Gay Activist Peter Tatchell Detained Amid Olympic Flame Protests

Gay activist Peter Tatchell was one of dozens detained in various protests over the weekend surrounding the transit of the Olympic flame through London, including one dramatic moment in which the torch was nearly snatched from the hands of television presenter Konnie Huq (see video, AFTER THE JUMP). There were 80 torch-bearers who carried the flame through London, from Wembley Stadium to Greenwich.

Gays Without Borders reports on the Tatchell arrest: "Mr Tatchell ran in front of the bus carrying the Olympic flame. He held up a placard which read: “Free Tibet, Free Hu Jia.” He shouted the same words as he ran along in front of the bus. The police wrestled Mr Tatchell to the ground, which delayed the bus briefly while he was removed to pavement. After questioning, he was later released without charge."

Said Tatchell,in a statement released later: "Hu Jia was jailed for three and half years in Beijing last week for campaigning for free speech, Tibetan autonomy, environmental protection, and for the human rights of the rural poor and people with HIV. Gordon Brown has shamed himself and Britain by greeting the Olympic torch at Downing Street, at a time when China is shooting dead Tibetan protesters and jailing and torturing hundreds of political prisoners. It is hypocritical for the Prime Minister to boycott the Zimbabwean regime, but not the dictatorial regime in China. These double standards bring our government into disrepute. The UK should not be colluding with a police state like China. Attempts to gently persuade the Beijing leaders to stop their human rights abuses have failed. They are manipulating the Olympics. We must not allow them to exploit the Beijing games to divert attention from China’s abysmal human rights record. All countries that love freedom, democracy and liberty should refuse to host the Olympic torch and boycott the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics. Athletes should wear Tibetan flags during their events and on the podium when they collect their medals..."

Demonstrators across London wanted to make it clear that they will not tolerate China's human rights abuses as the summer Olympics in Beijing approach.

In all, 37 people were arrested over the course of the day. The flame is now in Paris, where it has been met with so much protest that it has been extinguished and put aboard a bus for its transit. According to Agence France Presse, "Paris's Socialist mayor Bertrand Delanoe planned to unfurl a giant banner over city hall in defence of human rights."

Watch the clip of the Olympic flame snatch attempt, AFTER THE JUMP...

37 held in Olympic torch protests [the press association]
Olympic torch ambushed in London [peter tatchell]
Pictures and videos: Olympic torch protests in London [shanghaist]
Protestors disrupt Olympic flame relay in Paris [afp]

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News: Water, Gay Porn Twins, Coffee, New Kids on the Block

Is China cracking down on gay establishments as the Olympics approach?

Mother of twin gay porn bandits arrested for serving as their getaway driver: "Towana Goffney, the mother of 25-year-old twins Taleon and Keyontyli Goffney, was arrested late Wednesday night in Philadelphia. Her sons, Taleon and Keyontyli were linked to nearly 40 break-ins. Cameras were rolling as the men were led away in handcuffs and it turned out, this was not the first time the pair was in the spotlight. According to internet gossip sites, the brothers are gay porn stars. Now the family has the arrest of the matriarch to add to their rap sheet and online profiles."

Kylie Minogue hits up the Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson.

McCain won't be fighting party platform on gays: "McCain associates told The Washington Times that his operatives are not going to work behind the scenes to eliminate the party's calls for constitutional bans on abortion and homosexual marriage before the GOP convention in September."

Search for most eligible gay bachelor begins in San Francisco.

The premiere international prize in electronic media: A list of the 2007 Peabody Award winners.

Woof: Madison, Wisconsin gets new gay sports bar.

Northern Ireland town of Strabane prepares for opening of first gay bar. Proprietor: "All the feedback I've had about the bar has been positive, I was so surprised by everyone's reaction, I've received no negativity whatsoever. Even elderly residents of the town have voiced their support and have been wishing me all the best."

Famous tranny Dana International prevents Wentworth Miller from escaping!

Obama says he would hire Al Gore: "Not only will I, but I will make a commitment that Al Gore will be at the table and play a central part in us figuring out how we solve this problem. He's somebody I talk to on a regular basis. I'm already consulting with him in terms of these issues, but climate change is real. It is something we have to deal with now, not 10 years from now, not 20 years from now."

The New Kids on the Block are back together. Here's their first photo together in more than 15 years.

An update on gay Iranian teen Mehdi Kazemi: "Mehdi Kazemi is still in Rotterdam, awaiting deportation back to the UK under the Dublin Treaty, where Home Secretary Jacqui Smith still hasn’t granted him asylum. It appears that a Dutch MP has secured a parliamentary debate in the Netherlands to take place tomorrow, because he doesn’t believe Jacqui Smith can be trusted with his safety."

Iranian gays left out of Human Rights Watch annual reports.

Scientists: There is no benefit in drinking 8 glasses of water a day. And drinking coffee may protect you from dementia and other debilitating brain diseases.

British activist Tatchell to European Feminist Summit: "By challenging the cult of heterosexual masculinity, queer liberation is about much more than the limited agenda of equal rights. It offers a unique, revolutionary contribution to the emancipation of the whole of humanity from all forms of subjugation."

In case you were wondering, Chace Crawford is doing 'okay' after his break-up with Carrie Underwood.

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London Supporters of Gay Iranian Teen Stage Downing St Protest

London supporters of gay Iranian teen Mehdi Kazemi staged the demonstration outside Prime Minister Gordon Brown's residence at 10 Downing Street I posted about on Friday. These photographs of the protestors were shot by UK blogger Cosmodaddy.

Kazemi, who awaits deportation from The Netherlands to the UK, was granted a temporary reprieve from deportation from Britain by the Home Secretary last week after public outcry. Kazemi's prior request for asylum in the UK was turned down in 2006 after British authorities determined that Iran is a country that does not systematically persecute gays. But that's because Iran does not recognize homosexuality.

Activists have been working hard demanding Britain change their asylum policies.

UK Gay News reports: " Over 120 protesters braved hail and rain on Saturday to demand that gay Iranian asylum seeker, Mehdi Kazemi, be granted refuge in the UK. They also urged asylum for the Iranian lesbian refugee, Pegah Emambakhsh, and an estimated 12 other gay Iranians who are at risk of deportation back to Tehran. There were calls for a “fundamental reform” of the way the Home Office treats LGBTI asylum applicants."

According to UK Gay News, Peter Tatchell, who spoke to the BBC last week about the issue, told the rally:

"The government is currently failing LGBTI refugees. Asylum staff and adjudicators receive race and gender awareness training but no training at all on sexual orientation issues. As a result, they often make stereotyped assumptions: that a feminine woman can’t be a lesbian or that a masculine man cannot be gay. They sometimes rule that someone who has been married must be faking their homosexuality. The government refuses to explicitly rule that homophobic and transphobic persecution are legitimate grounds for granting asylum. This signals to asylum staff and judges that claims by LGBTI people are not as worthy as those based on persecution because of a person's ethnicity, gender, politics or faith. The Home Office country reports on homophobic and transphobic persecution are often partial, inaccurate and misleading. They consistently downplay the severity of victimisation suffered by LGBTI people in violently homophobic countries like Iran, Nigeria, Iraq, Uganda, Palestine, Algeria and Jamaica. Cuts in the funding of legal aid for asylum claims means that most asylum applicants – gay and straight – are unable to prepare an adequate submission at their asylum hearing..."

More photos at Cosmodaddy's Flickr page.

Save Mehdi Kazemi [cosmodaddy]
Save Mehdi Kazemi [lewishamdreamer flickr]
Mehdi Must Stay Demo [uk gay news]

Previously
Peter Tatchell on Iran and Gays: It's Like Nazi Germany [tr]
Following Reprieve, Gay Iranian Mehdi Kazemi Thanks Supporters [tr]
Save Gay Iranian Teen Madhi Kazemi [tr]
Gay Iranian Mehdi Kazemi Seeking Asylum in the UK [tr]

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Peter Tatchell on Iran and Gays: It's Like Nazi Germany

British activist Peter Tatchell talks to the BBC regarding the case of gay Iranian teen Mehdi Kazemi, who late last week (after much outcry) was granted a reprieve from deportation by the British government, which previously had rejected his asylum request.

Says Tatchell: "If it was true that there was no homosexuality in Iran, why does the Iranian penal code need to stipulate that sexuality is a crime, and that gay people should be sentenced to death? Obviously, that's absurd. And of course there is not a single openly gay person in Iran because if you declare you're gay you'll be arrested, taken to prison, tortured until you confess, and then executed in public. Every gay and lesbian person in Iran today lives with the fear of a knock on the door in the middle of the night. It's like Nazi Germany with regard to Jews. That's the fear that exists."

Clip AFTER THE JUMP...

previously
Following Reprieve, Gay Iranian Mehdi Kazemi Thanks Supporters [tr]
Save Gay Iranian Teen Madhi Kazemi [tr]
Gay Iranian Mehdi Kazemi Seeking Asylum in the UK [tr]

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Peter Tatchell on Activism and Outing

Peter Tatchell, the UK's most well-known activist for human and gay rights and the co-founder of UK group OutRage!, talks to the Guardian about what drives him:

On why he does it: "The motive of my campaigning is love. I love other people. I love justice. I don't like seeing other people suffer. I think to myself: that could be me, my sister or my neighbour. Since I wouldn't like my family or friends to suffer, it would not be right for me to ignore or tolerate other people's suffering."

On what inspires him: "To me, protest is a means to an end, not an end in itself. Much of my inspiration comes from Mahatma Gandhi, the Suffragettes, and Martin Luther King. Their model of direct action protest is a proven, highly effective way of challenging injustice. Sometimes you can get change by writing a letter or lobbying an MP; occasionally governments will listen to campaigns and petitions; but there are also often moments when those in power ignore public will and popular views, and in those circumstances direct action can be a very effective way of bringing about change."

On outing: "Contrary to the way it's often been portrayed, I've never endorsed the blanket outing of people just because they're gay. If someone is gay and they're not harming anybody else, leave them be, but if someone is a public figure and they're abusing their power and influence to hurt and harm other gay people, then that's hypocrisy and it deserves to be exposed."

Read the rest of the lengthy profile here.

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News: Gaysted, McFly, Grace Kelly, Molly Ivins, Al Franken

Columnist Molly Ivins has died of cancer at 62: Tribute: "But there was more to Molly Ivins than insightful political commentary packaged in an aw-shucks Southern charm. In the coming days, much will be made of Molly's contributions to the liberal cause, how important she was as an authentic female voice on opinion pages across the country, her passionate and eloquent defense of the poorest and the weakest among us against the corruption of the most powerful, and the joy she took in celebrating the uniqueness of American culture -- and all of this is true. But more than that, Molly Ivins was a woman who loved and cared deeply for the world around her. And her warm and generous spirit was apparent in all her words and deeds."

Princess Stephanie of Monaco says her late mother Grace Kelly would have approved of pop star Mika's chart-topping song referencing her: "He is very talented and handsome and I'm sure my mother would have liked the song very much." Said Mika of the icon: "The song is all about identity and what people expect of me and how I'm perceived. I think Grace Kelly was a rebel and I liked that about her, rather than actresses like Audrey Hepburn or Sophia Loren." (more on Mika...)

Aussie Olympian Ian Thorpe and Lachlan Murdoch team up to fight AIDS in Papua New Guinea: "Thorpe says the disease threatens to wipe out up to 30 per cent of PNG's future workforce. 'We've listened to what the local interests are, to what's required here,' he said. 'It's wonderful to be able to see Australian businesses and PNG businesses coming together.' The business coalition launch raised close to $1 million in pledges."

African LGBT leaders angry that British activist Peter Tatchell and his group Outrage! are getting into their business.

Brit boyband McFly takes it off in the new Attitude.

Gaysted: "Heterosexual people getting so wasted, they slip into seemingly gay acts. The loose definition: It is when you are soooo drunk (wasted) and dudes start dancing with you and you just sort of go along with it and then they start putting their arms around you and you just kind of keep rolling with it because you're drunk and you sort of think the dude is being your dancefloor bro, but then when you sober up you realize that the situash is sort of weird. when this happens, you tell your friends, 'dude, i got so gaysted last night.'"

Vogue editor-at-large Andre Leon Talley gets ready to offer fashion commentary on Oscar's red carpet.

High school wrestler from Valentine, Nebraska who spread Herpes to 24 guys on 10 different teams at a wrestling meet in late December not likely to have a valentine this year. (via deadspin)

Al Franken to run for U.S. Senate from Minnesota: "In a statement, Minnesota Republican Party Chairman Ron Carey said he was confident Minnesotans 'will reject Franken's divisive, scorched-earth attacks.' The state Democratic Party declined to comment. Should he win the Democratic primary in Minnesota, Franken would take on Republican Norm Coleman (news, bio, voting record), a first-term senator who is among the Democrats' top targets. Coleman declined to comment Wednesday."

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Man. United's Paul Scholes Under Fire for Poofter Comment

Manchester United player Paul Scholes is being pressured to apologize after allegedly calling referee Frank De Bleeckere a "poofter" after De Bleeckere issued him a yellow card during a match on Tuesday.

Gay activist Peter Tatchell issued a press release urging disciplinary action: "If he had made a racist remark, UEFA and the Football Association would have initiated immediate disciplinary proceedings. Why the double standards? We urge Paul to apologize and to express his opposition to homophobia...There should be big fines and match suspensions for players, managers and supporters who wilfully use anti-gay insults."

But should any homophobic remark, no matter the weight it carries, be dealt with equally? That's the question Pink News is asking: "In the context of being carded and angry, is the insult 'poofter' really wilfully anti gay, or just a throw away swear word? Is there a difference, and should this difference be important to us?"

Although "poofter" is not a common insult in America, what do you think?

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British activist Peter Tatchell makes list of greatest living heroes by readers of The New Statesman.

This is America in 2006: "The Happy Harbor Inn, a popular dockside restaurant in the southern Maryland town of Deale, displayed the sign next to its main entrance as saying, "ATTENTION BIKERS: NO COLOREDS, FAGS, CLUB ATTIRE, (no) EXCEPTIONS," according to two people who visited the restaurant on May 3." Since then, the sign has been modified, but not much.

Scott Oak, Missoula, Montana's openly gay police officer whom I posted about last November, is receiving national attention and is becoming the "poster boy for rural communities looking to reach out to the gay community" according to The Missoulian. Police Chief: "It's certainly a different kind of publicity than our department is used to getting. But I honestly don't see it as a bold step for the department. We are here to ensure that police are available to everyone, that's our job, and that's what Scott is doing. On the other hand, Scott obviously extended himself by volunteering for this position, and I think that puts him in a somewhat vulnerable position. It's incredibly brave."

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