United Kingdom: PM David Cameron On Tackling Down Hate Crimes

Pink News UK reports:

Prime Minister David Cameron has reaffirmed the government’s commitment in tackling homophobic crime and has described the current hate crime statistics for England and Wales as “appalling”.
The prime minister made the remarks in a letter of support for last weekend’s London Vigil against Hate Crime in Trafalgar Square.
Mr Cameron said:
“I am passionate about tackling hate crime. And this government is acting. For the first time we have published statistics on hate crime recorded by the police in England and Wales. And we are highlighting the best examples of what works locally, because we know that hate crime is most effectively prevented at a grass roots level, by frontline professionals who have a deep local knowledge of victims and offenders”.
The prime minister went on to say:
“The introduction of elected Police and Crime Commissioners will give local communities more of a say over policing priorities in their area. But let me say clearly: the police and courts will treat all hate crime as a priority – whether that crime is committed because of a person’s race, culture nationality, language, religion, belief, sexual orientation, transgender identity, physical or mental impairment or learning disability”.
Mr Cameron added: “Last year there were more than 43,000 hate crimes in our country. That figure is appalling and it has to change”.
Letters of support for the vigil were also received by Liberal Democrat leader and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, London Mayor Boris Johnson, and Ed Miliband.
The Labour leader wrote: “In the three years since the appalling murder of Ian Baynham in Trafalgar Square, awareness of hate crimes has grown, not least because of the London Vigil and countless other local events springing up all over the country.
“We have come a long way on the journey against homophobia and transphobia. Together, we have brought equality closer, from ending Section 28 to outlawing discrimination in the everyday provision of goods and services. But we know there is more to do”.
Mr Miliband added: “My commitment is to work with you to overcome fear and prejudice”.

United Kingdom: PM David Cameron “Not Backing Down On Marriage Equality”

Pink News UK reports:

Amidst reports today that the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, is set to make a retreat over equal marriage, a Downing Street spokesperson has confirmed to PinkNews.co.uk that such reports are mere “speculation,” and that the PM’s position remains “unaltered.”
Both the Sunday Times (subscription required) andthe Daily Mail report today that due to the dramatic swing to the Labour in the recent local elections, and the outcry from Tory backbenchers in its wake, the PM was set to put on hold his plans to extend marriage to same-sex couples.
The Sunday Times quotes one No. 10 source as saying: “Gay marriage is something we genuinely want to do, but because of everything that has happened, now is not the time.”
In addition, the chairman of the Tory backbench 1922 committee, Graham Brady, is expected to ask Mr Cameron and the Tory Chief Whip, Patrick McLoughlin, to back down on equal marriage proposals, citing an unexpected scale of dissent over the issue. Mr McLoughlin is already reported to have said that the proposals will not come to fruition, a claim that still remains unsubstantiated.
However, a spokesperson for Downing Street confirmed to PinkNews.co.uk this morning that “it is certainly not the case” that PM’s commitment to the issue has waned. These “speculations,” the spokesperson said, stem from what would be contained in the Queen’s Speech next week, and whether or not a clause on equal marriage would be inserted therein.
Asked whether indeed such a clause would be included in the Speech, the spokesperson said such details cannot be known or revealed before the occasion itself. She also said that the government consultations into the issue, which will not end until June, meant that until that process is complete, no change in legislations can be brought about anyway.
There never were any plans to bring the legislation for equal marriage forward to this year’s Queen’s Speech, the spokesperson said. This, however, “does not” mean that Mr Cameron is “backing down” or “diluting” his policy on equal marriage, she added.
PinkNews.co.uk also approached the Cabinet Office for a comment from the Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, but have had no responses so far.
However, the Chancellor George Osborne, appearing on BBC’s Andrew Marr Show, suggested that while equal marriage was “not a priority” for the government, he was in favour of the proposals personally. ”I think what people are saying is focus on the things that really matter, focus on the economy and on education and welfare. Focus on those things, don’t get distracted by too many other issues,” he said on the show.

United Kingdom: PM David Cameron Says “The Time Has Come For Gay Couples To Marry”

Pink News UK reports:

Following claims by the Mail on Sunday that the Tory Chief Whip, Patrick McLoughlin told MPs that proposals for equal marriage will be “kicked into the long grass”, the Prime Minister has used a pre-local election interview to reaffirm his commitment to the cause.
The Mail on Sunday claimed that Mr McLoughlin privately assured anxious Tory backbenchers that the current proposals for equal civil marriage in England and Wales will “not come to a vote,” and that they will be “kicked into the long grass.”
Today, David Cameron told the Evening Standard that he is “clear about my views” on the issue. He said:“I ask myself the question, why is it that we deny gay couples the ability to get married, and I don’t think that’s right.
Recognising the heated debate on the subject within his own party and the Church, Mr Cameron said: “Obviously this is a controversial issue. I feel the time for change has come. If you ask, particularly young people, they say this feels like a very natural change to make … We are not changing what happens in church.”
When questioned on the role of the Church of England in the debate and his role in the appointment of the successor of the next Archbishop of Canterbury, the newspaper wrote that the prime minister “suddenly looks genuinely upset”. He told the paper: “I have said enough. I don’t want to start getting into a fight with the Church. The Conservative Party has been on a journey to where all small-c institutions go, in a modern world, which is that if marriage is good for heterosexuals it is good for gay couples too.”
Asked if he is worried if he’d lose support to UKIP, criticised by PinkNews.co.uk for its approach to homosexuality, Mr Cameron said: “I am a heartfelt Conservative. The reason I wanted to lead the Conservative Party was that I felt it needed to make important changes, to broaden the base of its support.”
Last year at the Conservative Party conference, Mr Cameron said: “I stood before a Conservative conference once and I said it shouldn’t matter whether commitment was between a man and a woman, a man and another man or a woman and a woman.
“You applauded me for that. Five years on, we’re consulting on legalising gay marriage.
“And to anyone who has reservations, I say this: Yes, it’s about equality, but it’s also about something else: commitment. Conservatives believe in the ties that bind us; that society is stronger when we make vows to each other and support each other.
“So I don’t support gay marriage in spite of being a Conservative. I support gay marriage because I am a Conservative.”

President Obama, PM Cameron & Their Evolution On Marriage Equality

By Jonathan Capehart, via The Washington Post:

The guests at the state dinner for British Prime Minister David Cameron last month queued up in the East Room for the receiving line to meet him and President Obama in the Blue Room. It is during that time that they think of what to say to the president. For me, it was greetings from my mother, Aunt Lillian and Giuseppe.But another guest used that opportunity to deliver a message to liberal Obama by way of conservative Cameron.
“Mr. Prime Minister, thank you for all that you’re doing for marriage equality in Great Britain,” the guest said to Cameron, who was standing to Obama’s right, literally and figuratively. With a gesture towards the president, Cameron replied, “It takes a conservative to convince a liberal about gay marriage.”
As The Post’s Anthony Faiola reported last week, Cameron is blazing new territory by proactively pushing for marriage equality in a nation that already offers civil partnerships, which grants the same rights to same-sex couples that heterosexual married couples enjoy. And by doing so, he’s redefining what it means to be a conservative in the United Kingdom.
“I don’t support gay marriage despite being a Conservative,” Cameron said in a recent landmark speech on the issue. “I support gay marriage because I am a Conservative.”
Faiola notes that Cameron “gradually evolved” on the issue of same-sex marriage beginning in 2005. Obama continues to “evolve” on the issue, much to the consternation of many. But there’s no doubt in my mind that the president’s evolution is proceeding apace and in the right direction. The Department of Justice no longer defends the so-called Defense of Marriage Act in court. Obama lauded the New York statelegislature’s historic passage of a marriage equality bill last year. And he has spoken out against efforts in New Hampshire, North Carolina, Maine and Washington to deny or take away rights from same-sex couples.
The one thing Obama hasn’t done is say flatly, “I support gay marriage.”
If actions speak louder than words, then there should be no doubt where Obama stands on marriage equality. But for many, until the words of the president of the United States match his actions, he’ll remain on the wrong side of history and to the right of Cameron.

UK’s PM David Cameron Urged To Back President Obama In Global Campaign For LGBT Rights

Queer Magazine reports:

The Kaleidoscope Trust has called on David Cameron to back a new global initiative against LGBT human rights abusers launched by U.S. President Obama, yesterday.
 
The U.S. government strategy to protect the rights of gay and lesbian people around the world and combat the criminalisation of homosexuality was set out in a major speech by Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, at the United Nations in Geneva.
Clinton announced a new Global Equality Fund and urged other countries to support it.
 
The Kaleidoscope Trust was among the international human rights organisations invited to meet Clinton. It has welcomed the speech as a significant step forward in the global campaign to assert that, in her words, “it should never be a crime to be gay.” 
 
Speaking in Geneva, Lance Price, Director of the Kaleidoscope Trust, said: “The Obama administration has set a new benchmark for governments in supporting human rights for all. David Cameron must now demonstrate his commitment to defending LGBT rights around the world by throwing Britain’s weight and influence behind this campaign.
 
“For the first time America now has a government strategy dedicated to combating human rights abuses against LGBT people abroad backed by a new Global Equality Fund. David Cameron has spoken up in defence of equality for gay and lesbian people at home and abroad, but Britain lags behind when it comes to action and practical support.
 
“The Prime Minister said he wants Britain to be a global beacon for reform of gay and lesbian rights. We strongly applaud that. Now is the time for him to demonstrate that commitment in practise by strengthening the government’s response in line with that of the United Sates.”

Zimbabwe: President Mugabe Thinks UK’s PM David Cameron Is “Satanic”

The Advocate reports:

Zimbabwe’s president, the infamously antigay Robert Mugabe, says any suggestion that aid to his country be tied to whether it allows gay rights is “stupid” and “Satanic.”

Mugabe was reacting to British Prime Minister David Cameron, who saidcountries should “adhere to proper human rights,” including the rights of LGBT individuals, before deserving foreign aid. In the coming years, more than $100 million in aid to Zimbabwe from Britain had been proposed, according to the Telegraph.

International news sources report that Mugabe made his comments during a speech that was noticed by the state-run Herald newspaper. In the speech, Mugabe speaks directly to young people and issues a warning.

“Do not get tempted into that (homosexuality),” Mugabe reportedly said. “You are young people. If you go that direction, we will punish you severely.”

As recently as last year, two gay rights activists were arrested for merely sharing a letter written by former San Francisco mayor Willie Brown that criticized Mugabe for his antigay views.

Cameron had directed his comments at countries like Malawi, which had sentenced a pair of gay men to prison before reversing their decision under international pressure. But that didn’t stop Mugabe from again threatening punishment for gay people in his own country.

“It becomes worse and satanic when you get a prime minister like Cameron saying countries that want British aid should accept homosexuality,” he said. “To come with that diabolic suggestion to our people is a stupid offer.”

Gay sex is illegal in Zimbabwe, as are same-sex public displays of affection. But Mugabe is fighting an effort to include protection for LGBT citizens in a new draft of his country’s constitution. “We say no to gays!” he said during a speech last year. As far back as the ’90s, he’s compared gay people to dogs and pigs in his crusade against them.

Uganda: Official Fury At UK’s PM David Cameron Aid Treat Over Gay Rights

BBC News reports:

The UK is showing a “bullying mentality” by threatening to cut aid to countries where homosexuality is illegal, a Ugandan official says.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron said at the weekend that those receiving British aid should respect gay rights.
But Ugandan presidential adviser John Nagenda told the BBC Ugandans were “tired of these lectures” and should not be treated like “children”.
Homosexual acts are illegal in Uganda and most other African countries.
Many people see it as violating religious and cultural beliefs.
In Nigeria, the government has unveiled a draft law which makes it an offence for anyone to support gay marriages.
Mr Cameron told the BBC he had raised the issue of gay rights at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, in Perth, Australia, last week.
‘Natural death’
Mr Cameron said those receiving UK aid should “adhere to proper human rights”.
Ending the bans on homosexuality was one of the recommendations of an internal report into the future relevance of the Commonwealth.
Continue reading the main story

• “

Start Quote
Those who have more should give to those who have less. It’s as simple as that”
John Nagenda
Ugandan presidential adviser
Mr Nagenda accused Mr Cameron of showing an “ex-colonial mentality” and of treating Ugandans “like children”.
“Uganda is, if you remember, a sovereign state and we are tired of being given these lectures by people,” he told the BBC’s Newshour programme.
“If they must take their money, so be it.”
Mr Cameron’s threat applies only to one type of bilateral aid known as general budget support, and would not reduce the overall amount of aid to any one country.
Malawi has already had some of its budget support suspended over concerns about its attitude to gay rights.
Mr Nagenda said the UK’s “bullying mentality” was “very wrong”.
“Those who have more should give to those who have less. It’s as simple as that,” he said.
Mr Nagenda said he doubted that the Ugandan parliament would ever approve a bill which proposed the death penalty for some homosexual acts.
“I believe it will die a natural death. But this kind of ex-colonial mentality of saying: ‘You do this or I withdraw my aid’ will definitely make people extremely uncomfortable with being treated like children,” Mr Nagenda said.
The bill - tabled by MP David Bahati - sparked widespread international condemnation earlier this year.
Meanwhile, a Senate committee in Nigeria is holding public hearings into a proposed new law on same sex marriages.
Homosexual acts and gay marriages are already illegal in Nigeria but the draft law would also punish those who aid or abet such marriages, reports say.
Mr Cameron said he had spoken with “a number of African countries” and that more pressure had been applied by Foreign Secretary William Hague, who deputised for him during parts of the Commonwealth summit.
Some 41 nations within the 54-member Commonwealth have laws banning homosexual acts. Many of these laws are a legacy of British rule.

United Kingdom: PM David Cameron On Marriage Equality

Via Towleroad:

UK Prime Minister David Cameron reiterated his support for same-sex marriage at a Conservative Party conference today, urging Tories to back it, Pink Paper reports.

• “I once stood before a Conservative conference and said it shouldn’t matter whether commitment was between a man and a woman, a woman and a woman, or a man and another man. You applauded me for that. Five years on, we’re consulting on legalising gay marriage. And to anyone who has reservations, I say: Yes, it’s about equality, but it’s also about something else: commitment. Conservatives believe in the ties that bind us; that society is stronger when we make vows to each other and support each other. So I don’t support gay marriage despite being a Conservative. I support gay marriage because I’m a Conservative.”

First an “It Gets Better” video, and now this. I love this guy.

United Kingdom: Marriage Equality Coming Soon?

Joe.My.God. reports:

With the support of Prime Minister David Cameron, Britain’s coalition government has announced plans to legalize same-sex marriage by 2015.

Liberal Democrat Lynne Featherstone will today unveil plans to legislate to bring in gay marriage before 2015. The Equalities Minister will also announce that Britain should be a ‘world leader for gay rights’. Vowing to be a personal ‘champion for gay rights’, Miss Featherstone will risk controversy by arguing that the Coalition should go even further in future. At present, gays and lesbians are allowed to enter civil partnerships, which offer most of the legal protections of marriage. But the term ‘marriage’ is not used. Miss Featherstone will announce that a consultation will begin next March on allowing homosexuals to get married. A change in the law will follow the consultation. Under the plans, same-sex couples will be able to have full marriages in registry offices, as heterosexual couples can.

A recent poll shows two-thirds of the British public supports marriage equality.

British Prime Minister David Cameron Reacts To The London Riots

The New York Times reports:

Speaking outside his office and residence at 10 Downing Street, Mr. Cameron said lawmakers would be called back from their summer recess for one day on Thursday and the number of police on the streets would be increased to 16,000 on Wednesday night from 6,000 on Tuesday. He said the authorities would “do everything necessary to restore order to Britain’s streets.” “This is criminality pure and simple and it has to be confronted and defeated,” Mr. Cameron said. He said the violence had produced “sickening scenes” and that the country needed “even more robust police action” to confront the unrest. There would be “many more arrests in the days to come,” he said. Mr. Cameron’s comments came after violence also erupted overnight in several other cities, including Liverpool, Nottingham and Bristol, as well as in three towns in the county of Kent, southeast of the capital. An enormous fire consumed a large warehouse of Sony electrical goods in the Enfield section of London after an equally ferocious blaze ripped through a furniture store in Croydon.

Peter Tatchell Calls On Prime Minister To Endorse Marriage

Joe.My.God. reports:

Echoing the debate in the United States, noted British activist Peter Tatchell is calling on Prime Minister David Cameron to endorse same-sex marriage.

• The British people are ready for change, with a clear majority in favour of allowing same-sex partners to marry. A Populus poll for the Times newspaper in June 2009 found that 61 per cent of the public believe that: “Gay couples should have an equal right to get married, not just to have civil partnerships.” Only 33 per cent disagreed. The deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and London Mayor Boris Johnson back marriage equality, as do the leaders of Labour and the Greens, respectively Ed Miliband and Caroline Lucas. Only David Cameron is holding out against same-sex marriage rights. What is he afraid of?

United Kingdom: David Cameron to Address Homophobia in Sports

The Advocate reports:

U.K. prime minister David Cameron will host a reception for LGBT activists and allies in London Wednesday night, with a focus on fighting homophobia in sports.
Invitees reportedly include gay rugby star Gareth Thomas, gay cricketer Steven Davies, and straight ally and retired rugby player Ben Cohen,  “along with community leaders and volunteers from across the country,” Pink Newsreports. The event will be held at the prime minister’s official residence, 10 Downing St.
Pink News notes that several executives of sports teams are also expected to attend the reception, but some athletes may be out of the country. This time of year is vacation season for footballers — participants in the sport known to Americans as soccer.
Outspoken gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell reports that he did not receive an invitation to this or any previous prime minister’s reception. He tells Pink News, “Maybe I’m too much of a troublemaker. I’m sure I would turn up and be on my best behaviour.” A “Downing Street source” responds, “There are lots of people who haven’t been invited.”
Former prime minister Gordon Brown hosted the first Downing Street LGBT reception in 2009, and Cameron, who took office last year, has made it an annual event.

British PM Wants to Ban Gay TV Kisses

The Advocate reports:

British prime minister David Cameron wants to restrict same-sex kisses on television to late-night adult viewing hours.

The Sun reports that Cameron, the Conservative leader who attended the royal wedding last week, supports a ban on same-sex kisses during the “pre-watershed” viewing hours before 9 p.m. An independent review may recommend the restriction.
Brooke Vincent, who plays lesbian Sophie Webster on the soap opera Coronation Street, took to Twitter to accuse Cameron of not supporting equality.
According to The Sun, the 18-year-old actress tweeted, “I swear David Cameron’s meant to be supporting equal rights. I just think if same-sex kisses are what he is prioritising and concentrating on changing, our country’s in trouble.”

This is odd, coming from PM David Cameron, given that he’s done a couple of contributions to the “It Gets Better Project”: a video and in the It Gets Better -  The Book. Now, I know he’s a Conservative, but I truly didn’t foresee this coming.

It Gets Better: The Prime Minister

Dan Savage comments:

Holy shit—color me shocked, floored, and grateful. And this is the leader of the Conservative Party in the UK. Try to picture a Republican politician making an IGBP video—not one that I’m aware of has—much less the leader of the GOP. But I have to say… David Cameron isn’t the first straight politician who has told bullied LGBT kids to go to their parents for support. Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and Nancy Pelosi—practically every straight politician who’s made an IGBP video has said the same thing: go and ask mom and dad for help. Between twenty and forty percent of homeless teenagers are LGBT kids and most of these homeless LGBT kids were thrown out of their homes when they came out or were outed to their families. It would be wonderful if all LGBT kids were lucky enough to have parents as supportive as Constance McMillen’s are or as mine became. But all too often mom and dad are bullies too—they’re usually the chief bullies, the worst bullies, the ones who do the most damage. (For an example of the bullying gay kids endure at the hands of their parents, check this out.) Bullied LGBT kids should be encouraged to reach out, to find help, to seek support. But that support, sadly, can’t always be found at home.Before we tell vulnerable queer kids to effectively out themselves to mom and dad—telling your parents that you’re being bullied at school for being perceived as gay often confirms their “worst” suspicions—we should tell them to take a long, hard look at their parents, assess the risks of coming out, and have a backup/escape plan if mom and dad react poorly.Because they could—and the consequences of coming out to your parents too soon can be severe.

And in Canada is not Civil Partnerships, is Marriage, as well in Mexico City & Argentina, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, South Africa, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, & Iceland. Thou we have to be grateful that other places like the United Kingdom recognizes Same Sex Unions, but still a long way to go. But to have a conservative Prime Minister doing a IGBP video it’s awesome.