GLYNI – Gay and Lesbian Youth Northern Ireland

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.

Tags: christians, fundamentalist, law, phelps, westboro

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

Tags: abuse, homophobia, irish, lgbt, report

After a break GLYNI starts back its Monday sessions on the 2nd of February 2009! We will be starting back with a session hosted by our Youth Worker Liam Larmour, so come on down!! Its the first Monday back so it would be a great time for you to contact us and arrange to come down and get to know everyone!

But remember, if you want to start coming along to the group you have to email us first on befriending@glyni.org.uk

Tags: befriending, GLYNI Events, mondays

Anna Leach: Winner of the Wyn Harness Prize

Anna Leach’s feature about the breakdown of sectarian divisions in Ulster’s gay community caught the judges’ attention for its strong story and fresh approach.

Born in England but raised in Belfast, 24-year-old Anna said she wanted to present a more optimistic view of Northern Ireland: “It just struck me that it’s only ever negative stories that come out.” Last year Anna was awarded a Master’s degree in journalism by Goldsmith’s College, University of London, and is currently on a work placement at The Independent. Anna was a member of GLYNI in 2007/08!
She now plans to pursue a careerin feature-writing.

You can check out Anna’s article on The Independent’s own site at:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/how-pride-is-overcoming-prejudice-in-belfast-1515559.html

Tags: anna leach, gay community, journalism, sectarian, ulster