Peter Tatchell to receive honorary fellowship from Goldsmiths

Rights campaigner Peter Tatchell is to be awarded an honorary fellowship by Goldsmiths, University of London.

The veteran LGBT activist, 62, was named as one of six “creative and visionary” individuals, who will be granted honorary degrees and fellowships by the university.

He will be honoured alongside artist PJ Harvey, poet George Szirtes, cartoonist Martin Rowson, architect Dame Zaha Hadid, and Scottish journalist Neal Ascherson.

Goldsmiths registrar Liz Bromley said: “Our honorands this year are a remarkable group of people. They have changed communities through their inspiring architectural designs.

“They have pointed out the ridiculous in the news and made us laugh. They have inspired us with their words, their music, and their art. They have fought for our rights.

“And they have helped us to understand who we are now by looking to the past.

“Today we are celebrating their achievements. We have invited them to join the Goldsmiths family and will be welcoming them into our community.

“They will now be a part of an institution that prides itself on empowering individuals from all walks of life to become visionaries, just like them.”

Tatchell recently threatened to out senior bishops who were complicit in punishing clergy members who entered same-sex marriages.

Gay hospital chaplain Jeremy Pemberton had his Permission to Officiate revoked by the Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham after he married his same-sex partner, while out London vicar Andrew Cain said he “fully expects” to be punished for marrying.

Update: This story previously stated that Tatchell was receiving an honourary degree, but this was updated to reflect the fact that Goldsmiths clarified an earlier statement to say he was actually receiving a fellowship.