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GAY BELFAST NEWS FOR SEPTEMBER 2004
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Homophobic Attack in Derry (28 September 2004)
A gay mans home was attacked using golf balls and bricks in Londonderry. The attack took place during the past weekend. The victim has been the target of homophobic attacks for years. He has had to install security at his home to prevent the attackers. He managed to video this latest attack on his home which was aired on BBC TV tonight (28 September2004). Sean Morrin said "The Rainbow Project totally condemns this attack. Ironically it is reported on the day that the new Hate Crime Legislation is implemented in Northern Ireland. This man has been suffering attacks on him for years when all he wants to do is live in peace and the thugs responsible for this need to be stopped before someone is killed. Community activists including CRJ have been very active in this area to end the homophobia and we totally welcome that. Anyone out there suffering homophobia should report it as they now have the full backing of the law. The Rainbow Project is available to anyone suffering homophobia to offer support through this hatred".Discuss this article on the Gay Belfast Forum
Rainbow Project Welcomes Hate Crime Laws (28 September 2004)
The Rainbow Project today welcomes the implementation of tough new laws to tackle homophobia and other hate crimes. Sean Morrin Project Officer with the Rainbow Project "We welcome the new laws and sincerely hope the criminal justice system will follow through to tough sentencing of the perpetrators of this hate. Homophobia is socially acceptable and there are still people out there who will use homophobia in a way that racism and sectarianism is not accepted and we hope these laws will send a clear message to everyone that homophobia in any disguise will not be tolerated. We continue to encourage men and women from the Gay Community to report all homophobia".Discuss this article on the Gay Belfast Forum
Loo Alert at Holywood Arches (27 September 2004)
The PSNI has warned NIGRA that they have received complaints about people misbehaving at the loo at the Holywood Arches on the Upper Newtownards Road in east Belfast. Accordingly, they will be keeping a special eye on these premises for the foreseeable future. P A MagLOCHLAINN from NIGRA said "C'mon, lads, show a bit of discretion and common sense. No point in spoiling the scene for everyone! Please spread this warning to everyone you think it might interest."Discuss this article on the Gay Belfast Forum
Belfast based gay group clashs with Christian Institute (27 September 2004)
Gay rights groups in Northern Ireland have clashed with the Christian Institute, which is calling for the province to be excluded from the Civil Partnerships bill. Members of the Northern Ireland Gay Rights Association (NIGRA) protested outside a Christian Institute last week, in which the religious hardliner group called for the "immoral" bill to be dropped. Already well known for its opposition to the bill, the Institute thinks the government should not include Ulster in the legislation, which gives legal recognition to same-sex couples for the first time. NIGRA's P A MagLochlainn told the Belfast Telegraph that the gay community deserves the rights and responsibilities offered in the legislation, and that the Institute is wrong to link it with Christian ideas of marriage. "We want to strengthen our relationships so there is a stable family unit. All we want is the same legal rights as everyone else," he told the newspaper. "The Christian Institute also say that there are not many gay people in Northern Ireland. That is untrue. Because of all the prejudice a large number of gay people are too afraid to disclose their sexuality." Meanwhile, one political party in Northern Ireland is calling on the gay community and other voters to make their voice heard and ensure the province is included in the bill. The Social Environmental Alliance says a variety of parties including the Democratic and Ulster Unionists and the SLDP will not stand against the idea of blocking Northern Ireland from the Civil Partnerships bill. "Unfortunately, the support for gay rights that was so evident on the streets of Belfast during the Gay Pride march is not reflected in our MPs," a spokesperson for the party says. "It is important that those who want to keep Northern Ireland back in the 1950s are not allowed to stop this law from applying here." The bill is set to enter the second reading phase in the House of Commons in early October.Discuss this article on the Gay Belfast Forum
Derry Mayor promise to stamp out culture of homophobia (23 September 2004)
The Mayor of Derry has committed himself to stamping out homophobic attacks, after widespread reporting of the continued attacks on the local gay community. Mayor Councillor Gearoid O'hEara held a meeting with the region's Rainbow Project last week in a bid to learn more about the attacks, as well as begin to devise solutions to the problem. In the past 12 months, attacks on gay people have included verbal abuse, violent physical incidents and in one case excrement smeared on a gay man's home. One couple were also issued with a death threat because of their sexuality. In a bid to stop the attacks, as well as the culture of homophobia, Rainbow Project is in the process of launching a conference with different community stakeholders in the city, including the police, religious leaders, political representatives and local people.Speaking at the event, the Mayor said he fully supports the work the group is doing, and is committed to helping stop the homophobic attacks, as well as the problem of anti-gay sentiment as a whole. "As Mayor of the city I believe it is important to promote inclusiveness and to encourage respect for equality and diversity within society," he said, adding that initiatives such as the Rainbow Project "go a long way towards helping to change attitudes amongst society and promoting respect and inclusiveness. I fully support the work carried out by the group and intend, during my year in office, to embrace all members of the community," he said.
A spokesman for the Rainbow Project said that the meeting was important, not only to raise awareness of the attacks, but also the wider inequality faced by lesbian and gay people in Northern Ireland. "The meeting highlighted that violent attacks on the gay community here are nothing new and that violence against this community is an ongoing long term problem and symptomatic of a much deeper situation that requires a response by all the citizens of Derry. Homophobia is a major social problem and cannot be effectively challenged by a handful of gay rights activists but rather requires the input of civic, political, church, business and community leaders to seek solutions and effect real change."
Discuss this article on the Gay Belfast Forum
Gay Men victims of Drug Rape (13 September 2004)
A new survey has found that one in five gay men believe themselves to be the victim of drink spiking, with many subsequently suffering attacks as a result. The study, conducted for the Channel 4 programme Dispatches, questioned women and gay men across the country for the first nationwide survey of drink spiking and drug rape. While it found that women are more likely to become victims of the modern phenomenon, gay men are also at risk the programme discovered. Drink spiking takes place when indistinguishable liquid drugs, such as GHB and rohypnol, are poured into an unsuspecting victim's drink. The added drugs can render their victim unconscious and vulnerable to sexual attacks. Additionally, memory can sometimes be affected and victims have no recollection of the attack. This is not the first time that gay men have been warned of the problems of drink spiking and sexual attacks. Last year, Graham Rhodes of the Roofie Foundation, which offers help and counselling for victims of drink spiking, said that reports of spiking on gay men were increasing. He said 10-15% of cases reported to the group were from men, with 750 cases reported in the preceding 12 months. This number could be much greater in reality, he warned, since many victims do not report the incident. He said that in male cases, there was also a "much higher proportion of gang rape".Discuss this article on the Gay Belfast Forum
Official Inquiry into Northern Ireland Hate Crimes (3 September 2004)
There has been a proliferation of racist and homophobic attacks, since the ceasefires have bedded down in communities across Northern Ireland. To tackle the problem, the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee has decided to conduct an official inquiry into hate crime that will involve those communities affected by the problem. The Committee have commissioned the Hansard Society, an independent non-partisan organisation, and leaders in the field of e-democracy to run an online consultation at: www.tellparliament.net/hatecrime. Running for six weeks from Wednesday September 1 until Friday October 8, the consultation will help encourage participants to share their experiences in an anonymous online forum, when they may not otherwise be willing to do so. At the end of the consultation, the input from the participants will be fed directly into the Committee’s official inquiry. These types of consultation are in addition to traditional evidence gathering methods. It will cover topics based on the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee inquiry’s formal terms of reference including comments on the nature of hate crime (racist, sectarian and homophobic), support for victims of such crime and proposed legislation. Members of the public are invited to contribute their experience and expertise to the hate crime inquiry taking place in Westminster, via the consultation website: www.tellparliament.net/hatecrime. To register for the consultation please click on the following link and answer a series of questions: www.tellparliament.net/hatecrime/user Participants can choose their own username and only those people registered on the site can view the messages posted during the consultation. The security of the consultation is of paramount importance, including the protection of all participants, so all messages submitted will be checked by Hansard Society moderators before being posted. Some brief background information on the issues for consideration is available on the consultation website and instructions explaining the process are available in Urdu, Chinese and Arabic. The moderators will also accept written submissions to a freepost postal address displayed on the website. The Hansard Society is working in partnership with NICVA, NICEM, the Equality Commission and Dr David Newman at Queen’s University, Belfast. Tell Parliament is a new Hansard Society initiative, run by the e-democracy programme. Over the past five years, the programme has carried out a range of pilot projects on behalf of different parliamentary committees providing moderation, summary reports and evaluation. Recent consultations have been carried out for the Science and Technology Committee on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, the House of Commons Modernisation Committee on Connecting Parliament with the Public, and on the Draft Constitutional Reform Bill. All online consultations are available for viewing at: www.tellparliament.net. Please pass this information on to anyone with an interest in this area including colleagues and friends.Discuss this article on the Gay Belfast Forum
Conference plans to stamp out gay attacks (2 September 2004)
A major conference is to be held in Londonderry / Derry in a bid to stamp out a spiralling campaign of homophobic attacks on gay men in the city. The Rainbow Project announced plans for the event this week as police appealed for witnesses to the latest attack to come forward. Police launched an appeal for information after a man in his late 50s had his home daubed with paint and slogans including 'gays out' daubed on a neighbour's house believed to have been initially mistaken for the man's address. The incident happened at the man's home in Brewster's Close off William Street in the city centre. Condemning the attack, Rainbow Project director Sean Morrin said today: "This is despicable. This man has been experiencing homophobic abuse and harassment for a few weeks now. "Unfortunately this is the latest in a long line of attacks which have increased significantly." The Rainbow Project has now begun preparations for the major conference in the city centre. Church leaders, representatives from community groups, health and social partnerships and local politicians will be among those invited to attend the conference. Mr Morrin said: "In light of these attacks, we have to raise awareness of what homophobia really is, in all its manifestations, and what we can do to stop it at all levels. "The effects these attacks are having can be devastating." Details of the conference are expected over the next few weeks. Mr Morrin said community activists in the Bogside area had rallied around the man yesterday and had taken steps to deal with the incident. "I am totally supportive of that," Mr Morrin said. Politicians in the area have also thrown their support behind the gay community. The move follows a massive increase in attacks. In several incidents, including one last week, gay men have fled their homes as a result. Sinn Fein Assembly member, Raymond McCartney, warned that attacks on the gay community "will not be tolerated as anything other than bullying and anti-social behaviour".Discuss this article on the Gay Belfast Forum
Survey
The Rainbow project in Belfast has launched a questionnaire entitled Health and Youth to find out more about the health of same-sex attracted men aged 25 and under in Northern Ireland. Helen McNamee a researcher at The Rainbow project in Belfast said "The research has received funding from Diana, Princess of Wales memorial fund, and is part of a three year project entitled Boyz II Men which has been set up to address mental health issues for young gay and bisexual men. This is the first project of its kind to be set up in Northern Ireland The long term goal of the research is to provide substantive data for the development of policy and services across the community, voluntary and statutory sector which will support and empower young gay and bisexual men in Northern Ireland and ultimately help reduce the incidence of mental distress among young gay and bisexual men." The questionnaire can be completed online at www.rainbow-project.orgDiscuss this article on the Gay Belfast Forum
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