Stop LGBTI Persecution In The Commonwealth: A Petition

The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) will take place in the UK in April 2018. We urge the CHOGM 2018 organisers to:

• Include lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and inter-sex (LGBTI) human rights on the main CHOGM agenda
• Invite openly LGBTI people from the Commonwealth to address the CHOGM leaders.

We appeal to all Commonwealth countries to:

• Decriminalise same-sex relations
• Prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation & gender identity
• Enforce laws against threats & violence, to protect LGBTI people from hate crime
• Consult and dialogue with LGBTI organisations

The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) has never in its entire six-decade history discussed LGBTI human rights. The time has come.

37 out of the 53 member countries of the Commonwealth criminalise same-sex relations. They account for half of the world’s nations where homosexuality is illegal. Most of these countries inherited their anti-gay laws from Britain during the period of colonial rule; making these laws a hang-over from the colonial era.

At least eight of these 37 countries have a maximum sentence of life imprisonment for same-sex acts and there is the death penalty in parts of northern Nigeria and rural Pakistan.

Hate crimes against LGBTI people often pass unchecked in most Commonwealth countries, with frequent mob violence. The majority of LGBTIs living in Commonwealth states have no legal protection against discrimination in employment, housing and the provision of goods and services.

This makes a mockery of Commonwealth values and the Commonwealth Charter 2013.

We urge CHOGM 2018 to lead the way in raising awareness of LGBTI rights as human rights and to act to remedy LGBTI rights abuses.

Four out of five Commonwealth countries, which are signatories to the Charter, have failed to adhere to its principles and the Commonwealth has failed to ensure that these nations respect the human rights of their LGBTI citizens.

The criminalisation of LGBTI people in Commonwealth countries often goes hand-in-hand with other human rights violations, such as restrictions on free speech and the right to protest/strike, media censorship and discrimination against women and ethnic and faith minorities.

We stand in solidarity with all Commonwealth citizens who are victims of human rights abuses.

Please consider signing this petition.
—Daz

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Eton Trifles: The Principles Of Jacob Rees-Mogg

[Click picture to visit Jesus & Mo]

Harken unto the words of the right honourable member (pun definitely intended) for North East Somerset, Jacob Rees-Mogg. Or, as I think of him, the Eton Trifle (because "Eton Mess" was, obviously, taken by Boris Johnson and because I'd be a lot happier if Mogg was, in fact, unconsidered):

Says Freddy Gray in his defence of the execrable Moggie:

Most people, however, are intelligent enough to see a man of principle – a thing Westminster politics lacks – standing up for what he believes, and they like it.

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Rampant Hypocrisy

I keep running into atheists…

Who are absolutely, one hundred percent in favour of abortion when discussing the edicts of various religious sects, yet cheer for a president who has pledged to appoint pro-life judges to the supreme court and who, on his first day in office, reinstated the Mexico City policy, a policy which, says Wikipedia, "blocks US federal funding for non-governmental organisations that provide abortion counselling or referrals, advocate to decriminalise abortion or expand abortion services."

Who are oh, so quick to comment on the morals of clergy and other religious figures who commit sex-crimes, yet cheer for a president who, amongst many, many other misogynistic statements and actions, openly boasted of having sexually assaulted multiple women.

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Petition: Stop Imminent Deportation Of Gay Asylum Seeker (Jimmy Kyesswa) To Uganda

From change.org:

The UK government are about to deport Jimmy Kyesswa, a gay Ugandan man, back to his death.

A flight was booked for 5.25pm on Monday, 5 December 2016. An attempt was made to take him to the airport. Whilst on the road the guards received a number of telephone calls. There was some confusion and he was returned to Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre.

Another attempt to deport him could happen at any moment.

Jimmy was detained on 5 September 2016 when he went to sign at Dallas Court Immigration Reporting Centre, Manchester; even though he has an appointment previously given to him by the Home Office to bring further submissions for his case to Liverpool on 9 September. He had no time to exercise his right. He was then immediately detained and taken to Morton Hall Immigration Removal Centre in Lincolnshire. His solicitor made further representations, which were rejected by the Home Office.

Despite Jimmy being in a subsisting same sex relationship with his boyfriend, Cyrille, the Home Office has refused to accept that he is a gay man. Jimmy came to the UK in January 2005 after suffering mistreatment in Uganda based on his sexuality.

Jimmy had hot water poured on him after being discovered with a man. The situation in Uganda is well known where gay people face persecution on a daily basis, such as mob violence, imprisonment and even death.

Jimmy is also involved with a number of LGBT organisations and has a high profile on the internet including Facebook. He has attended several LGBT events around the UK to campaign for LGBT rights and for the rights of gay people in Uganda.

If deported, Jimmy would lose his relationship with his boyfriend, his community in Manchester and would have to try to avoid persecution by living in hiding. We fear that he would be discovered and killed by homophobic mobs.

We are asking that supporters sign the petition to stop the deportation and release him from detention. Please spread the word to as many friends and family as urgent action is required.

Please consider signing this petition.
—Daz

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The Christian Right On Orlando

Please accept our love and prayers.
Such violence, we do reject—
But please don't fly your rainbow flag;
It makes us think of yucky sex.
And please don't kiss out in the street,
Don't let us see you holding hands,
Don't make us see that you exist,
Don't ask for rights or wedding bands.
For though you've suffered awful loss,
We sympathise, but must defend
Our right to keep you in your place
As not-quite members of the human race;
As second class citizens.

The curd of human kindness
Splatters from our bowels.
We label it "Condolences,"
And heap it on with trowels.

—Daz

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Two Parts Bigotry, Two Parts Noodle-Patery & One Part Essence Of Pure Ignorance. Add A Pinch Of WTF, & Simmer

Take a gander, Gentle Reader, at the face of a complete and utter prat.

Says the Daily Mirror…

Susan-Anne White is running for election in West Tyrone, Northern Ireland, as an independent candidate. Her manifesto has appeared on social media in the last few days and it's pretty shocking.

And I suppose it is to anyone whose capacity for shock at the words of right-wing evangelist noodle-pates hasn't been raised through constant exposure to same. I really do wish I still found crap like this shocking. I still find it awful, but sadly there's nary a shock to be found.

As posted on her blog, The Truth Shall Set You Free, here's her manifesto:

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UKIP: ‘We’re Not Bigots, But…’

Did you know the floods were caused by gays
And immigrants jam the motorways?
That bigots need to be represented,
And maternity leave should be resented?
Don't let us see breastfeeding mums!
There's no link twixt crime and guns.
Bring back caning in our schools!
That Hitler bloke; he weren't no fool.
Incest follows if gays tie the knot!
Foreign medics are clumsy clots.
World war two was caused by Jews!
Breivik's thesis was full of truths.
Exercise stops you turning gay!
Slum-landlords are totes okay.
HIV? You got it on purpose!
The biggest waste is our health service.

We're not bigots, we just state facts.
We're not racist, we just hate blacks.
We're not tryin' to cause a big sensation;
Just workin' for a straight white nation.
—Daz

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“I’ve Got A Golden Ticket”

Here's a fun response to bigoted claptrap. Drown it out with song!

Via the Huffington Post.
—Daz

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I Get Spam: A Competition

A competition for regular readers. There's no prize, and little kudos to be won, but can anyone guess which notorious professional idiot landed in the spam-bin with this little gem?

Interestingly enough, it was only a few days ago that official figures were released stating that the level of "gay" "marriages" in France was higher in Paris than anywhere else in the country – coincidence?

Charming, or what?
—Daz

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Padre Steve On Gay Rights

If anyone's interested in the words of a religionist who isn't a conservative, Bible-poundin', gay-bashin' loon, Padre Steve, who's commented here a few times, seems to be in the midst of producing a series of posts on gay rights in the US. Though he's touched on the topic in the past, he's now produced four in a row, here, here, here and here. The Padre being both a career military-man and a historian, and someone who has had something of a conservative-to-liberal epiphany himself (is it technically an epiphany if it happens gradually?), I think his viewpoint is subtly different enough to be fresh, and worthy of notice. (Oh, and someone who likes to quote from SF shows now and again to illustrate a point. How much recommendation do you need fer Pete's sake?)

That second link in particular might be of interest to LGB folk, if any should read this (LGBT? I'm not certain what the US military stance on trans* is or if such cases have ever come up in practice), who served in the US military during the DADT era. To quote the Padre:

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