Friday 13th November marks the tenth anniversary of Cara-Friend’s Gay & Lesbian Youth Northern Ireland – a peer-led group supporting Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender young people in Northern Ireland. Read the remainder of this entry »
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You can now find the GLYNI schedule for the upcoming weeks in a new GLYNI calendar on the top of each page. It replaces the old calendar overview. Those of you that have your own google calendar can copy the agenda across to it and keep yourselves up-to-date!
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The BNP – a far right conservative anti immigrant party has won 2 seats at Europe giving Nick Griffon, the party leader and one other candidate, the chance to access the EU’s vast resources to use in their campaign or xenophobic retribution on the UK for its pro multicultural policies.
The BNP nationally nicknamed Nazi’s or Fascists now have access to money of up to £500,000 in wages and a further £1 million if they are able to make a “group” coalition with 26 other candidates of far right agendas in Europe.
It seems that recently, the liberal democracy the UK prides itself on has continually been subverted by extremist fringes and attacked, a problem of liberalism. As a homophobic party who recently published a list called “Rapists, Buggers and thieves” (ironically adapted from Cher – a gay icon’s – “gypsies, tramps and thieves”) listing MPs who were convicted of paedophilia / rape, other crimes and the crime of being “gay”, the BNP are now at the forefront of politics.
This blog post is just a reminder for anyone who reads it. If you are dissatisfied with labour, conservatives or lib dems, vote for a positive party e.g. the greens or independent candidates, do not vote for the BNP! If you know anyone who would vote, EDUCATE, EDUCATE, EDUCATE in the words of Tony Blair!!
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Today, the Californian Supreme Court ruled to uphold the decision made by the state government to ban gay marriage. The ruling comes at a time of change in America as many states have introduced Gay Marriage bills, one big step back for a country once labelled the “land of the free”…
Unfortunately the Californian supreme court voted 6-1 to uphold the decision made by Governor Schwarzenegger and his Californian state government. All but Justice Carlos Moreno, the only democrat on the committee, voted against the repeal of the ban, placed back in November 2008. However, the 28,000 gay marriages that took place before the ban are still legal!
America, a place most know as one of the most diverse communities on earth, espousing western liberal democracy, a democracy that fought to give its citizens in 1792, is now a democracy that has removed the rights of its citizens as of the 26th May 2009. The introduction of Gay Marriage in California, something that would’ve astounded and made Harvey Milk proud has now been removed, as have the rights to marriage of loving men and women.
A lesson to be learned in this is never to give up. Even when governments and courts rule that you do not have the same rights as your neighbour, challenge their authority, you have the same ability as anyone, challenge everything, educate people, friends, family and strangers!!! 
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BattleFront is a mini programme which promotes tolerance, encourages diversity and challenges stereotypes. 20 young campaigners have taken to activism to change the world, for different reasons – to stop knife crime, to have a cleaner environment and to end homophobia. The programme airs all this week at 11.30 am so tune in on 4OD or the TV to see what its like!
Check out the BattleFront homophobia campaigners website and see if you’d like to help!! Go to http://battlefront.co.uk/campaign/homophobia-zero-tolerance/ for more!
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Census petition lobbies Downing Street website
A new petition demanding a question on homosexuality for the next UK census has been launched on the government’s official website.
Currently, lesbians and gay men are discounted from any specific mention in the survey, which measures Britain’s population in detail every decade.
“The current position is that no such question is likely to be included in 2011, meaning at least another decade
before we see such a question on what is the most important survey of the UK population. The survey will contain references to same-sex civil partnerships, so it makes no sense to then omit a question on sexual orientation, ” said a spokesperson for the Gay Police Association.
“At the 2009 Stonewall Workplace Conference, the Chief Executive of the Equalities & Human Rights Commission indicated clearly that the EHRC’s view was that such a question should be included in 2011, challenging the Office
of National Statistics position. As the UK authority on equality issues, the EHRC’s point of view should be taken seriously.
“In keeping with the proposed Single Equality Act, it is the perfect time to add a question on sexual orientation to the census. This government has an excellent record on LGB rights so far, please don’t tarnish that by accepting the ONS stance on this issue. Show courage and don’t make us wait yet another decade. The GPA National Executive Committee fully supports EHCR on this and invites you also to consider supporting this issue by adding your name to the petition.”
Sign the petition here:
Census Petition
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Research posted today shows that the media portrayal of teenage boys as Yobs, Scum, Louts, Hoodies and Feral has made teenage boys wary of other boys!!! How crazy and yet sickeningly true is that?
The research states that in the media, the portrayal of teenage boys is pathetic and is causing social disharmony. The most common phrases used to show us boys is “yobs” (591 times), followed by “thugs” (254 times), “sick” (119 times) and “feral” (96 times).
Ironically, the only time accounted in the last years media of teenage boys being shown in a positive light is when the boy has been killed by some tragic or violent event, e.g. teenagers killed by knifes, guns and so on.
Think about it guys, how many times do you read the sun just to laugh at its patheticness only to find out that not only is it a conservative piece of tabloid gossip but calls us all louts and scum-bags? Since when have we all worn hoodies, everyday all day?
On top of this however, the research also shows that boys are increasingly becoming wary of other boys just because they are in a group or they have their hoods up. Think about it, do you ever walk past a bunch of guys in Belfast thinking keep quiet, I don’t want to be beat up, just because they were wearing a tracksuit, caps or their hoods up and walked something like Clint Eastwood or doing that kind of “hard-man” Belfast walk where their arms flail at their sides like they are banging an imaginary lambeg drum?
As funny as this description sounds, even I have been scared of groups of teenagers. I’m only 18 and yet I walk warily past in the street trying not to make eye contact. Do you know why? Because we are told all day everyday that these people are scary, knife wielding ASBO owning hoodies. Who by? The Media!!!
What do you all think? Have you ever tried not to make eye contact with a group of other guys because you are scared that they might beat you up? Why do you think that? Is it because the media told you these normal other guys messing about like boys do, are thugs?
Challenge assumptions guys! Challenge everything!!!
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Do you know what makes you gay? Check out the You Tube Video below on the ‘related link’, let us know what you think!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsjOlsG9ZG4
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By Tony Grew • February 19, 2009 – 10:03
Two American fundamentalist Christians have been excluded from entering the UK after they threatened to protest in Basingstoke.
Rev Fred Phelps and Shirley Phelps-Roper are leading members of the Westboro Baptist Church, a small Kansas-based sect.
The group claimed on their website GodHatesFags.com that they would be protesting at a performance of a gay-themed play in Basingstoke tomorrow.
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has reportedly excluded them from the country, despite the widespread belief that they had no intention of coming to the UK.
While WBC have conducted hundreds of pickets in the US, they have failed to appear at promised protests in other countries.
“Both these individuals have engaged in unacceptable behaviour by inciting hatred against a number of communities,” a UK Border Agency spokesman told The Sun.
“The government has made it clear it opposes extremism in all its forms.
“The exclusions policy is targeted at all those who seek to stir up tension and provoke others to violence regardless of their origins and beliefs.”
Other members of WBC will also be excluded.
Earlier this month the Home Office banned a Dutch MP who is critical of Islam from entering the UK because it was judged he would harm community relations.
WBC responded on their website:
“You British Bastards will not have Jesus Christ to rule over you, and think you can issue bans and pass laws to remove God’s word from the landscape.
“You do greatly err, not knowing the power of God; and, you do that against your own interests. It is a great kindness to have God’s prophets in your land.
“But, you ungrateful brutes despise knowledge. It is too late for the UK. God Hates You! God’s wrath and destruction is all that’s left for you, thanks to Secretary Smith.”
The church members, who are mostly relations of Mr Phelps, regularly picket funerals claiming the deaths are God’s punishment for the country’s support of homosexuals.
They have caused so much distress picketing at funerals of soldiers killed in action that they have been restricted from doing so in 22 American states.
The group first came to prominence more than a decade ago when they protested a the funeral of murdered gay man Matthew Shepard.
In October 1998 Matthew was kidnapped, severely beaten and left to die, tied to a fence on the outskirts of Laramie, Wyoming.
Five weeks later members of the Tectonic Theatre Project went to Laramie, and over the course of the next year, conducted more than 200 interviews with people of the town.
From these interviews they wrote the play The Laramie Project, a chronicle of the life of the town in the year after the murder. WBC claimed that a student production tomorrow night in Basingstoke was to be the target of WBC’s first UK protest.
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A new report issued about gay people and homophobia in Ireland has found that 80% of Gay people have been victims of homophobic abuse. This report highlights below the breakdown of the abuse that Gays in Ireland have experienced:
* 80% of online respondents had been verbally abused because of their LGBT identity
* 40% were threatened with physical violence
* 25% had been punched, kicked or beaten
* 58% reported the existence of homophobic bullying in their schools
* Over half had been called abusive names related to their sexual orientation or gender identity by fellow students
* 40% had been verbally threatened by fellow students
* 25% of the overall sample had been physically threatened by their school peers
* 20% missed or skipped school because they felt threatened or were afraid of getting hurt at school
* 34% reported homophobic comments by teachers or other staff members
* A quarter of those who had ever worked had been called abusive names related to their sexual orientation or gender identity with 15% being verbally threatened and 7% physically threatened by work colleagues
On the corner of the European Union, which has called for a mutual recognition of Gay marriage in all its member states, it is still suprising that politics has advanced far beyond social trends. LGBT people in Ireland are accepted and encouraged to be citizens, however up to 80% have experienced homophobic abuse.
If you would like to report or talk about any homophobic incidents you have experienced in the past or now you can post a reply to this blog or contact “Crimestoppers” anonymously on 0800 555 111 or contact them via the following link: http://www.crimestoppers-uk.org/contact-us
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