ACOMSDave

Community Journalist

Gay Spies

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Secrets Out: When Queerness Was a National Security Threat

For decades, Western intelligence agencies treated queerness as a security risk, a stain on one’s character. From Cold War betrayals to rainbow flags over Langley and Vauxhall Cross, the story of gay spies is one of secrecy, shame—and a reckoning decades in the making.Gay Spies

The Cambridge Ring and the Lavender Scare

The infamous Cambridge Ring, including figures like Guy Burgess and Anthony Blunt, exploited their privileged backgrounds to infiltrate British intelligence. Their homosexuality, then a criminal offence, was seen as a vulnerability. This fueled the “Lavender Scare,” a mass purge of LGBTQ+ civil servants based on the fear of blackmail.

Gay SpiesAlan Turing, the brilliant mathematician who cracked the Enigma code, was prosecuted for being gay and stripped of his security clearance. Similarly, Jeremy Wolfenden, a journalist and MI6 asset, was blackmailed by the KGB because of his sexuality, leading to a tragic end. These cases highlight the systemic discrimination and paranoia that plagued intelligence agencies.

Changing Tides and Apologies

It wasn’t until the 1990s that attitudes began to shift. President Clinton’s executive order in 1995 ended the ban on security clearances based solely on sexual orientation. GCHQ publicly apologised in 2016 for barring gay recruits, acknowledging the nation’s loss. MI5 and MI6 followed suit, actively recruiting openly gay candidates and celebrating diversity.

The Rest of the World

While the Soviet Union ruthlessly exploited homosexuality as an espionage tool, countries like France and Israel had different experiences. France decriminalised homosexual acts early on, and Israel has long been liberal by Middle Eastern standards. However, the past is not forgotten, and declassified archives continue to expose the queer lives entangled in the intelligence game.

New Realities and Open Questions

Today, intelligence agencies vie to show inclusiveness, with the CIA posting LGBT recruitment messages and British intelligence celebrating LGBT History Month. While the door to the closet has been forced open, questions remain about the careers wrecked by the gay ban. The message is clear: love of country, not the gender of one’s partner, defines a good spy.

 

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Northern Ireland’s Hidden Histories

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Northern Ireland's Hidden HistoriesNorthern Ireland’s history is often framed through the lens of sectarian conflict, but beneath this dominant narrative lies a rich tapestry of diverse identities and experiences that have long been overlooked. As Norena Shopland’s article “Unlocking the Diversity of the Past” highlights, history has traditionally privileged the stories of the powerful, literate, and socially accepted, leaving behind those whose lives didn’t fit the mainstream mould.

Diversity Through the Lens of Time

To understand diversity in Northern Ireland, we must first acknowledge that many identities—LGBTQ+, disabled, ethnic minorities—were historically excluded from official records. This exclusion wasn’t just accidental; it was systemic. Shopland argues that the language we use today to describe these identities often didn’t exist in earlier centuries, making it difficult to trace their stories. Instead, researchers must adopt a “patchwork approach,” piecing together fragments from newspapers, court records, and personal anecdotes to reconstruct lives lived in the margins.

Northern Ireland shares this challenge. While the region has made strides in recent decades—such as the decriminalisation of homosexuality in 1982 and the legalisation of same-sex marriage in 2020—the historical record remains sparse. Much of what we know comes from local efforts, like those documented on acomsdave.com, which has long championed LGBTQ+ visibility and cultural inclusion. The site’s articles reflect a grassroots commitment to preserving stories that might otherwise be lost, from personal reflections to coverage of Pride events and community activism.

One poignant example is the story of Brett Burnell, a Royal Navy serviceman discharged in 1993 for being gay. Though not from Northern Ireland, his experience—shared via social media and later featured in a Channel 4 documentary—illustrates how individual acts of resistance can shape public discourse. Similar stories in Northern Ireland, such as those of trans individuals navigating gender identity in conservative communities, remain largely undocumented but are no less vital.

The challenge now is to bring these hidden histories into public view. Museums, libraries, and archives in Wales have begun this work through LGBTQ+ timelines and community outreach. Northern Ireland could benefit from similar initiatives, ensuring that diversity is not treated as a footnote but as a central thread in the region’s story.

Ultimately, diversity is not about separating people into categories—it’s about recognising that every person’s experience contributes to the whole of society. By uncovering and celebrating these stories, Northern Ireland can move beyond binary narratives and embrace a fuller, more inclusive understanding of its past.

Brett Burnell would have had no problems, but you can’t be a gay British sailor. Simon Garfield reports

 

#NorthernIrelandHistory #HiddenHistories #DiversityMatters #InclusiveHeritage #LGBTQNorthernIreland #MinorityVoices #CulturalIdentity #SocialHistory #EqualityInHistory #UnlockThePast

UK Research: Anti-LGBTQ+ Hate and Rising Trends

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Hate Crime Statistics die Anti-LGBTQ+ Hate and Rising Trends

The data on UK hate crimes presents a complex picture. Recent official statistics show a 2% decrease in sexual orientation-related hate crimes (from 19,127 to 18,702) and an 11% decrease in transgender identity-related crimes (from 4,258 to 3,809) in 2024/25. However, advocacy groups caution that these figures don’t tell the full story.

The statistics exclude Metropolitan Police data due to reporting changes, which significantly affect LGBTQ+ data, given that many LGBTQ+ people live in London. Additionally, over the past five years, hate crimes based on sexual orientation have risen by around 44% and those based on trans identity have nearly doubled at 88%.

LGBTQ+ hate crime charity Galop saw a 60% increase in LGBTQ+ hate crime victims coming to them for support in 2024, suggesting the official figures underestimate the true scale of the problem. Fewer than one in ten LGBTQ+ people report hate crimes or incidents to police, with half feeling the police wouldn’t do anything.

The Supreme Court Ruling

In April 2025, the UK Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the legal definition of woman under the Equality Act 2010 refers to biological sex assigned at birth. The case originated from a challenge by For Women Scotland to Scottish legislation requiring 50% of public board members to be women, which included transgender women with gender recognition certificates.

The ruling determined that interpreting ‘sex’ as certificated sex would cut across the definitions of ‘man’ and ‘woman’ in an incoherent way, and that transgender women could be excluded from same-sex facilities such as changing rooms if proportionate.

Many LGBTQ+ people are living in fear following the Supreme Court judgment, according to advocacy groups, though this period doesn’t fall within the most recent hate crime statistics. The ruling effectively forced trans people to use sex-segregated public services and facilities according to their sex-assigned at birth, contrary to their identity and appearance.

Reform UK’s Growing Influence

Reform UK’s manifesto pledges to ban “transgender ideology” in primary and secondary schools, with no gender questioning, social transitioning or pronoun swapping, and mandates single-sex facilities in schools. The party also states it will scrap the 2010 Equality Act and eliminate diversity, equality and inclusion roles.

69% of Reform UK voters believe that trans people should not be able to legally change their gender via a gender recognition certificate, though 65% still believe same-sex couples should be allowed to marry. The 10 English councils now controlled by Reform have banned the flying of Pride flags, limiting flagpoles to the Union Jack and regional emblems.

Reform UK’s electoral threat has pushed both Conservative and Labour parties to adopt more conservative positions on gender self-identification and transgender rights, framing these policies around safeguarding concerns for cisgender women and children.

Online Harassment and Platform Safety

GLAAD’s 2025 Social Media Safety Index found that platforms broadly under-moderated anti-LBGTQ+ hate content while over-moderating LGBTQ+ users, including taking down hashtags containing phrases such as queer, trans and non-binary. In the UK, coordinated far-right and Christian extremist online campaigns have targeted Pride events with fabricated claims that they are “sexualising public spaces,” with these narratives emboldening physical protests and attacks such as those witnessed at London Pride in 2024.

Two in five LGBTQ+ young people, including 58% of trans young people, have been targets of homophobic, biphobic or transphobic online abuse, while nearly all (97%) have witnessed it. Less than half of LGBTQ+ victims of online abuse reported their experiences to social media platforms, and less than one in ten reported to police.

School Bullying

A 2024 YouGov poll found that 47% of LGBTQ+ youth in the UK have been bullied or discriminated against at school or university because of their sexual orientation, and 25% faced bullying due to their gender identity. Half of those who experienced bullying never reported it, and of those who did report it to staff, more than seven in ten said staff responded badly.

Respondents reported being locked in toilets, kicked, verbally and sexually abused, with some being driven to suicidal thoughts, while others complained of teachers purposefully misgendering and mocking them in classrooms. 43% of LGBT+ school students have been bullied compared to 21% of non-LGBT+ students.

Conclusion

The research confirms the article’s themes for the UK context: rising anti-LBGTQ+ sentiment manifesting in hate crimes, discriminatory political developments like the Supreme Court ruling, the growing influence of anti-trans political parties like Reform UK, widespread online harassment, and persistent bullying in schools. While official hate crime statistics show recent decreases, the broader five-year trend shows significant increases, and underreporting remains a major issue.

Anti-LGBTQ+ Hate and Rising Trends

Links:

#LGBTQRights #TransRights #HateCrimes #UKPOLITICS #QueerRights #EndTransphobia #EndHomophobia #ProtectTransYouth #Equality #HumanRights #LGBTQSafety #UKNews #StandWithLGBTQ

 

The Alarming Erosion of Civil Liberties in the UK

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The Alarming Erosion of Civil Liberties in the UK

AI Generated Picture for ‘The Alarming Erosion of Civil Liberties in the UK’

Civil Liberties in the UK

Over the past 150 years, there has been an alarming erosion of the  UK’s civil rights landscape has experienced both significant expansions and notable erosions. From the late 19th century through the mid-20th century, Britain made major strides, including extending voting rights (1918, 1928, 1969), recognizing trade unions, establishing the welfare state, passing Race Relations Acts (1965, 1968, 1976), and decriminalizing homosexuality in 1967. These developments marked a period of progressive growth in civil liberties and social protections.

However, since the 1980s, a pattern of erosion has emerged, particularly driven by security concerns and government policies. Counter-terrorism legislation such as the Prevention of Terrorism Acts from 1974 onward, the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001, and the Terrorism Act 2006 expanded detention powers and surveillance capabilities. The 2016 Investigatory Powers Act, often called the “Snooper’s Charter,” further increased mass surveillance.

Time Moves On

More recently, the 2020s have seen significant restrictions on civil rights. The Police, Crime, Sentencing and CoCivil Liberties and Big Brotherurts Act 2022 and Public Order Act 2023 have curtailed protest rights, allowing police to impose restrictions based on noise and stop-and-search without suspicion. Immigration policies like the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 and the Rwanda deportation scheme have undermined asylum protections. Additionally, data privacy has been weakened, and measures limiting judicial review and threatening withdrawal from the European Convention on Human Rights signal a troubling decline in legal protections.

Overall, while Britain historically expanded civil rights, recent decades have seen systematic rollbacks, often justified by security and sovereignty concerns, disproportionately affecting minorities, protesters, and refugees.

 

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Impact of Book Bans on the LGBTQI+ Community in the UK

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Impact of Book Bans on the LGBTQI+ Community in the UK

Banned BooksOverview

In the UK, the issue of censorship and banned books targeting LGBTQI+ content is increasingly making headlines. While outright bans are less widespread than in some countries, recent developments highlight a concerning trend that affects young people, educators, and the broader community. These restrictions threaten access to vital stories and resources that support LGBTQI+ identities and well-being[1][2][3].

Key Effects

1. Mental Health and Wellbeing

– Increased Isolation: When LGBTQI+ books are removed from school libraries and classrooms, it sends a damaging message to young people that their identities are unwelcome or invalid. This can lead to feelings of loneliness and invisibility[1][2][3].

– Fear and Self-Censorship: Librarians and teachers often report feeling pressured or intimidated into removing LGBTQI+ literature, which results in self-censorship and limits access for students seeking representation[1][2].

– Loss of Support: Many young people rely on inclusive literature to see themselves reflected and to find reassurance. Banning these resources can harm their mental health, self-esteem, and sense of belonging[1][3].

2. Erasure of Identity and Representation

– Reduced Visibility: Censorship efforts diminish the presence of LGBTQI+ stories, history, and voices within educational environments, making it harder for young people to explore and understand their identities[1][2][3].

– Barriers to Understanding: Without access to diverse narratives, both LGBTQI+ youth and their peers miss opportunities to learn about different experiences, fostering ignorance and prejudice[1][2].

3. Societal and Educational Consequences

– Cultivating Intolerance: Targeted bans reinforce harmful stereotypes and can foster a climate of hostility, bullying, and intolerance within schools and local communities[1][2][3].

– Risks for Librarians and Educators: Those who resist censorship often face professional repercussions, including threats, job loss, or disciplinary action, discouraging the inclusion of LGBTQI+ materials[1][2].

– Chilling Effect: The absence of clear national guidance creates a climate of uncertainty, leading many librarians to avoid purchasing or displaying LGBTQI+ books altogether to prevent controversy[1][2][3].

Data and Trends

| Statistic/Trend | Source |
|———————————————————————————|————-|
| Over half (around 53%) of UK school librarians surveyed report being asked to remove books or being given a list of banned books, with many titles related to LGBTQI+ themes. | [1][2][3] |
| Requests for removal are primarily initiated by individual parents or community members, rather than official government directives, but they have a significant impact. | [1][2][3] |
| Commonly targeted titles include *This Book Is Gay* by Juno Dawson, *Julián is a Mermaid* by Jessica Love, and *ABC Pride* by Louie Stowell et al. | [2][3][4] |
| Many librarians have been instructed to remove all LGBTQI+ books after a single complaint; some have faced job insecurity for refusing. | [1][2][3] |
| There is no comprehensive UK database tracking the full scope of bans, but anecdotal evidence suggests the trend is growing. | [1][2][5] |

Voices from the Community

– Stonewall, the UK’s leading LGBTQI+ rights organisation, has called the increasing censorship “deeply troubling,” emphasising that access to inclusive resources is essential for young people’s well-being and self-acceptance[3].

– Many librarians and teachers express feeling unsupported and vulnerable. Some have resorted to discreet or off-the-record loans to ensure students can access banned books, despite risks[1][2][3].

Conclusion

The rising tide of book bans targeting LGBTQI+ content in the UK is having serious repercussions for young people and the wider community. These measures foster exclusion, erasure, and fear, undermining the vital educational and emotional support that diverse literature provides. Without clear guidance and backing from national authorities, many educators feel compelled to self-censor, further limiting access to inclusive stories. Advocacy organisations like Stonewall and professional bodies must continue to push for policies that safeguard the right to inclusive education and ensure every young person can see themselves reflected positively in the books they read[1][2][3].

—

References:
1. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/lgbt-books-removed-uk-libraries-b2732791.html
2. https://www.indexoncensorship.org/2024/08/banned-school-librarians-shushed-over-lgbt-books/
3. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/lgbt-books-ban-uk-schools-library-b2596374.html
4. https://www.thebookseller.com/news/school-libraries-censored-as-survey-reveals-28-librarians-asked-to-remove-books-from-shelves
5. https://www.lovereading4kids.co.uk/school-blog/censorship-more-than-half-of-school-librarians-asked-to-remove-books-from-their-shelves-6430

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Queer spaces are something which our community in Northern Ireland is loosing memory about.  When I first came out on the scene, there were at least 42 different event nights encompassing at least 20 different venues.  Today, there are many fewer, and with that comes less choice.  So far, I have written one in-depth article about ‘The Carpenter Club“, I am now about to start one on Delaney’s, so if you have any thoughts, news, titbits, pics that would be of use, please let me have them.

“Family Escapes Birmingham Gay Village Attack, Seeks Refuge in Ireland”

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"Family Escapes Birmingham Gay Village Attack, Seeks Refuge in Ireland"

Stop Homophobia

A family has fled to Ireland following a distressing attack that occurred in Birmingham’s gay village. The incident involved a violent assault on the father, who was targeted for his sexual orientation. The family shared their experience, describing the trauma and fear they endured as a result of the attack, which has led them to seek safety in a new country. Their story highlights the ongoing issues of homophobia and violence against LGBTQ+ individuals, as well as the challenges faced by those seeking refuge. The family hopes to rebuild their lives in Ireland, where they can find a more accepting environment.

 

WHAT DON’T WE KNOW ABOUT LGBTQ+ HOMELESSNESS

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(AND HOW YOU CAN HELP US ADDRESS THAT)

 

WHAT DON’T WE KNOW ABOUT LGBTQ+ HOMELESSNESSAccording to Dr Edith England (Cardiff Metropolitan University) and Dr. Neil Turbull (Cardiff University), WHAT DON’T WE KNOW ABOUT LGBTQ+ HOMELESSNESS,  is over and under-researched.   There has been a lot of research carried out on young people (especially those living in areas with high LGBTQ+ populations), but little or no research has been carried out for others, e.g.

  • those over 25
  • rural LGBTQ+ people
  • those disengaged from or avoiding services

To try to gauge just how bad (or good) the reality is, the survey being conducted will look at:

  • What percentage of the LGBTQ+ population has experienced homelessness
  • How homelessness, and experiences of homelessness, differ within the LGBTQ+ population
  • How LGBTQ+ homelessness is different in different areas across the country
  • What LGBTQ+ people experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness want and need
  • What happens after LGBTQ+ people experience homelessness

 

What can you do to help?

The LGBTQ+ community need a baseline, and with this survey, Dr Edith England and Dr. Neil Turbull, hope to fill the gaps in the areas indicated above.  They believe that establishing answers to these fundamental questions will benefit all researchers in this area, and even help towards emboldening government policy.

The survey takes around 10 minutes to complete and asks questions about demographics, housing and homelessness experiences through the lifetime, and service needs.  If you are aged 18+, UK resident and LGBTQ+, please complete the survey.

 

 

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An Openly Gay Man

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An Openly Gay ManDerek Byrne

Academic & Journalist

Irish Times.

Thu, Apr 14, 2022.

As an openly gay man, I am, of course, appalled at the idea that someone like me can be violently attacked on the street as an expression of vicious homophobia.

The recent horrific attack on a young gay man leaving the George bar in Dublin during the early hours of last Sunday morning left me wondering if it is indicative of a growing sense of resentment among some heterosexual men in Irish society towards their homosexual counterparts.

While there is admittedly a dearth of empirical evidence to support my thesis, even Tánaiste Leo Varadkar recently pointed to a growing sense of worry among the gay community in relation to a perceived increase in homophobic verbal abuse and physical assaults on our streets.

Research carried out by the Rainbow Project in Belfast between 2017 and 2019 highlighted a significant rise in homophobic attacks in Northern Ireland during this period from 163 to 281. However, it is understood that most homophobic attacks are not reported to the PSNI and, as a result, these figures are lower than actual incidents.

The research also showed that 150 of the attacks during 2019 were violent in nature. While it would not be wise to compare the attitudes towards the LGBT community in Northern Ireland, which had marriage equality thrust upon it by the Westminster government rather than by popular consent, it would be wise to acknowledge that homophobia remains a significant public health concern on this island.

An article published in the Journal of Homosexuality in January 2010, which explored heterosexual men’s anger towards male homosexuality, suggests that sexual prejudice most likely facilitates anti-gay aggression in men who are exposed to intimate or sexual interactions between two men. The article suggests that this supposition is consistent with the view that sexual prejudice and anti-gay aggression function to enforce gender and societal norms.

This would support the view that some heterosexual men in Irish society are feeling resentful at the increased visibility of openly gay men on the streets, in the media, online and occupying traditionally heterosexual normative roles; the office of the taoiseach and now Tánaiste by Leo Varadkar being a case in point.

It is clear that what we need is a greater understanding of how heterosexual men are responding to the liberation in recent years of homosexual lifestyles in Ireland. It is foolish to think that legislation alone changes attitudes, it doesn’t, it merely sets a standard for the kind of society we aspire to be. Changing attitudes can take much longer – generations in fact – and I would argue that what we are witnessing at the moment is evidence of the conflict that emerges as a result in the gap between legislation and the adjustment of attitudes regarding LGBT issues.

While advances in sexual tolerance have been hard won in Ireland, it could be argued that many of those who were not in favour of marriage equality, for example, may be feeling marginalised in a diverse modern Ireland. Far from ignoring and condemning these people, we would do well to understand them and to listen to their concerns so that we can respond to them with authority and, yes, compassion. This, I would argue, is equality in action.

Tolerance is a funny thing in that it has its limits. When we ask people to grant us equality it can come with a price tag. This price is an understanding that we will ultimately assimilate, not stand out in the crowd, not rock the boat too hard and not challenge gender and societal norms too much.

If the LGBT community are guilty of one thing, it is complacency and a false sense of security that the war has been won.

It is clear from the recent spate of horrific violence towards gay men that while we have come so far in Irish society, we are a long way from Kansas yet.Violence in all its forms must be vilified at every turn. Homophobic violence in particular assaults the very nature of our society in Ireland which in recent years has striven to be a beacon of inclusivity and diversity.

However, espousing these principles can also mean that we must constantly evaluate our values and, at times, hear those who may not agree with us and listen to those who may even wish us harm.

A truly equal society will address violence not only through condemnation but with an understanding that we may all be equal but we are definitely not the same.

Derek Byrne’s  article was triggered by two recent unrelated events in Dublin and Sligo on both of which the (Irish) & (London) Times report today…

 
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The Portsmouth Defence by Jeff Dudgeon

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Portsmouth DefenceThe Portsmouth Defence – every solicitor and barrister knows the traditional defence to utilize when defending a client accused of murdering a gay man when there is no other legitimate defence available.  Its name indicates that it originated in medieval times in seaports when mariners were caught on rolling/robbing their homosexual clients or victims.

Brief Heroes

It is simply this – the deceased made a pass in the form of a smile, a word or a touch, at my client.  being a man he beat the pervert to death/strangled him/repeatedly stabbed him.  Judges especially, juries less so, are susceptible to this defence.  Sometimes killers have been acquitted, even become brief heroes, as in the George Brinham case in the 1960s when a Labour and Trade Union politician was butchered in London.

Macho Sentiments

Obviously, if females, subjected to unwanted attentions, disembowelled wolf-whistlers, the male population would plummet.  But judges, being men, instantly warm to the macho sentiments aroused at the notion of innocent heterosexual manhood threatened by oily homosexuals.

Fate Worse Than Death

Nowadays, acquittals would be rare, but the continued use of the Portsmouth Defence is designed to get the charge reduced from murder to manslaughter and the sentence reduced accordingly.  this still works even though in every other case a murder rap would hold unless it was self-evident that had the defendant not attacked the victim his own life would have been in jeopardy.  \but, to the conservative judiciary, being touched up or smiled at by a queer is a fate worse than death.  It is plain that in 99% of such cases the gay victim is offering no violence at all, just checking the other guy out or using a little verbal persuasion.

A Local Crop

In the recent Addis (Portadown) and Hagan (\belfast) murder cases the victims made a suggestion through porno pics and divesting himself of his clothes respectively.  \both were brutally done to death.  their killers received light sentences and the Portsmouth Defence was used.  this was in courts in Northern Ireland in the 1980s where the establishment continues to think of gays as less than human and their killers as less than criminals.  A test case will occur soon in a trial relating to a killing in Ballymena where the Portsmouth Defence has already been used in a bail application.

Casual Violence

It is important that the legal establishment is made aware of the new social and legal status that gays now enjoy.  And that we will no longer tolerate such frequent murders.  The Director of Public Prosecutions – who decides what charges to prefer – and whether to accept plea-bargaining to get a lesser charge preferred, has to take account of social change and modern literature*.  If for no other reason than that, anti-gay tugs (and their homosexual counterparts), will continue to use massive violence on gay victims in the sure knowledge that the courts will see their crimes as slight!

 

*Attacks on Gay People by Julian Meldrum (CHE) 1977 – A comprehensive and meticulously researched casebook (Currently out of Print)

 

 

Amazon Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Campaign for Homosexual Equality (1 Aug. 1981)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 48 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 095044295X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0950442952

Links:

 

This article was first printed in Gay Star No 10, a copy of which is held in the archive of the Linenhall Library

 

Brexit in one!

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Brexit in one!I have clearly stated many times that I found the departure from the EU to be a farce; so many lies, mistruths and out of it all we get the Brexit deal which is very close to scuppering the Good Friday Agreement.  An agreement which is not perfect, has at least allowed the people of N Ireland to live relatively peacefully, and for the LGBTQ+ community to continue to fight for their rights, and most of the political parties now in N Ireland at least on paper support our community.

As an example of how Brexit has failed, I would suggest reading the article in the Guardian ‘Out! How Brexit sent one UK tennis kit firm to Romania‘, which highlighted the plight of one small company that moved lock, stock and barrel to Romania.  And, I am not just talking about the company, but the owners with their children also.  

…The Walkingtons decided they had to relocate lock, stock and barrel with their two children – after whom the company is named – last autumn and are now in the process of moving into new premises in Romania, where they are not only free of Brexit bureaucracy but are also benefiting from abundant skilled labour and help from the country’s authorities…

But to further compound this story about one small company, there is evidence that a substantial amount of other small companies are doing the same with Department for International TradeBresit in one! advisors advising them to do so!

…Six months after the UK finally left the EU’s single market, thousands of other small companies have faced similar problems, and many have either relocated entirely to the EU or set up branches or warehouses inside the EU to avoid the export delays and costs. Advisers at the Department for International Trade have encouraged many to do so. The authorities in EU countries including the Netherlands, Austria and Romania are going out of their way to help UK companies shift their operations to the continent, knowing local jobs and new economic activity will be created…

This would tend to indicate a further weakening of the British economy.

Brexit in one!But bringing the article back to LGBTQ+ politics, I am afraid that the DUP’s latest little foray into trying to win the LGBTQ+ vote is limp handed.  A few words by one of the team which are almost repudiated the next day by the leader in terms of ‘others should be apologising to us’ does not indicate a party that has accepted us.  To this, we can also add the continued delay by the Prime Minister (Rt Hon Boris Johnston) with one review after another, and nothing actually happens – reminds me of Yes Minister – A Public Inquiry.

We also have various stories now highlighting how since the pandemic, incidents of violence to eh LGBTQ+ community have increased. 

These are not helped by the stories coming out of Hungary of violence being perpetuated on the LGBTQ+ community – and now we have the new EU chief Janez Jansa, Prime Minister of Slovenia, warning the EU that if it continues to try to impost ‘the west’s liberal views on Central Europe’ then it would be ‘the fastest road to collapse’ of the bloc.

 

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