Harry's Place

From the Peter Tatchell Foundation
While the world is focused on Uganda’s “Kill the Gays” bill, the Nigerian House of Representatives has unanimously approved even more sweeping and draconian homophobic legislation, the “Jail the Gays” bill. It could become law within weeks.
The Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Bill, which now moves forward to the next parliamentary stage, criminalise [...]

There seems plenty of room for debate as to exactly what limits should be placed on free speech, and how far the context of that speech (personal blog, workplace, newspaper, YouTube) might determine where we set the bar.  I sympathise with the way Student Rights articulates this difficulty:
Here at Student Rights we are reluctant to [...]

When I first read of Adrian Smith being demoted and having a 40% pay cut slapped on him for stating on Facebook an opposition to same-sex marriage, I hung fire. As dismal as it looked for Traford Housing Trust to rusticate an employee for a comment made outwith work and which had the most [...]

When the Daily Mail says something I agree with, I will agree with it. As such, it deserves credit for referring to the daylight attack on Svyatoslav Sheremet – leader of Ukrainian gay rights group, Gay Forum – in appalled terms.
With a ‘gay gag’ law already in force in St. Petersburg, proposals to introduce [...]

Remember Miranda Grell? She was the Labour councillor in Leyton, Waltham Forest, wh0, in 2008, was convicted of election malpractice after she spread rumours that her LibDem opponent was a gay paedophile. Her own running-mate was so disgusted that he testified against her, as did other Labour constituents. The story was  covered by Harry’s Place [...]

At the top of the piece about this issue on Student Rights there has now been added a link to a statement from York’s LGBT Officer, Leon Morris.  It opens:
Yusuf Chambers is a member of the Islamic Research and Education Academy (iERA). The iERA features Muslim fundamentalist preachers who advocate the criminalisation of homosexuality and [...]

Not that it makes a difference, of course; I only now realized that Scottish cycling champion, Graeme Obree is gay and has spoken about how he does not believe Scottish sport at any level is tolerant towards gay participants (men, at least). This adds a new slant to his two suicide attempts.
Scotland on Sunday [...]

This is a gust post by Matthew Harris
Concerned as I always am for the health of the local brewing industry (a major employer that contributes much in taxation), I paid another of my occasional visits to a public house on Saturday. These places (known for short as ‘pubs’) are amazing, serving as [...]

Allowing same-sex marriage should be seen as a progression of civil rights. It should be of distant secondary importance that homosexual acts are not illegal in this country and social attitudes are tolerant of cohabiting same-sex couples.
On that note, although Malawi’s new President, Joyce Banda is not proposing same-sex marriage, her vow to repeal [...]

Twenty twelve never was going to mark Eurovision’s return to its roots of reconciling previously warring countries, and Armenia’s withdrawal in March from the event due to be held in Azerbaijan was unsurprising.
Within Azerbaijan, the authorities are keen to use the upcoming contest to dispel notions of political intimidation of opponents – not just singers [...]