courts have for the first time recognised the right of an LGBTI organisation to be registered and the Indian Supreme Court has upheld the rights of the trans community.

Helem, Lebanon’s LGBTI group, has operated for over a decade; hosting the first LGBTI centre in the Arab world. Taiwan has elected its first woman president, a supporter of same-sex marriage, in a country where marriage equality now has more than two-thirds public support.

The first openly lesbian cabinet Minister has taken office in South Africa, while two men who were prosecuted for being gay in Zambia were acquitted at their trial.

Both the United Nations Human Rights Council and the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights passed resolutions in 2014 calling on governments to protect their LGBTI communities against discrimination and hate crime.

What the global public thinks

Research by the Williams Institute has found rising global acceptance of same-sex relations, including in many developing countries:

“Latin American acceptance of homosexuality ranges from a high of 34% in Uruguay to a low of 2% in Ecuador. On legal recognition for marriages for same-sex couples, Uruguay has the highest level of support at 57% while Guatemala has the lowest level of support at 12%. In Africa, acceptance of homosexuality ranges from a high of 38% in South Africa to a low of 2% in Ghana.”

These figures of support are still too low but nonetheless a big improvement on a decade ago.

In this context of majority progress, backlash is a minority blip in the overall worldwide trajectory towards LGBTI equality. It is a reaction to the positive gains won by brave, determined LGBTI human rights defenders, many of whom risk their liberty and lives. If we were not winning there’d be no backlash. Backlash is a dreadful but backhanded compliment.

LGBTI freedom has been long delayed but it cannot be denied.

There is, of course, a shorter message to anyone who dares to decry, discriminate, agitate or threaten violence against us. As is traditional on this day, we leave it to Lily Allen (and the GayClic Collab Against Homophobia) to say it.

Fuck You!:

GayClic Collab Against Homophobia - Fuck You!

Resources:

• International Day Against Homophobia official site
• The AllOut campaign has produced a series of videos for people to share.

You say, you think we need to go to war - well you're already in one

It's IDAHo, or IDAHoT, or even IDAHoBiT again! The International Day Against Homophobia (and nowadays, Bi-phobia [whatever that means] and Transphobia) was created in 2004 to draw the attention of policymakers, opinion leaders, social movements, the public and the media to the violence and discrimination experienced by LGBT people internationally, it is now celebrated in more than 130 countries, including 37 where same-sex acts are illegal. Activities are taking place (amongst others) in Russia, in Egypt, Sudan, Algeria, Georgia, Moldova, Pakistan and (for the first time) even in Bhutan, as well as in more "enlightened" states such as Canada, Australia, the US and the UK.

To mark the day, I found a rather interesting piece by Simon Copland in The Guardian, from which these are selected extracts:

Looking back at this time last year, when it came to gay politics, it would have been easy to be complacent.

Ireland and the US supreme court were both about to vote yes on marriage equality and in Australia it looked inevitable that we would do the same too. Other issues were finally entering the debate, whether it was trans rights, or recognition for other non-traditional relationship styles. The march for progress was unstoppable.

What difference a year can make...

...Momentum on marriage equality in Australia has stalled, with hostility on the issue intensifying in recent months...In the US, conservatives have passed “religious freedom bills” in a number of states, and last year the city of Houston rejected an ordinance that would have added protections to queer people in housing and employment. This year, North Carolina passed a “bathroom bill”, mandating that people use the bathroom that matches their gender assigned at birth.

These attacks have surprised many in the queer communities. This IDAHoT it is worth reflecting on why this has happened, and what we can do about it. To do so, it is important to understand the historical context of these shifts. While these attacks may look shocking, they follow a pattern that has been occurring for hundreds of years.

Go back to the 1890s for example... The “gay nineties” were known for decadent art such as that from Aubrey Beardsley and the scandalous plays of Oscar Wilde. The era also saw the birth of the suffragette movement. But just as the exuberance of the decade hit its stride, so did the conservative backlash. Wilde was sentenced to hard labour, while the suffragettes faced the full wrath of the police.

This pattern is common. A similar sexual revolution occurred in the swinging 1920s and '30s. This was a time when gay rights became even more prominent with sexologists such as the German Magnus Hirschfeld actively campaigning for the rights of gay and trans people. Again, the backlash was swift. Hirschfeld’s centre was burnt down by the Nazis, while in the Anglosphere these new sexual ideas were crushed in the post-war boom, as our society focused on the ideal of “traditional marriage”.

The sexual exuberance of the 1960s and '70s came with a similar backlash, particular as the HIV/AIDS crisis hit in the 80s. Instead of dealing with [this] as a medical issue, governments around the world used it as an opportunity to scaremonger about queer people, raising fears of the spread of the “gay cancer”.

In each of these moments, the sexual exuberance of the time made change look inevitable. Progress to true liberation and equality was on an unstoppable march, so it seemed. Yet in each moment, right-wing forces responded in kind. They have been extremely successful in doing so.

Of course times today are different, primarily in that we are a much more socially liberal society, but we can still see similar themes today from the right-wing attacks of the past... [And] it is in understanding this history that we can see the weakness of some of the responses of the LGBTI community. [We have] bought into the frame of the debate. We’ve once again tried to convince people that we’re not challenging any of the tenets of modern society, and instead that we just want to “live our lives”. This becomes a problem when we actually do want to challenge social institutions...

Instead of being defensive, it is time we change the frame of the debate. We need to overthrow the very idea that teaching kids about sexuality, or that changing how we deal with gender, are bad things. We need to accept that we are dangerous to parts of society, but to embrace that fact, and make the argument as to why it is necessary.

The attacks queer people face today have a long history. For centuries, conservatives have been extremely successful in painting queer people as a threat to our society. This year, and this International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, it is up to us to change that frame. Only through destroying the very premise of that argument will we be able to break the cycle of repression.

A much, much more straightforward response, of course is our traditional one here at Dolores Delargo Towers. I feature it every year on this important day...

GayClic Collab Against Homophobia - Fuck You!

Look inside
Look inside your tiny mind
Now look a bit harder
'Cause we're so uninspired, so sick and tired of all the hatred you harbour

So you say
It's not okay to be gay
Well I think you're just evil
You're just some racist who can't tie my laces
Your point of view is medieval

Fuck you
Fuck you very, very much
'Cause we hate what you do
And we hate your whole crew
So please don't stay in touch

Fuck you
Fuck you very, very much
'Cause your words don't translate
And it's getting quite late
So please don't stay in touch

Do you get
Do you get a little kick out of being slow-minded?
You want to be like your father
It's approval you're after
Well that's not how you find it

Do you
Do you really enjoy living a life that's so hateful?
'Cause there's a hole where your soul should be
You're losing control of it and it's really distasteful

Fuck you
Fuck you very, very much
'Cause we hate what you do
And we hate your whole crew
So please don't stay in touch

Fuck you
Fuck you very, very much
'Cause your words don't translate and it's getting quite late
So please don't stay in touch

Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you,
Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you,
Fuck you

You say, you think we need to go to war
Well you're already in one,
'Cause its people like you
That need to get slew
No one wants your opinion

Fuck you
Fuck you very, very much
'Cause we hate what you do
And we hate your whole crew
So please don't stay in touch

Fuck you
Fuck you very, very much
'Cause your words don't translate and it's getting quite late
So please don't stay in touch

Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you
Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you

International Day Against Homophobia

The return...

We're back from Sitges and Barcelona, tired but happy...

After a whirlwind five days of booze, beach and boy-watching, cultural extravaganza and kitsch, Tinto de verano and Tapa Tapa with old friends and new - in the most brilliant weather imaginable till the last day - what have we missed?

British weather? - mostly disgusting by the sound of it, and the state of some of our battered seedlings would indicate there were hailstorms at Dolores Delargo Towers... Such a shame we were sat on a beach in 30C heat with drinks in our hands.

News? - not much changes: Middle-East meltdown, natural disaster in Nepal and political boredom in the UK. Things best forgotten for a few days, methinks.



We were away for the International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHo) - but were very pleased to note Sitges (Spain's gayest resort) did mark it with a reading of the international manifesto and the planting of flowers at their own "Homomonument".

We missed marking the 60th birthdays (gulp!) of Hazel O'Connor and gymnast Olga Korbut, and the 55th birthday of 90s legend Yazz. We missed the announcement that the headline act at this autumn's Proms in the Park is none other than (what remains of) The Jacksons. The Eurovision Song Contest looms large (and we will begin preparations for our annual party over the next few days), but I always steadfastly avoid listening to almost any of the song entries until the night itself; that's a joy(!) I like to save up for when it comes to the scoring...

As for what new little (musical) prezzies we've brought back, it's not a lot - one of the bars ("El Horno") specialised in 80s Hi-NRG, and another regular "Casablanca" had the campest old musical repertoire. One would never expect an entire hour of Miss Dorothy Squires anywhere else! But one song - albeit not in the least Spanish; the singers are Romanian and the theme is about an Italian - did pique my interest a little as we sipped our vino. Here's Elena...

Elena feat. Glance - Mamma Mia (He's Italiano)

Shame to be back so soon, but at least we have a brilliant tan while the Brits are still wrapped up in windcheaters :-)

Very, Very Much

Yes! Our hero again...

Today is IDAHo (or IDAHoT, as it is now known) - the International Day Against Homophobia (and Transphobia).

Every year, we in the West can see more and more enlightenment among governments in Europe and the Americas (equal marriage legislation is rapidly becoming the "norm", or so it seems; despite the best efforts of loonies standing for local council elections), yet the picture worldwide - the medieval fundamentalism rife in Islamic countries, the fomenting of hatred by Evangelical churches in Africa (and elsewhere) and, most worryingly, the rise of right-wing tyranny and thuggery in the countries of Eastern Europe (in which we held such hope when the iron grip of the Soviets was toppled) - our gay brethren still face a daily struggle just to survive.

Just today comes the announcement that a parade in Russia to celebrate the victory of Conchita Wurst in Eurovision has been banned.

The Guardian, admirably (it has always been a bit of a "friend of the gays"), has published a rather fascinating set of stats:

Being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender is illegal in almost 80 countries, and in at least five of them is still punishable by death. [On] the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, explore the legal situation for LGBT people around sex, marriage or civil partnerships, adoption, workplace discrimination and hate crime by region, country and overall population.

Read and absorb the facts

I shan't upset myself, or you, dear reader, with my usual list of examples of the homophobic crimes that are being committed on a daily basis in such benighted regimes as Cameroon, Nigeria, Uganda, Belarus, Malaysia and Jamaica (and the rest) against our peers. That remarkable campaigner, drag queen Panti Bliss sums it up so much more succinctly:

Inspiring message by Panti Bliss for IDaHoT 2014

Instead, I shall rely - as I always do on this day - upon the otherwise un-admirable Lily Allen (and, of course, the myriad contributors to this video that uses her song as its rallying cry) to send out a message to homophobes the world over:

GayCLIC Collaboration against Homophobia - Fuck You

International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia

Look inside, look inside your tiny mind

Today marks the 9th annual International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDaHo), and it is important to remember some salient facts.

• Across the world, 78 countries criminalise same-sex relationships. In nine countries, sanctions can go as high as the death sentence.
• An estimated six million LGBT students worldwide drop out of school because of harassment by peers and by staff; and the suicide rate amongst LGBT teenagers across the world is disproportionately high compared to perceived "straight" peers.
• There were 1,123 reported killings of transgender people in 57 countries between 2008 and 2012.

In Russia several authorities have adopted laws banning “homosexual propaganda”, and there is a very real threat this will become federal law. In Eastern Europe, many former Soviet states are increasingly adopting the same anti-gay rhetoric and legislation.

In the US, the recent coming-out of black baseballer Jason Collins opened the floodgates for a wave of nasty-minded (racist as well as) homophobic bigots to "exercise their democratic right to free speech".

Despite major progress towards equality in states such as Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay, there is a dangerous wave of Catholic-sponsored bigotry pervading other Latin American countries such as Venezuela and Ecuador.

In Africa, post-colonial evangelical churches with homophobic views hold the balance of power in a vast majority of its nations; and across the Arab and Islamic world, the rise of homophobic fundamentalism shows no sign of abating.

Even here in so-called enlightened Europe, the recent attempts to get a law legalising gay marriage in France had a vicious struggle to face before being adopted by its parliament.

To mark this year's IDaHo, I went along to a thoroughly enlightening and absorbing lecture (hosted by those marvellous people at the Gay and Lesbian Humanists Association - GALHA), as Dr Matt Cook of Birkbeck College spoke on the subject of "Britain's Sexual Revolution". Taking the period commonly associated with sexual revolution in Britain - roughly between 1965 and 1970 - and its "astonishing pace of change", he put the momentous events of that era and beyond into context against the background of the puritanical post-1945 period that saw more persecution (and prosecutions) of LGBT people in Britain than had ever before been recorded.

And here is the entire talk, in full:

Dr Matt Cook - Britain's Sexual Revolution, part 1 (IDaHo event, hosted by GALHA)

Dr Matt Cook - Britain's Sexual Revolution, part 2 (IDaHo event, hosted by GALHA)

Dr Matt Cook - Britain's Sexual Revolution, part 3 (IDaHo event, hosted by GALHA)

Dr Matt Cook - Britain's Sexual Revolution, part 4 (IDaHo event, hosted by GALHA)

[Check about 8:10 into part four to see someone you might know asking a question!]

It will take some effort for those of you who did not attend to sit through the whole two hours - but it is well worth watching, to learn some surprising facts about modern LGBT history and our journey from post-war pariahs to the burgeoning sense of progress towards equality we (privileged citizens of a Western democracy) in the UK are experiencing today. I found it utterly fascinating...

Of course, there is a simpler message - as is traditional on this day every year at Dolores Delargo Towers - to address all homophobes wherever they lurk across the world:

GayClic Collab Against Homophobia - Fuck You!

If you haven't done anything to show your support for IDaHo yet, the official website has some "quick fix" ideas.

Taking a more camp approach to awareness-raising, there is also a "flashmob" planned for 5pm today in Trafalgar Square - hordes of people are expected to take part in a synchronised "big dance", to Beyoncé's Single Ladies! Shame I can't be there...

Previous blogs about IDaHo may be found here, here and here.

"Do you really enjoy living a life that's so hateful?"

"Homosexuals can forget about human rights." - James Nsaba Butoro, former Minister of Ethics & Integrity, Uganda

"I will never initiate or support any attempts to legalise homosexuality" - John Atta Mills, President of Ghana

Today is the International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO).

From the Stonewall website:

"Being gay is still illegal in 80 of 196 countries across the world, being a lesbian is specifically outlawed in 45 – in 6 countries the penalty for both is death.

"We’re lucky to have seen many legal changes in Britain that have improved the lives of lesbian, gay and bisexual people. But for more than 200 million gay people across the world each day is still filled with the fear of being beaten, imprisoned or murdered at any moment."

Many of those countries are members of Her Majesty's Commonwealth - including Ghana, Uganda, Jamaica, Malaysia, Singapore, Malawi, Nigeria, Pakistan and even the Maldives. In this Jubilee year, it is shocking that the UK still aligns itself with these reprehensible nations.

In the USA, 31 states have anti-gay legislation in place.

The Nazi Pope condemns homosexuality.

The country that this year hosts the very-gay-friendly Eurovision Song Contest, Azerbaijan has, to say the least, a shaky record on gay rights issues, in common with many former Soviet countries including Mother Russia.

And both "allies" (including Saudi Arabia) and "foes" (Iran) of the West in the Middle East brutally outlaw homosexuality.

Shocking.



As has become a bit of a tradition on this very important day of awareness and solidarity, my feelings are quite neatly summed up thus:

Gay Clic Collaboration: Lily Allen - Fuck You

IDAHO website

"So sick and tired of all the hatred you harbour"

Today marks the seventh International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO).

The event has been held every year since 2005 to raise awareness of discrimination and harassment of LGBT people around the globe.

Although I know of nothing that is happening in our borough (Haringey), a conference on LGBT rights and faith featuring Peter Tatchell, communities minister Andrew Stunell and the mayor Lutfur Rahmanis is to be held in Tower Hamlets following upset over anti-gay stickers posted around the area.

Bigotry amongst Islamists (who are believed to be behind the East End stickers) and Islamic countries is nothing new - and just as the UN has produced its first-ever brochure (to coincide with IDAHO) highlighting its official position on sexual orientation and gender identity human rights, so the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and some African countries have organised vocal opposition to it. Their agenda is to redefine human rights - permitting religion to exclude not just homosexuality but some women's rights issues.

In that most homophobic society Uganda, IDAHO campaigners have organised a conference titled "Sexuality, Orientation, Gender Identity and Health", a brave move considering that only last week there was still a threat that the Ugandan parliament was considering passing an Anti-Homosexuality Bill. Thankfully, Uganda has at last been directly threatened with having its aid withdrawn by numerous countries, including the US, which said it would use its leverage in places like the World Bank.

In Malawi the picture is just as bad - the British ambassador was expelled in April following his leaked diplomatic criticism of the president, after which their local press once more put the blame on gay people! However, arrests for homosexuality and a new law criminalising lesbians have contributed to the withdrawal of some international aid, and to other aid being renegotiated.

Read more in the Guardian

Even in the so-called "civilised world", religious fundamentalism still espouses hate against us - in the Australian city of Adelaide only yesterday, a gang of fascist "God Hates Gays" protestors violently attacked a rally against homophobia. Great news in the country that produced Priscilla Queen of the Desert...

All this is depressing stuff, but must yet again serve to remind the complacent public - gay and straight - that some of the battles (perhaps here and in other European countries) may have been fought and won, but we are a long way away from being accepted, tolerated or even decriminalised - we can be imprisoned or face corporal punishment in 76 countries across the world, and the death penalty for homosexual activity still exists in five countries and parts of Nigeria and Somalia.

Download a copy of the International Gay Rights Map (PDF)

The date of IDAHO marks the day when the World Health Organisation removed homosexuality from its list of mental disorders - only 21 years ago. Coincidentally, and almost as depressing, Lady Gaga is apparently the self-proclaimed "spokesperson" for IDAHO...

Never mind her - this is what I inevitably want to play:

GayCLIC Collaboration against Homophobia - Fuck You

International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia website

Cause we hate what you do

May 17 was chosen as the International Day Against Homophobia because it marks the anniversary of the day in 1993 when the World Health Organization removed homosexuality from its list of mental disorders.

Today, “no less than 80 countries around the world consider homosexuality illegal and in five of them - Iran, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Yemen - and in parts of Nigeria and Somalia, homosexual acts are punishable with death,” according to the world survey of State Homophobia by the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA).

In Eastern Europe, state-sponsored Gay Pride bans are still happening. Closer to home in the West, a particular battle continues - that of compensation for the thousands of gay and lesbian people who were persecuted, imprisoned and killed during the Nazi Holocaust. It is a little-recognised fact that after the war, the supposedly liberal West Germany refused to even decriminalise many gays who had been locked up by the Nazis, and it took till 2002 for any kind of official apology for this inhumane treatment. But survivors of this double-whammy of state homophobia never received a pfennig piece.

Here in the UK, homophobic attacks in certain areas of the country are actually on the rise rather than what you might have expected of the so-called "socially liberal" society that Blair and Brown claimed credit for. Despite gay front-bench MPs, gay soap opera characters, pop stars and TV presenters, and civil partnerships and other legislation it seems no-one bothered to educate the ill-informed "gang"-obsessed yoof of this benighted society that the world according to Eminem and 50 Cent is unnaturally obsessed with and fearful of gay people.

In so many high profile cases ("Sinders" Morley, James Parkes, Ian Baynham), the ghetto creed of "respec" appears to be the motive for the abhorrent "bashing" of the people they fear most - us.

On the apparently "respectable" side of the coin, the religions - Catholic, Protestant, African, US mid-West, Islamic, Jewish - all have more than their fair share of bigoted homophobes queuing up to condemn the so-called "evil" of people happening to love someone of the same sex.

As Johann Hari famously said in an article last year:

"Homosexuality is not some unnatural intrusion, wrought by demonic perverts, as the pre-modern religious texts so absurdly assert. It is an inevitable part of nature - birds do it, bees do it - and it is, fleetingly, part of the sexual development of most teenagers. If you are full of hate for homosexuals, the evidence suggests you have a psychological problem, based on denying part of yourself.

"In short: homophobia? It's so gay."

GayCLIC Collaboration against Homophobia - Fuck You

http://idahomophobia.org/