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GAY BELFAST NEWS for June 2005
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'Christian anger' over Gay Pride (28 June 2005)
The Parades Commission is to decide whether Belfast's Gay Pride parade will go ahead as planned. The march, due to take place on 6 August, has been held in the city centre for the past 14 years. However, following concerns raised by some homophobic Christian groups, the police have passed the matter on to the commission for consideration. Andy Thomson from Belfast Gay Pride said the parade has always been peaceful and brought trade and tourism to the city. "It's open to everybody, it is a colourful and wonderful day out, It is one of the few parades in Northern Ireland that really I can't see any bone of contention about."However, Jonathan Larner of the London based homophobic protest group "Stop the Parade" said it was "offensive". "Our outlook on this parade is a wholly peaceful one, we find the whole parade morally offensive, as evangelical Christians we believe what the bible says regarding sodomy - that it is a sin - and for that reason we want to oppose a parade that we see is promoting a sinful lifestyle." The Parades Commission was set up in 1997 to make decisions on whether or not restrictions should be imposed on controversial parades during Northern Ireland's marching season. Discuss this article on the Gay Belfast Forum
Church of Ireland bishop slams Civil Partnerships (23 June 2005)
A leading bishop in Northern Ireland is set to anger members of the lesbian and gay community after he slammed the introduction of Civil Partnerships later this year. Church of Ireland's Bishop Harold Miller said he was against the introduction of the new legislation in Northern Ireland, claiming it goes against the advice given by churches in the region. The Civil Partnership Act will come into force in December across the UK, allowing lesbian and gay couples to have their relationship recognised by law. Although not marriage, it will afford some of the rights and responsibilities currently only on offer to heterosexual couples. However, Dr Miller told an Anglican meeting that he is against the laws because they "mimic" marriage. He said the CPA was part of the Anglican debate on sexual diversity currently taking place. "These issues will continue to run, not only in the church, but in the province, as the Government seems determined to introduce a form of civil partnerships into Northern Ireland, beginning, so far as I can see, in December," the Press Association quotes him as saying. "These will mimic marriage for same-sex couples," he added. He also claimed that the consultation period on the issue had allowed churches from across Northern Ireland to voice their concern on the introduction of the proposals, but that these issues were ignored by the government. "[These proposals] are not the way forward desired by the churches in Northern Ireland in their responses to the consultation document," he said. The issue of Civil Partnerships in Northern Ireland has been raised before, with some religious leaders campaigning for the province to be exempt from the laws. However, gay campaigners said the region had no reason to be left out of the CPA when introduced. Civil Partnerships will be available from December 5th, with the first ceremonies taking place on December 21st after an initial "cooling off" period. Discuss this article on the Gay Belfast ForumColumnist reveals how he attracted Kilfedder's gay attention (20 June 2005)
A newspaper and magazine columnist has written about how he became the object of an Ulster politician's homosexual desires. Leo McKinstry stated that he rejected "anguished" attempts at "intimacy" from Jim Kilfedder, who was the MP for North Down from 1970 to his death in 1995. Mr McKinstry also recalled one "embarrassing" incident when Mr Kilfedder voiced his affections after drinking too much wine at dinner in the House of Commons. The columnist's experiences are mentioned in an article for the current issue of The Spectator, an influential right-wing London-based magazine. Mr McKinstry, who also writes for a number of newspapers, described Mr Kilfedder as a "surprisingly flamboyant, cosmopolitan figure for the hard world of Ulster politics". He also stated: "Unfortunately, the searchlight of his flamboyance settled in my direction and for several years he was an awkward presence in my youth." The articles said the MP was "a decent and in many ways honourable man" who died of a heart attack "when gay rights activists threatened to expose him as a homosexual". It added: "I was never under any illusions about the nature of his interest in me, especially after one embarrassing evening when he took me to dinner at the House of Commons. "Having imbibed rather too much claret, he cried out in a loud voice, 'I can't bear to have this table between us any longer,' a statement which rather shook the Northern Labour MP at the table next to ours. "Through a cowardly unwillingness to avoid a confrontation, I allowed him to remain a friend, though I rejected all his anguished attempts at greater intimacy." The main theme of Mr McKinstry's article was that generations of boys have been the "subject of the attentions of enthusiastic but essentially harmless older men". Referring to this week's not guilty verdict in the Michael Jackson trial, the columnist stated: "The sort of behaviour Michael Jackson was charged with would until recently scarcely have raised an eyebrow if it came from the Latin master in many an English prep school." Calling for more tolerance of such behaviour if no abuse or exploitation occurs, Mr McKinstry argued that "hysteria" now surrounds the issue. "All this does no service in the battle against real child abuse. By making the definition of abuse so wide, by seeing danger at every turn, by putting the most sinister gloss on every act of affection, all rationality has been lost. "A sense of proportion has been replaced by one of panic and vindictiveness," he added. Jim Kilfedder was originally an Ulster Unionist MP. He split from the UUP in the 1970s to form the small Popular Unionist Party. He became Sir James Kilfedder in the latter stages of his long political career. Discuss this article on the Gay Belfast ForumARRESTED FOR GAY JIBE AT HORSE (3 June 2005)
A student from Belfast was locked in a police cell overnight and fined £80 after calling a police horse 'gay'. Police claimed Sam Brown caused alarm or distress with his comments while celebrating the end of his university English exams. Now the 21-year-old plans to challenge his treatment. His outburst followed a night out drinking with friends in Oxford last month. Brown said: "I don't know why but I saw these two gigantic police horses and said that one of them was gay - at no stage did I swear. "One of the officers warned me not to say that But when the horses were about 70 yards up the road, I shouted it again, at which point these horses started trotting back up the road. "I said, This is ridiculous, you can't arrest me". "They said I was being belligerent and got patrol cars and six police officers, banged on the handcuffs and took me to the station." Brown, denied his comments were homophobic, adding: 2As far as I know, calling a horse gay is not offensive." Police confirmed he was arrested and issued with a fixed penalty notice. A spokesman said: "Although he thought calling a police horse 'gay' was funny, it could cause offence to people walking past". Discuss this article on the Gay Belfast ForumGet well night at Kremlin for Kylie (3 June 2005)
The KREMLIN entertainment complex will tonight host a Get Well Kylie Night for the Australian pop princess. All money raised from the event, which is being held at the Kremlin nightclub in Belfast, will go towards the lifesaving research of leading cancer charity, the Ulster Cancer Foundation. Kylie Minogue was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and is currently in Melbourne where she is being supported by her family and boyfriend Olivier Martinez as she fights the illness. Organisers of the event said that due to the popularity of the diminutive diva, who is a gay icon across the globe, it was decided to offer her huge fanbase in Northern Ireland an opportunity to send their get well wishes, while raising much-needed funds for a worthy cause. Aidie McClay, who is promoting the event, hopes up to 500 people will pack out the Belfast nightspot and said that the club will match pound for pound what is raised from customer donations. "The people who come to the Kremlin are normally very generous so we are very optimistic that we will raise a substantial amount of money." During the course of the evening, fans will be able to sign a huge get well card which will then be forwarded to Kylie's record company. And a Kylie lookalike, former Alternative Miss Ireland, Miss Tina Leggs Tantrum, will be performing her tribute on stage. Representatives from the Ulster Cancer Foundation will also be on hand to offer advice on breast cancer awareness. Discuss this article on the Gay Belfast ForumPolitical Links: SDLP - Ulster Unionists - DUP - Alliance Party - Sinn Fein - Green Party
