Manchester Pride parade draws thousands
Thousands lined the streets of Manchester’s city center Aug. 25to watch one of the United Kingdom’s largest LGBT Pride parades.
Locals and visitors alike defied the forecasted rain and turned out to support this year’s Manchester Pride events, featuring more than 100 participating companies, individuals, sponsors and local lifestyle, political and professional organizations.
Many of the entrants, announced by Peter Dickson (the voice behind popular U.K. television’s “The X Factor”), were inspired by this year’s theme of Queer’d Science and the centenary of the birth of Alan Turing, the mathematician and founding father of modern cognitive science who was persecuted for his homosexuality.
Said Manchester Pride chief executive John Stewart: “It was great to have Peter Dickson in this year’s parade, which was an overwhelming success and a credit to the local LGBT community and its supporters. There were some brilliant entries taking inspiration from this year’s theme of Queer’d Science, and I’m relieved that the rain held off long enough for all the participants and spectators to enjoy the jubilant atmosphere.”
Zimbabwe: Police in Harare close down GALZ offices
Police in Harare have pressed charges against Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe and closed down its office.
This closure is likely to affect its members greatly, as many depended on it for counseling and health education.
The police accuse GALZ of operating without registration, saying the body must be licensed under the Private Voluntary Organizations Act.
Tonderai Bhatasara of Mupanga Bhatasara Attorneys, who are representing GALZ, said: “We are challenging the charges which they have pressed against our clients because they have been there for more than 10 years operating under the common law. But the police are saying they are supposed to be registered under the PVO Act. It is not an offense to be gay under the Zimbabwean constitution but if one man sodomizes another man then it becomes an offense. It is only intolerance within the society and political leadership here in Zimbabwe which have fueled the vilification of gays and lesbians.”
Police confiscated computers, memory sticks and pamphlets from GALZ offices Aug. 16 before charging the organization with operating without registration.
Prior to this, 44 members of GALZ — 31 men and 13 women — were arrested and taken to Harare central police station, where they were held before being released without charge.
Recently, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights said some of the LGBT campaigners who had been arrested were visited by police at home and those who were not arrested had been ordered to report to their local police stations.
Bhatasara said his clients have not been given a court date and were told they would be notified through summons.
Human-rights organizations and the international community have condemned the clampdown.
Australian football launches major anti-homophobia drive
The Australian Football League has “declared war” on homophobia in a new initiative.
League chief Andrew Demetriou, Olympic flag bearer Lauren Jackson and Collingwood president Eddie McGuire will lead the campaign to change attitudes towards LGBT people in sports and the workplace.
The campaign comes in the wake of a homophobic slur recently made by Stephen Milne, who plays for St. Kilda’s Football Club, against Harry O’Brien of Collingwood Magpies.
The initiative will be pushed via a yearlong TV and social-media campaign, which will encourage people to stand up and make a difference.
In a letter, Demetriou said discrimination should not be tolerated and that it is everyone’s responsibility to tackle such negative attitudes and behavior.
He added that the “No to Homophobia” initiative was of great importance and had the full weight of the AFL industry behind it.
“A campaign of this nature promoting respect for each other, healthy relationships and a safe, inclusive environment is imperative if we are to affect positive cultural change,” he said. “We believe the AFL is one game for all Australians. Through both our actions and the guidelines that govern our game, we are committed to providing a truly inclusive, safe and welcoming environment that fosters healthy, respectful relationships on and off the field.”
A survey by Australian body Gay and Lesbian Health revealed that more than a quarter of openly LGBT men and women were verbally abused in the past year in the state of Victoria.
Chief Commissioner Ken Lay said the state’s police force is against all forms of violence, bullying and intimidation.
“There are laws in place to protect the rights of all Victorians and we encourage people to report any acts to police,” he said.
The campaign is supported by the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission and the Victorian Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby.
The AFL is a major backer of the campaign, along with the state government, mental-health advocates and the police force.
S. African pastor blames gays, feminists for ‘culture of death’
Pastor Errol Naidoo of South Africa’s Family Policy Institute has blamed the LGBT community for creating a “culture of death” that led, among other things, to the Marikana mine massacre.
In his latest newsletter, the Cape Town-based Christian leader rails against feminists, gay men and lesbians for perpetuating a “culture of death” that he claims “is slowly killing off the human family in Western civilization.”
Naidoo wrote: “Abortion-on-demand — driven by radical feminist activists — and the homosexual agenda, lie at the heart of the culture of death. These anti-family groups are responsible for population decline.”
He also blamed said groups for what he refers to as “the rapidly diminishing rights and freedoms of Christians in S.A.,” “the growing holocaust of abortion on demand,” “teen pregnancies” and “the Marikana Massacre” in which 34 mine workers recently protesting over wages and union recognition were killed by police.
Naidoo’s Family Policy Institute is an avowedly homophobic Christian fundamentalist lobby group that has sought to repeal marriage-equality rights in South Africa.
He has said he believes that homosexuality can be cured through prayer and was quoted by a Nigerian newspaper as saying, “I hate gays. It runs against God’s wishes.”
— compiled by Larry Nichols