Criticising Catholics for hating gays? It's a blow to their human rights, so it is

Bloody Catholic loonies are at it again. They're complaining that being criticised for hating gays is somehow against their human rights. They feel they have a human right – a human right – to vilify gays and declare all same-sex relationships disordered, no matter what harm it does by the toxic message it sends.

A Reuters report tells us:

People who criticise gay sexual relations for religious or moral reasons are increasingly being attacked and vilified for their views, a Vatican diplomat told the United Nations Human Rights Council on Tuesday.

Archbishop Silvano Tomasi said the Roman Catholic Church deeply believed that human sexuality was a gift reserved for married heterosexual couples. But those who express these views are faced with "a disturbing trend," he said.

If it weren't so sad you'd laugh.

See the story here.

Home Sec hints that legal marriage for UK gays is on the way

Home Secretary Theresa May has told a Stonewall gathering that the coalition government will move on legalising marriage for gay people.

I tend not to trust people who change overnight (and May has form on voting against pro-gay legislation), but, for those who really go in for that kind of thing (marriage, I mean), it's a move in the right direction.

Her speech also reiterated government desire to allow religious premises to be used for gay ceremonies, but the story linked to above also quotes a senior Roman Catholic loony who reckons it's a threat to marriage as he sees it. But, then, he would, wouldn't he?

Civil partnerships on the Isle of Man welcomed

The gay Humanist charity the Pink Triangle Trust (PTT) has warmly welcomed the news that the Isle of Man is to introduce a law granting gay couples the right to a civil partnership.

Gay couples on the island will get the right to a civil partnership after a new law was signed in Tynwald, the Manx parliament. As in the rest of the UK, it gives them the same rights as married couples regarding inheritance, pensions and tax allowances. The law comes into effect on 6 April 2011.

The island has its own parliament and own laws, some of which are very different from those in the UK. Abortion laws are still much stricter, the birch used to be commonly used as a punishment, the death penalty was not abolished till 1993, and homosexuality was illegal until 1992. As a result, the island was subject to a boycott by UK trade unions, which had held a lot of conferences there.

Seventy-seven-year-old gay activist George Broadhead, who is the PTT’s secretary, said: “This is great news. As a Manxman myself who was born on the IOM in 1933 and realised I was gay at school in the 1940s, I know only too well what a frightful homophobic place it was – much of it stemming, as elsewhere, from religious bigotry.

“Activists on the island itself and the rest of the UK launched a campaign to get the law changed and I am proud to have played a part in this. I entered into a civil partnership in the UK in 2006 and I am delighted that my fellow Manx gays are now able to do the same.”

Well, it's a start . . .

A retired bishop in homophobic Uganda has said his fellow Anglicans should get their fingers out and start protesting about attacks on gay people.

Well, he said they shouldn't keep silent, which amounts to the same thing.

His remarks follow the bludgeoning to death of the Christian gay activist David Kato.

Perhaps this guy will be the next, although we sincerely hope not.

Nordic Rainbow Humanist Award goes to Malawi

The 2010 Nordic Rainbow Humanist award has gone to secretary general George Thindwa and his colleagues of the Association for Secular Humanism of Malawi for their "courageous public stand for LGBT identity and rights in this African nation, taking great risks of retaliation from homophobic politicians, religious leaders, and a hostile mass media", said Nordic Rainbow Humanists' international secretary Bill Schiller in Stockholm.

"This is the second time our annual award has gone to Africa and we were very pleased to have this recommendation from an earlier winner and staunch supporter of LGBT rights Leo Igwe of the Nigerian Humanist Movement.

"The Malawi Humanists are being honoured for defending LGBT rights in a continent where tolerance towards the LGBT communities is a rare exception and where even former African freedom fighters and anti-colonialist leaders, now in power, openly call for the imprisonment and punishment of LGBT people," said Schiller.

Earlier winners of the Nordic Rainbow Humanist award include George Broadhead (co-founder and long-serving secretary of the UK Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association, who is also secretary of this blog's parent, the Pink Triangle Trust), veteran Norwegian lesbian activist Kim Friele, Carl-Johan Kleberg (former chairman of the Swedish Humanists), veteran Dutch gay activist Rob Tielman (former president of the International Humanist and Ethical Union), Leo Igwe and colleagues of the Nigerian Humanist Movement, and Remyus Cernea and colleagues of the Romanian Humanist Association.

In a message to George Thindwa, George Broadhead said, "Warm congratulations to Malawian Humanists on winning the 2010 Nordic Rainbow Humanist Award. If the situation for LGBT people is anything like as dire as that in Uganda, you richly deserve this for so courageously taking up the cudgels on their behalf. You also deserve great praise for your staunch opposition to the persecution of people in Malawi accused of witchcraft. As a gay Humanist who won this same award in 2002, I salute you."

UK gay humanists unsurprised at archbishop’s stance on gay ceremonies in church

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has said that he will not countenance Church of England buildings being used to conduct gay civil partnership ceremonies and is not prepared to let the Government tell the Church how to behave.

Commenting on this on behalf of the gay Humanist charity the Pink Triangle Trust, owner of this blog, its secretary George Broadhead said, “This is not at all surprising. When Williams was first appointed in 2003, he was warmly welcomed by gay Christians as a liberal, but it has become obvious in recent years that he has thrown in his lot with the Church’s evangelicals who take a hard line on gay sexual relationships and gay rights. He has been unwilling to distance himself, let alone condemn, the worst of these like the Anglicans in Uganda. Although he publicly condemned the murder of the Ugandan gay activist David Kato, he declined to recognise the part played in stoking up anti-gay hatred by the Anglican Church in that country.

“Humanists campaign for a society in which everyone is free to practise their faith, change it, or not have one at all, but many wonder why any self-respecting gay person would want a ceremony in a building which belongs to an institution which oppresses them. After all there are now plenty of plush alternatives to the often gloomy registry offices.”

Gay is a choice, says jackass Justin

Teen heartthrob Justin Bieber . . .

Oh, such journalese!

Anyway, teen heartthrob Justin Bieber has shown that he's as naïve as he is cute by saying that being gay is a matter of choice – a decision.

Just to show what a silly little boy he is, he has added that abortion is wrong, even if the mother-to-be has been raped.

Oh, Justin, you've got a bit of growing up to do. Sorry if that sounds patronising, coming from an old git, but, Jesus, there are times when you just gotta tell a kid he's a dumbass motherfucker.

Pink News says: "When asked [by Rolling Stone mag] what his views on homosexuality are, Bieber responded: 'It’s everyone’s own decision to do that. It doesn’t affect me and shouldn’t affect anyone else.'

"It is not clear whether he intended to label homosexuality as a lifestyle choice."

Sounds like it to this humble blogger. Either his views will mature and he'll regret his childish outburst, or he'll reach adulthood thinking like this – and then sensible people can really have a go at him.

Mind you, this is the young man who told the Guardian in November last year: "I pray all the time. I pray two to three times a day. When I wake up I thank him for my blessings. I thank him for putting me in this position. And at the end of the day I get out my Bible. At home-school my tutor is Christian, so we go over Bible verses. It's something that keeps me grounded."

Pass the sick bucket, somebody.

Muslims' hate posters in London's East End

Kids going to school in London's East End are being treated to hate posters near their school, declaring "Gay Free zone". Charming!

We assume it's the work of Islamic extremists, because the posters add, "Allah is severe in punishment".

"They appeared across Whitechapel and Spitalfields at the weekend—some even believed to be targeted at school children," says the East London Advertiser, linked to above.

"Most have now been have torn down by a community writer and activist who has had to keep his identity secret because of previous death threats."

Main churches – and of course Norman bloody Tebbit – against civil partnerships in religious premises (no surprise there, then)

I've just realised I've told the entire story in the headline. Never mind. Here's a link to a story on Digital Journal about it, with further links there.

It should come as no surprise to us, of course, that right-wing Tories – the ones who make the Nasty Party look positively benign – would oppose the idea. The Church of England does, although the Archbishop of York is guarded.

And as for Pope sodding Ratzinger . . . well, it goes without saying.

Uganda: it's worse than we thought

Things seem to be worse in Uganda than most people thought, according to BBC Radio 1 presenter Scott Mills.

Mills has been speaking to PinkNews.co.uk about an upcoming documentary. The gay presenter told how he feared for his own safety in the country.

"Mills met anti-gay MP David Bahati as part of filming for The World’s Worst Place to be Gay?," says the outlet.

Bahati is the homophobic – nay, evil – twat who would be happy to see gays executed.

"When the presenter said he was gay, Bahati became enraged and the film crew fled," says PinkNews.co.uk. "Later, they heard that Bahati had sent armed police to a hotel he thought they were staying at."

He's quoted as saying, "I was really frightened. It’s just something that you wouldn’t think would happen. It was a real shock to the system and we were told to lie low."

The World’s Worst Place to be Gay? will be shown on BBC3 at 9 p.m. on Monday, 14 February.

Mr Green respondeth

The real Stephen Green, as we called him in a previous post when his ex-wife accused him of beating her up, has responded.

She, as you'll see from the above link, made allegations in the Daily Mail about this nutcase who seems to spend most of his energy ranting about gays. He had beaten her and the kids, she said, and had been a thoroughly bad lot.

In the interests of balance, here is a link to his response, which appears on his blog.

He says, among other things: "The article was a catalogue of smears and distortions stitched together by a tabloid journalist [Frances Hardy] who specialises in TV, celebrities, women’s features and gossip. She also has an anti-Christian agenda. Just over a year ago, she wrote a sycophantic piece exalting the pro-paedophilia campaigner Peter Tatchell. In April this year, she gushed over the first two lesbians who have jointly put their names on the birth certificate of the baby born to one of them."

As for an allegation that was tantamount to one of marital rape, Green says, "I never once had sexual relations with my former wife against her clearly expressed wish."

He goes on, "Secondly, in connection with the published allegations that I assaulted her, the truth, sadly, is the complete opposite. I had to obtain a harassment order against her to stop a campaign of intimidation and on one of the occasions when she assaulted me, I reported the matter to the police and she received a police caution."

There's more.
__________
Update: I left a comment on Stephen Green's blog. I did wonder whether he'd use it, and he did. I mentioned the famous "Dr Laura" letter, which takes the piss out of Leviticus. He pointed me to a post of his own that tries to refute the letter, but fails. For one who you would think would call the Bible inerrant, he seems happy to say that this or that law has now been done away with because of Paul's vision or Peter's vision in the New Testament. You be the judge. You might like to argue the point with Mr Green. However, I think you would be wasting your time.

They were just holding hands, for goodness' sake!

It's good to see school students taking things into their own hands. If a school is to function properly, you don't want them doing it for flimsy reasons, but, when there's a principle at stake, they should take action in the form of mass disobedience. Otherwise, education is lacking in its remit to make students think, as distinct from merely imparting knowledge.

And that means to think for themselves, not allow the (in this case narrow and bigoted) views of teachers to get in the way.

So what was it all about? Well, a couple of girl students were holding hands, and were told to stop it. Anyone would think they'd been feeling each other up.

I recall at my school – too far back for me to care to remember – that I had my arm loosely over the shoulders of another boy, who had his arm round me in a similar casual manner. We were pals. We were told to part by some idiot who has only the flimsiest excuse that it was a few decades ago.

But what are they afraid of? If students were exposing themselves and engaging in face-swallowing snogs in lessons that would be one thing. Holding hands? Arms casually around each other?

So full marks to the students of St Benedict’s Catholic College in Colchester, Essex, England, for showing the teachers what they think of their prurient attitude.

All gays were abused as children, shock, horror!

So, if you are gay you were abused as a child. Hmm.

But you can see what sort of idiotic pillock came up with that one when you see later in the Daily Mail story linked to above that he thinks anyone who leaves Islam should be jailed.

Your words are welcome Dr Williams – but only to a point

Gay Humanists in the UK have welcomed the Archbishop of Canterbury’s condemnation of the murder of Ugandan gay activist David Kato, found bludgeoned to death last week.

The gay- and human-rights community were shocked when Kato – who once went to jail for his campaigning – was found dead in his Kampala home.

Three weeks ago, the 42-year-old campaigner won a court case against the Ugandan magazine Rolling Stone (which has no connection to the music magazine of the same name), which had been publishing the names of gay people and advising readers to inform on them to the police.

Kato had told friends of increased harassment since the court case.

Of his brutal murder, Archbishop Rowan Williams said: “No one should have to live in such fear because of the bigotry of others. Such violence has been consistently condemned by the Anglican Communion worldwide . . . This is a moment to take very serious stock and to address those attitudes of mind which endanger the lives of men and women belonging to sexual minorities.”

However, commenting on behalf of the Pink Triangle Trust (PTT), secretary George Broadhead said: “It is a pity that the Archbishop doesn’t acknowledge that, though they may have condemned violence, his fellow Anglicans’ ‘attitudes of mind’, to use his own words , on LGBT relationships and rights have contributed to this appalling murder and the dire situation for all LGBT people in Uganda.”

Broadhead referred to Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill, proposed by MP David Bahati. He quotes the Anglican Church of Uganda, which has said: “We appreciate the spirit of the Bill’s objective of protecting the family, especially in light of a growing propaganda to influence younger people to accept homosexuality as a legitimate way of expressing human sexuality. We particularly appreciate the objectives of the Bill which seek to provide for marriage in Uganda as contracted only between a man and woman; prohibit and penalise homosexual behaviour and related practices in Uganda as they constitute a threat to the traditional family; prohibit ratification of any international treaties, conventions, protocols, agreements and declarations which are contrary or inconsistent with the provisions of the Act; prohibit the licensing of organizations which promote homosexuality.”

Broadhead asks: “Doesn’t the Archbishop realise that the ‘bigotry of others’, which he refers to, must include members of his own Anglican Church?

“More homophobic bigotry in Uganda has come from US religious ministers like Carl Ellis Jenkins, Lou Engle, and Scott Lively, whose hateful and dangerous anti-LGBT rhetoric and actions must also have contributed in no small measure to the death of David Kato and the hostility of the Ugandan population as a whole. Will the Archbishop of Canterbury condemn them?”

The real Stephen Green

So now we know the real Stephen Green, it seems. He beat his wife, he beat his kids, he made his family's life a misery, according to his ex-wife.

Read all about it, as they say, in this story in the Daily Mail. It's quite a revelation.

Oh, how are the mighty – or, in arch homophobe Green's case, the deluded hypocrites – fallen!

Does this mean we'll be spared his dangerous ranting in future? Let's hope so. Rather, let's hope he's thoroughly discredited in the eyes of his followers, and that they will come to see the light – but not the light that Stephen Green espoused.

Protesting too little

First see our post titled "Protesting too much" on that ridiculous woman Melanie Phillips, who, writing in the Daily Mail, brought out the old canard about how there's a gay agenda and how there's a huge conspiracy to turn our kids gay.

Then read this moving article by Johan Hari in the Independent.

It all speaks for itself, so I'll shut up and let you get on with it. But I'll just ask this: why are so many people protesting too little?

Protesting too much

Is it something in the water supply that makes “journalist” Melanie Phillips of the Daily Mail into the unutterable bitch she is? Is she on some sort of medication that’s rotting her brain?

I ask because she’s at it again, thinking there’s some sort of gay mafia running things, pushing homosexuality down everyone’s throat, insinuating it into every school lesson as part of some huge conspiracy.

I refer you to this piece of “journalism” in yesterday’s issue.

Schoolchildren, she says, “are to be bombarded with homosexual references in maths, geography and science lessons as part of a Government-backed drive to promote the gay agenda.”

Her examples?

“In geography, for example, they will be told to consider why homosexuals move from the countryside to cities. In maths, they will be taught statistics through census findings about the number of homosexuals in the population. In science, they will be directed to animal species such as emperor penguins and sea horses, where the male takes a lead role in raising its young.”

So you can just see the school timetable. Monday, 10 a.m., double period of “Homosexuals moving from countryside to city”. Tuesday, 3 p.m., “The number of homosexuals in the population”. Friday, 11 a.m., “Homosexuality in the animal kingdom”.

We all know that’s not how it is. In all kinds of subjects, real-life situations are used as examples. No doubt racial groups have been used to make points; gender has been used to illustrate statistics; age and other demographics have been used to discuss social issues.

Now, the last time I looked, gays were a part of the community. Is there any reason, then, Ms bloody Phillips, why the gay section of society should not be likewise used?

Sorry, what was that? There is a reason? Oh, what is it, then?

What was that again. This is “all part of the ruthless campaign by the gay rights lobby to destroy the very concept of normal sexual behaviour”?

Oh, I see.

So a group of gay people have lobbied the powers that be, have successfully had gay-related subjects injected into the curriculum, and their whole purpose has been to destroy the concept of “normal” sexual behaviour? Is that it?

And how are you defining “normal”? Just what’s in the majority? What’s natural? Well there are a lot of things that aren’t in the majority (left-handedness, for instance; red-headedness) that you would consider natural. So let’s leave that one out.

That just leaves “natural”. But, if it happens and it’s part of a person’s nature, it’s natural, isn’t it?

OK, I think I’ve gone far enough in picking the flaws in this ridiculous woman’s excuse for an argument. Read it for yourself (it’s linked to above) and then write to the asinine woman and tell her.

On second thoughts, maybe not. She’d probably revel in getting criticism from what she perceives to be the enemy. It would just justify her ridiculous, vicious crusade against people who have as much right as she does to take part in society and enjoy a full natural life in so doing.

Fortunately, people like Melanie sodding Phillips have become caricatures of themselves by going on and on about sexuality – so much so that you wonder what they’re trying to hide. Doesn’t she just make you want to echo Mr Hamlet and say, “The lady doth protest too much, methinks”?

Euro MP thinks it’s OK to ‘turn’ gay men straight

What a dork? But, then, he is an ageing Tory, so maybe we should make allowances. His name’s Roger Helmer, and he’s a member of the European Parliament, and he’s tweeted that, if it’s OK to do sex-change ops, why not “turn” gay people straight?

He’s come in for some criticism – notably from members of his own party in the Conservative gay group LGBTory.

Meanwhile, according to Pink News, a Christian therapist may be struck off for trying to “turn” a gay man straight. The story’s here.

Gay marriage: not revolutionary, just next

What a refreshing headline! The Washington Post says simply, “Gay marriage isn’t revolutionary. It’s just next.”

The story opens: “Opponents of same-sex marriage worry that allowing two men or two women to wed would radically transform a time-honored institution. But they’re way too late on that front. Marriage has already been radically transformed – in a way that makes gay marriage not only inevitable, as Vice President Biden described it in an interview late last year, but also quite logical.”

Quite!

Attitudes to religion

The gay Humanist charity the Pink Triangle Trust (PTT) – this blog’s parent body – has warmly welcomed the findings about religion in the latest British Social Attitudes survey which was published in December 2010.

The British Social Attitudes survey is the primary social research survey in Britain. The annual surveys conducted by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) have continually monitored and interpreted the British public’s changing attitudes towards social, economic, political, religious and moral issues.

As usual, the latest survey asks people whether they regard themselves as belonging to any particular religion and, if so, to which one? When the survey first asked these questions in 1985, 63% of the respondents answered that they were Christians, compared with 34% who said they had no religion (the rest belonged to non-Christian religions). Now, a quarter of a century on, the latest survey has found that only 42% say they are Christians while 51% say they have no religion.

The PTT Secretary George Broadhead commented: “These findings constitute a steady and remarkable turnaround and demonstrate quite clearly that the country has become much less religious and more secular in its outlook. Nevertheless, the powers that be, including politicians and the media (especially the BBC), choose to ignore the findings and continue to give special privileges to the Churches and other religious institutions as if they had overwhelming support.

“Why is it that Anglican bishops sit in the House of Lords as of right, that morning worship of a broadly Christian character is mandatory in state schools, that faith schools are steadily being increased by the government at taxpayers’ expense, and that chaplains provide counselling in our hospitals, prisons and armed forces with no provision made for the majority who are not religious?

“It is high time that politicians and the media took note, not just of these highly significant statistics, but of the words of no less a person that the Queen, our Head of State, when (in a recent speech to the Church of England’s General Synod) she said: ‘It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue and that the wellbeing and prosperity of the nation depend on the contribution of individuals and groups of all faiths and none.’ ”