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GAY BELFAST NEWS FOR NOVEMBER 2004
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Anti-Homophobia Seminar (28 November 2004)
A series of events designed to not only raise awareness of new laws protecting gay people, but also to tackle homophobia itself, are set to take place in Northern Ireland next month. Organised by the Coalition on Sexual Orientation (CoSO), the conferences due on the 3rd and 14th December are aiming to increase public knowledge of new hate crime laws introduced. The laws offer harsher punishments and stricter protection from crimes motivated by prejudice towards sexuality. They are the first of their kind to be introduced in the UK and came into force following a year of high profile anti-gay attacks in L'Derry and Belfast. Organisers say the Anti-Homophobia Northern Ireland 2004 (AHNI 04) events are also the first of their kind to be held in the UK or Ireland and could well lead to a broader agenda in the near future, "Challenging homophobia does not just lie with lesbian, gay or bisexual people; we all have a responsibility stop it. CoSO believes that it is essential that the on-going work to tackle such prejudice and discrimination within the voluntary and community as well as the statutory and private sectors is added to and built upon and we hope that AHNI will create a space to allow this to happen." It follows recent attempts to build strong relationships between community groups and LGB people in Northern Ireland. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has already launched initiatives to help improve its image and its effectiveness in protecting lesbian and gay victims of crime. James Knox, Convenor of this latest Coalition, said today that such partnerships were vital to stamping out homophobia. "We must work together as a community of people to challenge homophobia and raise awareness of these issues," he said.Discuss this article on the Gay Belfast Forum
Christian Institute's advert causes anger (11 November 2004)
Anger has erupted over a Christian Institute's advert in the Times newspaper, with MPs calling for an investigation into the charity. Reader may recall that the Christian Institute has been linked to the recent anti-gay website Stop the Parade. Stop the Parade tried and failed to stop Belfast Pride this summer in which 3000 people took part.The advert, a full page focus on the Conservative's amendment to the Civil Partnership bill that was defeated in parliament yesterday, claims that the majority of people support extending the Civil Partnership bill to siblings and carers. However, the amendment is widely seen by gay rights groups as a "wrecking" tactic, while legal groups have claimed it would make the bill unworkable. The advert also claimed that 84% of people backed the amendment for "ordinary families", despite figures in The Times suggesting that the overwhelming majority of the general public backed the bill in its original form.
In yesterday's Parliamentary debate, the advert was discussed with MPs noting that it could be a breach of the Institute's remit of the "promotion and furtherance of Christianity". Alistair Carmichael, Lib Dem MP, said that he was stunned by the advert from the Institute, which could well go against Charity Commission regulations. "[The Christian Institute] has acted outside its remit in terms of charitable purposes," he told the House of Commons, adding that the "government should consider that through the appropriate body".
His stance was supported by Conservative MP John Bercow, who suggested the funds would have been better used to help solve other more religious based problems. "Given that the approximate £20,000 cost of that full page advertisement on page 31 of The Times by the Christian Institute would have sufficed to feed approximately 5,000 people in Sudan for up to a month, does [Mr Carmichael] share my astonishment that a supposedly charitable institution should choose to deploy its resources in that way," he told the Commons.
The advert has already been slammed by gay rights group Stonewall, who also accuse the Institute of straying too far from its remit. "We're rather saddened that they will spend their money on attempts to block equal rights for same-sex couples, particularly in light of recent world events," Stonewall's parliamentary spokesman Alan Wardle told Gay.com UK.
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Gay marriage challenge given go ahead in Ireland (9 November 2004)
A lesbian couple have been given the chance to challenge the Irish government over its stance on same-sex marriage. Katherine Zappone and Ann Louise Gilligan were given leave by the High Court, after arguing they were facing unfair financial burdens that married couples were immune too. They told the court that they were legally married in Canada last year, but were denied access to financial benefits such as tax relief from the Revenue Commission. Additionally, they said that this discrimination went against the Irish Constitution and the European Convention of Human Rights.Although based on a financial discrepancy, the High Court's decision will have ramifications on Ireland's treatment of lesbian and gay couples, and may pave the way for legislation allowing gay marriage, gay equality groups are suggesting. The judge presiding over the hearing admitted that the case would cover new ground for the Irish government.
"The case embraces far reaching issues touching on many aspects of society," Mr Justice McKecknie said when reaching his decision. However, he would not be drawn on what legal changes would have to be made at the final result. He suggested instead that the specific requirements for an arguable case had been met by the couple. The couple themselves said the decision was vital to recognising their "love and faithfulness"... Twenty-three years ago we made a commitment of life partnership to each other. We have been exceptionally blessed with our unconditional love for and our fidelity to one another" they said outside the court. The case is expected to start before the end of the year.
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Former Belfast Mayor Condemns Gay Wreath (8 November 2004)
Former Ulster Unionist Lord Mayor Jim Rodgers has accused the Northern Ireland Gay Rights Association (NIGRA) of "underhand tactics" after the group laid a pink wreath at the Cenotaph in Belfast City Hall. NIGRA laid the wreath yesterday to commemorate gay people who died in the two world wars. This is the third year the gay rights group has laid the wreath, which is in the shape of a pink triangle to represent the symbol gays were forced to wear while imprisoned in Nazi concentration camps. Ceremonies to lay the pink wreath have been taking place in the rest of the UK for a number of years. NIGRA lays its wreath one week ahead of Remembrance Sunday to avoid any potential clash with the official wreath-laying ceremony. President of NIGRA, P.A. MagLochlainn said: "All we are doing is remembering a group of people who would otherwise be forgotten. These people were innocent victims who were targeted just because of their sexuality." But former mayor, Jim Rodgers said: "What this group has done is illegal; there has been no consultation with council or with the Royal British Legion which is the proper way these things should be done. If they want to take part in Remembrance Sunday then they should apply in the proper way rather than stooping to these underhand tactics. I have no doubt that council staff will spot this illegal wreath and remove it." 15,000 gay people lost their lives in Nazi Death camps, Jim Rodgers should think about that.Discuss this article on the Gay Belfast Forum
PSNI figures have revealed a major increase in the number of homophobic crimes (8 November 2004)
Anti-gay incidents increased to 53 during April and September this year, compared to 36 in the same period of the year before. The incidents range from verbal abuse to graffiti on personal property and physical attacks. The figures were presented to the Northern Ireland Select Affairs Committee, which is currently hearing from groups throughout Northern Ireland in a bid to help establish initiatives that could help solve some of its problems.Although officers claim the increased number reflect more confidence in the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), gay rights groups have been working for the past 12 months to clamp down on the rising attacks. In Derry alone, incidents have included stabbings and death threats, while one local gay man had excrement smeared on his home.
They are now calling on local community leaders to push forward with proposals to change how homophobia is dealt with in schools, churches and other institutions. An anti-homophobia conference is also being planned in a bid to help raise awareness of the issues surrounding the gay attacks.
The PSNI says that new initiatives intended to establish strong links with the province's LGBT communities have helped increase the number of crimes reported to them. "The Police Service has put considerable effort, both locally and corporately, to encourage incident reporting and we believe this effort is being rewarded. We would encourage people in communities to take the next step in this process which involves providing information to the police about who is responsible for these attacks." Assistant Chief Constable Judith Gillespie said.
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