The attitude that they are often met with is that they ‘get what they deserve.’

Although homosexuality is legal in both countries, a new report from Amnesty International has revealed a catalogue of injustices.

The abuse is widespread and shows no signs of improvement, say the human rights charity.

Activists representing a range of marginalised civil society groups, from indigenous peoples to members of the LGBT community and women’s groups, are targeted by police and the security services in Honduras and Guatemala.

Amnesty documented attacks and threats against human rights defenders working to promote and protect a wide range of rights.

The report highlights case studies of activists being murdered, intimidated, their offices ransacked for evidence and destroyed.

Donny Reyes, treasurer of LGBT organisation, Rainbow Association (Asociación Arcoiris) in Honduras, was arbitrarily detained on 18th March 2007.

He was reportedly stopped by six police officers as he left the Rainbow Association offices in Tegucigalpa and asked to show his identity documents.

Although he did so, the police reportedly beat him and physically forced him into the car and took him to the Comayagüela police station.

The officer who put him in the cell is alleged to have told other inmates: “Look, I’m bringing you a little princess, you know what to do.”

Donny Reyes told Amnesty International that the other detainees took this as a signal to beat him and rape him repeatedly.

He was released after six and a half hours when he agreed to pay 200 lempiras (approximately £7).

Three days later, he reported what had happened to the Public Prosecutor’s Office and to a senior police officer.

He underwent forensic examinations to record the injuries he had suffered.

However, investigations into the arbitrary detention and the subsequent attack have not gone any further.

The Rainbow Association set up in 2003, provides training for human rights defenders on issues of sexual orientation, gender identity and HIV/AIDS prevention.

It has been subject to a pattern of intimidation and attacks.

For example, on 12th June and 1st July 2006 the Association’s offices were raided by police who confiscated documents and destroyed computers and furniture.

In December 2006, the then Director of the Association, José Richard Figueroa, was forced to leave Honduras for his own safety.

In May 2007, the Association moved premises because members felt intimidated by the persistent presence of police patrol cars outside their offices.

They have fought to place these issues on national and international human rights agenda and while their work is being recognised by the UN, the state has failed to provide consistent or useful support or protection.

The Amnesty report concludes:

“The governments of Guatemala and Honduras have ostensibly committed themselves to social reform and poverty reduction, yet this report shows that major allies in the struggle to improve human dignity and alleviate suffering continue to face danger due to a lack of government will to recognize important human rights work.

“The governments of Guatemala and Honduras need to stop treating members of the human rights community, especially those from poorer, more marginalised areas, as enemies and instead engage with them in serious debate about both their work and their protection needs to prevent further killings and attacks.

“Advancing human rights is a mutual endeavour between state and civil society, not an opposing one.”

The centre is the first of its kind in the country.

This was made possible with a one-year grant of HK$430,000 (£26,750) from the AIDS Trust Fund.

The donation will pay the rent for the premises and support one full time staff member for one year.

The opening of the centre follows another positive move by the highest court in Hong Kong, when leniency was shown in a case of gay public sodomy.

It was ruled that two men who were being penalised for having sex in a car park did not deserve a maximum penalty of five years, as the same punishment would not be meted out to a heterosexual couple in a similar situation.

The verdict was hailed as a victory for China’s gay rights movement.

Recent surveys showed that the majority of Hong Kong gay men requiring HIV tests and advice are more comfortable approaching organisations which will be supportive and comfortable with their sexuality.

Of the 314 people interviewed, 180 selected gay organisations, 147 selected AIDS service groups and while only 132 picked the Chinese Department of Health.

However, a few battles remain.

The survey also revealed that homosexuals were not entirely comfortable disclosing their sexuality to these organisations.

37% of the interviewees said they were worried about exposing their orientation.

The main concerns of all the men interviewed, before they contacted AIDS services, were confidentiality, friendliness and the reputation of the service groups.

Rainbow of Hong Kong’s founder, Kenneth Cheung Kam-hung said that there was a need for counselling, special interest classes and training workshops for volunteers, as well as a hotline to provide peer support for homosexuals.

He told AP:

“We found that the existing social services groups were unable to reach the minority group. Merely distributing condoms and carrying out blood tests is not enough to help them.”

The Australian federal government is trailing behind some of its state and territory counterparts, where gay families are accorded the same rights as heterosexual ones.

The inquiry considered the impact of legislative and policy frameworks, as well as social attitudes that affect the rights of gay families in Australia, while measuring the country against other comparable countries.

The audit found that even though being LGB is not a direct hindrance to being successful, there are issues at the legislative level which are unfair and fail to give same-sex families the same recognition.

Sarah Maddison, of the University of New South Wales, who was involved in the study, cited the example of a high court judge, Michael Kirby, whose partner of 38 years is being denied a access to the judge’s pension after Mr Kirby dies, unlike his heterosexual counterparts.

“These laws cover a wide range of fundamental entitlements, including carer’s leave to look after a sick partner, access to the Medicare, superannuation and workers’ compensation death benefits for the same-sex partners of federal government employees,” Ms Maddison told The Age.

Mr Kirby, one of Australia’s most respected judges, was told by the Australian Attorney General that the new pension plan arrangements for spouses currently being discussed will not extend to same-sex partners.

This means that non-heterosexual families do not have the same federal protection in areas such as inheritance, child support, contact and parental authority.

LGB couples are denied some basic financial and work-related entitlements.

According to a similar report from the Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC), there are as many as 58 federal laws which fail to tally and cost LGB family the rights that heterosexual families take for granted.

Human Rights commissioner Graeme Innes said the HREOC provided further evidence of the need to change legislation which discriminated homosexuals.

The federal govenment have promised to consider the issue before the general election later this year.

This Hippocratic slur comes from a doctor who is the President of the Islamic Medical Association, which claims to represent 99% of the UK Muslim community.

The offending medic, Dr Muhammad Siddiq, wrote in a letter to doctor’s magazine Pulse:

“There is punishment and fine if you throw rubbish or filth in the streets. The gays are worse than the ordinary careless citizen.

“They are causing the spread of disease with their irresponsible behaviour. They are the root of many sexually transmitted diseases.”

The letter went on to call a depressed transsexual awaiting gender reassignment “twisted.”

Dr Siddiq denies that he authored the letter and claims his son was playing a “cynical spoof” on him by forcing him to sign the letter and sending it to Pulse, a magazine for GPs.

When the magazine contacted Dr Siddiq for further comment, he made no effort to deny his views.

Allegedly, he has privately told his colleagues that he had actually written the letter.

When the magazine published extracts of the letter’s contents, his employers, Walsall PCT Primary Care Trusts, called him to discuss his views.

Gay rights group Stonewall criticised Dr Siddiq’s comments as proof that homophobia exists in certain pockets of the medical community.

The chair of the Muslim Health Network Dr Khalid Wyne condemned his remarks:

“Sexual orientation should not interfere in a GP’s judgement of the health needs of a patient,” he told the Daily Mail.

The controversy is further bad press for the Muslim medical community still trying to come to terms with recent allegations of NHS doctors supporting terror plots.

Dr Siddiq’s PCT disciplinary hearing will be held next week.

Shahin Portofeh, 27, an gay Iranian national, was seeking asylum in Coventry, but he was deported from the UK after his application was rejected.

Despite his protests that he would be persecuted in his home country because of his sexuality, he was sent back.

He experienced a harrowing time in Iran, where he was jailed, lashed, tortured and ultimately faced execution.

He escaped from custody in Iran and returned to Coventry.

Iran is one of the six countries where homosexuality is punished with a death penalty.

Although there is relief for Mr Portofeh, it is notable that there is no official policy supporting the right of refugees to claim asylum on the grounds of sexual orientation.

It was held on Oxpens Field and the patrons for this year’s event were Peter Tatchell, Lord Waheed Ali and Sir Ian McKellan.

Live music from acts including Natalie Powers and Lizzy Drip featured on the main stage, sponsored by public service trade union Unison.

The organisers for the event had requested people not to bring their own alcohol but encourage and support the participating vendors, helping in keeping Oxford pride free.

Also featured was the popular dog show, a regular event at the Oxford Pride.

Peter Tatchell, gay rights activist and Green Party candidate for Oxford, said that the event was a great success as it was well-attended by a “glorious mix of gay, lesbian and heterosexual folk, black and white.”

The event posed a distinct contrast to a Pride in Moscow earlier this year, where Tatchell had been beaten and arrested.

David Gwinnutt, who runs The Pink Union Jack company, said that Oxford was one of the least homophobic places in the county, or even in the country, “Oxford is a very liberal place.”

The Mayor of the city, John Tanner opened the event and thanked the gay and lesbian people of the city for their enormous contribution to the city.

Mr Tatchell, in his keynote speech, attacked civil partnerships.

“Separate is not equal. Equality means the right of gay

couples to get married on exactly the same basis as heterosexual

partners,” he said.

“The gay marriage ban must go. Marriage should be open to

same-sex couples and civil partnerships should be open to

heterosexuals.”

‘Security clearance’ is a formal check required in the US for handling confidential data or documents.

It is often requested by US employers as a compulsory verification for employees.

The 1997 regulation which stated that, “sexual orientation may not be used as a basis for denying clearance,” has been modified to read: “security clearances cannot be denied solely on the basis of the sexual orientation of the individual.”

New regulations distributed in December also said that if sexual behaviour is “strictly private, consensual and discreet,” it could reduce security concerns.

“The Bush administration is waging a covert war on loyal federal employees who happen to be gay,” Henry Waxman, the leading Democrat on the House Government Reform Committee, told AP.

This shift makes LGB people vulnerable to coercion or exploitation.

Gay rights activists say that sexuality will be given increased attention and unnecessarily lead to subsequent discrimination by intolerant employers.

It could also result in blackmail of homosexuals who choose not to disclose their sexuality.

White House spokesperson Scott McClellan has denied that the move implies any express change in policy, insisting that the new rules are similar to the old ones.

“There’s no change in our policy,” McClellan said.

“I think that they updated the language to reflect exactly what was spelled out in the executive order.”

The Senate Intelligence Committee’s Republican staff director, Bill Duhnke, said that the regulations have the same effect, although they approach the issue in slightly different ways.

“It’s a controversy without substance,” he said.

It remains to be seen whether the White House will follow through on its assurances.

He will appear in a Channel 4 documentary about the case and its fascinating aftermath, when the public and press unexpectedly began to question the law which criminalised homosexuality.

A Very British Sex Scandal will be shown on Saturday as part of a series to mark the 40th anniversary this month of homosexuality being paritally decriminalised.

Lord Montagu, a distinguished member of the British aristocracy and founder of the National Motor Museum, has had two wives since the trial and has maintained his innocence since the guilty verdict.

He was imprisoned along with Daily Mail journalist Peter Wildeblood and Dorset landowner Michael Pitt-Rivers, Montagu’s cousin.

Wildeblood had met the 28-year-old Edward Montagu, Third Baron Montagu of Beaulieu, through a publicity agent.

Lord Montagu invited him to stay at his isolated beach hut in Beaulieu in August 1952 along with his then lover, 23-year-old army nurse Corporal Eddie McNally, and his RAF friend, John Reynolds.

He recalls when he was woken up at 7am the fateful morning, ‘the police were banging on the (bedroom) door, and I was in bed alone, may I say.’

In January 1954, police launched simultaneous dawn raids on Wildeblood, Montagu and Pitt-Rivers, who had also been staying at Beaulieu that weekend.

Wildeblood had dramatically told court during the trial that he was gay and consequently the jury saw fit to send the trio to jail.

He also pioneered the cause by writing Against the Law and openly discussing what it was like to be a homosexual. He was famously critical of the furtive behaviour of other gays.

Lord Montagu on his part has continued to crusade for gay rights ever since.

In the wake of this case, British Home Office set up the Wolfenden Committee to consider changing the law.

Consensual sex in private between homosexuals, was parlially decriminalised by Parliament in 1967, but the age of consent was set at 21.

The 1950s are remembered as a period when anti-gay sentiments were strong.

The Churchill government is alleged to have started a gay witch-hunt after the spies Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean, both gay, defected to the Soviet Union.

In a way, homosexuality was seen as being as punishable as communist tendencies and both were considered left-leaning and dangerous.

Peter Mandelson’s grandfather, Labour Home Secretary Herbert Morrison, is also remembered for leading an anti-gay crackdown in the same decade which saw veteran actor John Gielgud and Conservative minister Ian Harvey being sent to jail.

Orlando Wells plays Lord Montagu in the Channel 4 drama A Very British Sex Scandal, to be broadcast on Saturday 21st July.

Five Nepalese transgender youths, known as meti, were brutally beaten, sexually abused and insulted by police in Kathmandu on the night of July 14th.

Their crime is said to be carrying condoms for their own use.

The incident occurred when five metis were meeting up in a park in the heart of the country’s capital, Kathmandu.

They were approached by police, questioned and strip-searched – officers ‘checked’ for signs of sexual intercourse by examining their genitals.

A gay rights representative from Blue Diamond Society (BDS), a sexual minorities and AIDS group, who tried to stop the incident was told not to be impertinent and then beaten.

Two policemen who arrived after a meti dialled emergency services ‘watched silently’ as the assaults continued.

The incident came on a day when gay and human rights workers, backed by the Dutch government, were scheduled to hold a meeting between metis and politicians from Nepal’s leading parties.

Blue Diamond Society has approached the abusive police officers on behalf of the victims to explain their vicious and dehumanising behaviour.

The police has acknowledged to BDS, as well as representatives of Human Rights Watch, that such beatings are regular police practice, adding that their carrying condoms is evidence of illegal acts.

The metis were accused of prostitution and beaten with batons for their ‘unnatural and illegal sexual behaviour.’

The police threatened to put them behind bars but changed their minds.

The country currently has no explicit law which criminalises homosexuality.

The meti were victimised because of the police’s institutionalised campaign against Ratna Park, which is, according to them, a regular gay and transgender meeting place.

The assualted meti were later hindered from filing a complaint at the police station and then chased out by threatening police officers.

Such an attitude to condoms in a country which faces an endemic rise in HIV infections, especially in certain high risk groups, is at cross purposes with the United Nations’ Development Projects’ efforts to support AIDS awareness.

Mean Fiddler’s Managing Director Melvin Benn has said that he sees this as good for business.

“We consider the offer to be positive and are currently awaiting confirmation of that offer being confirmed before a final decision is to be taken. We anticipate the offer to be formalised in early August,” he said.

The G-A-Y bars are popular venues among young gay and lesbians in London.

G-A-Y is co-owned by promoter Jeremy Joseph and the Mean Fiddler Group, a subsidiary of the American advertising and media giant Clear Channel.

Mr Joseph, who owns the the G-A-Y brand, also runs the popular club at Astoria that has played host to Kylie Minogue, Madonna, Christina Aguilera, the Spice Girls, Girls Aloud, Sugar Babes together with X-factor winner Shane Ward.

The Astoria is let for £1 million a year until 2008 under terms agreed by the previous owner Compco.

The Astoria’s new owners, Derwent Valley may face problems in redeveloping the venue as the site is being considered as a location for the a new Cross Rail station should the line be approved by Parliament. In the event that the bill receives Parliamentary approval, the site could be purchased using compulsory purchase orders.

The Mean Fiddler portfolio includes the iconic Old Mean Fiddler Venue in Harlesden, The Jazz Café, The Garage (currently closed for refurbishment) and The Borderline.

Mean Fiddler will not sell its promotional rights for music festivals like Carling Weekend in Reading and Leeds.

He was the editor of the now defunct but iconic UK newspaper Gay News.

Mary Whitehouse, founder of the National Viewers and Listeners Association, (NVLA) announced her intention to sue in December 1976 after she read the poem entitled The Love Which Cannot Speak Its Name by James Kirkup, published in Gay News.

Denis Lemon was sentenced to nine months suspended imprisonment and fined £500.

Publisher Gay News Limited was fined £1,000.

They were represented by creator of Rumpole of the Bailey and defence counsel at the Oz “conspiracy” trial in 1971 John Mortimer QC at the Old Bailey.

An appeal against the conviction was rejected by the House of Lords.

It still ‘illegal’ to publish the poem in the UK. However, it was published again in two socialist newspapers few days after the original trial the offending poem as a protest against censorship

It expresses the fictional love of a Roman Centurion for Jesus and describes him having sex with the Christ’s crucified body.

Her indictment submitted in December 1976 against Gay News stated:

“A blasphemous libel concerning the Christian religion, namely an obscene poem and illustration vilifying Christ in his life and in his crucifixion.”

Mrs Whitehouse was appointed a CBE in 1980.

The NVLA, now known as mediawatch, still regards their founder as the ‘late, great Mary Whitehouse.’

They maintain their objective that the organisation has kept pressure on broadcasting authorities (they no longer monitor the press) to explain standards of ‘taste and decency’ and that this objective is as relevant today as it was in the 1960s.

John Beyer, director of mediawatch told PinkNews.co.uk:

“I think that the prosecution was justified because it was upheld and the appeal was rejected.”

He says that with regard to ‘that poem.’ “The standards for decency still stand.”

The fact that the ban rankles sections of society which support gay rights and are against censorship, he says is “irrelevant.”

“It has nothing to do with ‘rights,’ the judicial process was followed and it was found to be a breach of the law. The fact remains that the law has not been repealed – the attitudes may have changed.

“Freedom comes with responsibility otherwise we end up with anarchy. The law of the land applies to everybody.”

He refused to express a more personal view on the matter.

“That is irrelevant.”

“It is a weakness in the judicial system that the same law cannot be upheld when the poem is re-published in other sections of the media.”

The poem has become easily accessible and can easily be found on the internet.

The poet, James Kirkup, 89, now lives in Andorra. He continues to work and frequently contributes obituaries to newspapers.

Mr Lemon fell ill with an AIDS-related illness and sold Gay News in 1982.

It closed down in 1983. Mr Lemon died in July 1994.

The controversial poem is reproduced below:

The Love That Dares To Speak Its Name

the love that now forever dares to speak its name.

The anti-gay American Family Association (AFA) threatened to boycott Wal-Mart’s next big sales period and condemned the blanket support it offered to gay-friendly business initiatives.

The company succumbed to the AFA’s latest threat to urge shoppers to boycott their post-Thanksgiving sale.

The AFA had previously pressured the grocer by urging families to avoid the supermarkets on Saturdays and Sundays, which are the busiest shopping days in the week, seriously impacting Wal-Mart’s business.

The company, which owns British retailer ASDA, was in the news in August 2006 for supporting the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, in an effort to advance diversity within the store’s associate, supplier and customer bases.

This latest volte-face has been accompanied a mixed message from the company’s Communications Office’s vice-president, Mona Williams.

She said that although the company will continue to support “workplace equality,” it chooses to opt out of commenting on “controversial” issues which were causing concern to its customers.

She denies that Wal-Mart was bullied by the AFA boycott.

“Going forward, we would partner with [gay rights groups] on specific initiatives, as opposed to just giving blanket support to their general operating budget,” she said.

Wal-Mart also denied allegations made by conservative groups that the company was giving preferential treatment to gay businesses.

Reverend Flip Benham of Operation Save America said:

“Wal-Mart has been Christian families’ favourite store and now it is giving in, sliding down the slippery slope so many other corporations have gone down, all being extorted by the radical homosexual agenda.”

The President of the Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce said that conservative activists misrepresent his business-oriented group, which is a leading advocate of gay marriage, “in order to tarnish Wal-Mart.

“Their campaign has not been to educate, but to mislead,” he said.

The US is becoming increasingly conflicted over gay issues, with the fight against gay rights led by conservative pressure groups.

Some maintain that the corporation’s apologetic retraction was indicative of Wal-Mart corporate culture in the light of the fact that the company has frequently been accused of self-interest.

It has been the target of denunciation from many community groups, including women’s rights activists and labour unions.

The company’s latest critics are now gay rights groups.

There is no resolution in sight as the Church of England continues to equivocate on the issue of the ordination of gay clergy.

The rows over the blessing of same-sex relationships and the ordination of gay clergy threatens to split the worldwide Church.

The decision to consider a mechanism by which those who dissent from the majority opinion could be forced out of the Church is a significant win for the conservative and evangelical elements in Anglicanism.

Reverend Drexel Gomez, the Archbishop of the West Indies asked:

“Do Anglicans have a clear and shared identity?”

He insisted that it was inevitable that the unity be based on a common “covenant”, which, “accurately describes a sufficient basis to hold us together and for us to want to stay together.”

Liberals say that to have a common covenant will undermine the diversity of the Anglican churches around the world.

The synod held that the issue of homosexuality, and the ordination of gay clergy in particular, exposed the ‘deep flaws in how Anglican unity is maintained.’”

As the next obvious step, plans are being drawn up on how these “deep flaws” will be resolved within the Anglican church.

The 482-memeber General Synod, which comprises clergy, laity and bishops of the Anglican Church, heard a range of views on the issue of a covenant.

Rev John Plant, from the diocese of Leicester, said doctrinal certainty was “not always a virtue” and Anglicans did not have access to “an infallible source of truth.”

Bishop of Durham, Tom Wright, a noted evangelical who threatened to discipline clergy who took part in a civil partnership ceremony, said a vote against the covenant was a vote for anarchy.

Blackburn’s Tim Cox, argued that the covenant should be strengthened towards heterosexual marriage.

This suggestion was rejected by the Synod, who said that the Archbishops of Canterbury and York must be given time to respond to the draft covenant.

A number of conservative African churches are poised to boycott the Lambeth Conference next year.

The split in the Church began with to the ordination of an openly gay man, Gene Robinson, as Bishop of New Hampshire by the US Anglican Church in 2003.

The Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association (GALHA) said that from a secular point of view to have a common covenant will inevitably lead the Church to take a regressive swing to the right.

Chairman of GALHA, Jim Herrick commented:

“We are alarmed that the General Synod has approved this move – it will eventually lead to liberal, pro-gay churches being kicked out of the Anglican Communion, and the Church becoming dominated by the likes of Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria, who thinks gay people are ‘lower than pigs and dogs.’”

That is the conclusion of a wide-ranging study carried by gay equality organisation Stonewall.

Nearly two thirds of LGB students reported instances of such harassment.

That figure jumps to 75% of young gay people attending faith schools.

The survey, of more than 1,100 young people, found that only 23% of all UK schools explicitly condemn homophobic bullying.

Today the new Minister for Children pledged to stamp out all forms of bullying in schools and said new guidance on homophobic physical, mental and verbal abuse would be issued.

Homophobic mistreatment spans verbal and psychological abuse.

92% of gay, lesbian and bisexual pupils have experienced verbal abuse, 41% physical bullying and 17% have been subject to death threats.

30% of pupils reported that adults have been responsible for incidents of homophobic bullying in their schools.

Nearly every interviewed student had heard phrases like, ‘You’re so gay’, and remarks like ‘poof’ and ‘dyke’ in UK schools.

The resulting social exclusion has made victims feel unaccepted and isolated, more so in the case of girls (65 per cent) than boys (53 per cent).

The abusers on the other hand, are known to be both fellow students, adults, as well as younger pupils.

Although both male and female victims have had verbal abuse hurled at them, boys are reportedly more likely to be attacked physically.

Lesbians have reported cases of fellow female students covering their low cut tops and refusing to change in the same room during PE classes to be commonplace.

Findings include the deliberate ignorance and silence prevalent in schools, which is to be blamed for this widespread misery.

Instances of bullying and physical attacks, when reported, are often ignored by school authorities, while gay and lesbian issues go un-discussed in classrooms.

However, nearly 60 per cent of cases of abuse go unreported as gay and lesbian students feel disenfranchised and subsequently alone.

In faith schools, religious disapproval and thoughtless disregard for LGB issues, compounds the tendencies of bullies to target gay and lesbian students even more.

Stonewall says that this exclusion causes permanent damage to its victims.

Victims’ experiences have adversely affected their school performance and the majority interviewed, say that they have been forced to stay home to escape the bullying.

However, the anonymity of ‘cyber-bullying’ means that even at home, pupils are often unable to escape this teasing.

With socialising websites like Facebook and Myspace being largely unregulated, gay and lesbian pupils feel they have no refuge even in their homes, with the inevitability of bullies posting insults on message boards.

Many abusive messages are also sent by text.

The survey found three in five pupils fail to intervene when they see their fellow students being bullied and that a measly seven per cent of teachers ever take action.

Three quarters of victims say that they have never seen gay and lesbian issues addressed in the classroom.

In other findings, teachers have admitted that it is more difficult to report homophobic bullying as the word ‘gay’ is often used as a generic word of insult.

Students report staff telling them that it was ‘their fault’ for coming out and even though they would not stand racism, homophobic bullying was, “completely different”.

This kind of ignorance, the report implies, should be addressed. Teachers do not perceive homophobic bullying as serious.

Sixty two per cent of gay and lesbian students have said that no action was taken against their bully.

A third of gay and lesbian students are unhappy in school.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Education Spokesperson, Stephen Williams MP said:

“This is a landmark report for gay pupils and students. As it surveys the views of over a thousand young people it cannot be easily dismissed by anyone who denies that homophobic bullying is a serious problem.

“Whether a young person is gay, seen as being gay or has gay parents, homophobic bullying can make their life a misery.

“I remember myself what a lonely and isolating experience school was when I was bullied for my sexuality. The Stonewall survey shows that half of lesbian and gay pupils don’t feel able to be themselves when at school.

“Homophobic bullying can snatch away a child’s identity. If it also leads to staying away from school then children will not achieve their potential.

“No school should be allowed to turn a blind eye to bullying of any kind. All schools, including religious schools, should have anti-bullying policies that specifically address homophobic bullying.”

Mr Williams was responsible for education select committee report into bullying in schools.

The Stonewall report reveals that if guidance is provided to students who are attracted to members of the same sex, and if LGBT issues are openly addressed by teachers in an informed manner in the classroom, the pupils are 70 per cent more likely to feel welcome and comfortable.

They need to be made aware of the resources and information available to them in the school, community and the internet should they feel the need for such information.

They are also likely to feel more empowered if they have an adult to speak to.

Other recommendations in the report include:

Acknowledging the problem, developing rules and policies to tell young people about gay and lesbian issues which will help promote a social environment where being LGBT is embraced, accepted and understood better.

Schools that have good anti-homophobic bullying practices are encouraged to pass on their knowledge and experience to encourage and help other schools achieve a more accepting social environment for its LGBT students.

The Stonewall report aims to pressurise schools into acknowledging this persecution which impinges on gay and lesbian students achieving their full potential, and also indeed emphasises that the students who are attracted to members of their own sex, have the right to a stress-free environment both in the classroom and the playground.

The survey of 1,145 young people was conducted by the Schools Health Education Unit for Stonewall.

This second triumph in the space of a month is being seen as historic because the gay squad beat 17 teams in an all comers county-wide inter-club event, the first achievement of its kind and a benchmark for LGB teams.

They have improved on Stonewall Football Club’s previous triumph at the Middlesex Federation League Cup in 2004, as Out To Swim achieved a double whammy.

The event concluded with a nail-biting finish. OTS were 10 points down with two 50m freestyle events to go.

However, swimmers Andy MacKinnon, Ian White, Stephen Lue and Ryan Heath raised the score tally by trouncing the competition and then going on to beating Swiss Cottage 524 to 519 points in a 100m freestyle relay.

The winning relay team, though impressive together, were lead by Lue (23) and Heath (27), who between them have won a total of 22 medals.

The improved women’s squad also took a promising third place

The upcoming European Masters Championship in Slovenia in August and Out To Swim’s own swimming competition in Ealing, planned for September, will bring this successful swimming season to a close.

An Out to Swim open event will be held on 28 July. For more details visit their website.

The concert, the result of a year of planning, concluded with Princes William and Harry paying an emotional tribute to their mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, who died in a car crash in Paris in 1997.

A 63,000-strong crowd joined in the bittersweet celebration of the late princess’ life, despite the rain.

Elton John, who shared with Diana a long friendship and a concern for those affeceted by HIV and AIDS, shed tears as the princes spoke of their memories of their late mother.

Hollywood actress Gillian Anderson described the late princess an ‘icon of giving,’ who was deeply involved in charity work around the world, especially in Africa.

The proceeds raised from the concert will go to charities Diana was involved with during her lifetime, including the National AIDS Trust (NAT).

There was increased security at Wembley due to the recent terror alerts.

The audience and the royals were heavily protected by uniformed and plainclothes police officers deployed throughout the stadium.

Duran Duran amused the crowd by praying for the sun to come out and performed a set that included their hit Rio, reportedly a favourite of the late princess.

Will Young, who performed in a white suit, and Take That, triumphant after a sell-out comeback tour, had the crowds screaming.

The show included artists who were Diana’s favourites alongside some of the prince’s choices, such as Lily Allen, who performed her hit single Smile.

Prince William showed off his dance moves during Nelly Furtado’s performance of her hit track Maneater, much to the embarrassment of his younger brother.

Kate Middleton, William’s ex-girlfriend, was in the crowd, while Prince Harry was joined buy his current sweetheart, Chelsey.

A touch of high culture came in the form of a tribute performance of an extract from Swan Lake by the English National Ballet, of which Diana was a patron.

Tom Jones sang a cover version of The Artic Monkeys’ hit I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor.

Elton John, who opened the concert, also concluded it, with a moving four-song set that included Your Song. 

Drag queens Precious, Miss Blanche, Portia and Danny Cher from the Birdcage nightclub in Leeds will encourage people to kick the habit and take their ‘last drag’ as this butt of contention is finally doused in the favour of healthier lungs for both active and passive smokers.

The pun is intentional and the NHS in Yorkshire has taken this glam approach to helping people smoke their last fag, by bringing on board these lovely performers who profess that the money is better spent on a number of other indulgences.

Smoking a pack of 20 will save smokers a whopping £1850, which could for example be spent on much-needed make-up to cover wrinkles that smoking has caused.

It is proven that people are four times more likely to quit and not go back, if they do not go it alone and seek help from the NHS which has already helped thousands of people to kick the habit.

If you want to take your last drag, you can speak to an adviser by calling the NHS Smoking Helpline on 0800 169 0 169. They will help you never go back.

That is the conclusion of a wide-ranging study carried by gay equality organisation Stonewall.

Nearly two thirds of LGB students reported instances of such harassment.

That figure jumps to 75% of young gay people attending faith schools.

The survey, of more than 1,100 young people, found that only 23% of all UK schools explicitly condemn homophobic bullying.

This report arrives at a time when Department for Education and Skills has rejected a call from MPs to make all schools record bullying incidents with the same zero-tolerance policy accorded to racial bullying.

Homophobic mistreatment spans verbal and psychological abuse.

92% of gay, lesbian and bisexual pupils have experienced verbal abuse, 41% physical bullying and 17% have been subject to death threats.

30% of pupils reported that adults have been responsible for incidents of homophobic bullying in their schools.

Nearly every interviewed student had heard phrases like, ‘You’re so gay’, and remarks like ‘poof’ and ‘dyke’ in UK schools.

The resulting social exclusion has made victims feel unaccepted and isolated, more so in the case of girls (65 per cent) than boys (53 per cent).

The abusers on the other hand, are known to be both fellow students, adults, as well as younger pupils.

Although both male and female victims have had verbal abuse hurled at them, boys are reportedly more likely to be attacked physically.

Lesbians have reported cases of fellow female students covering their low cut tops and refusing to change in the same room during PE classes to be commonplace.

Findings include the deliberate ignorance and silence prevalent in schools, which is to be blamed for this widespread misery.

Instances of bullying and physical attacks, when reported, are often ignored by school authorities, while gay and lesbian issues go un-discussed in classrooms.

However, nearly 60 per cent of cases of abuse go unreported as gay and lesbian students feel disenfranchised and subsequently alone.

In faith schools, religious disapproval and thoughtless disregard for LGB issues, compounds the tendencies of bullies to target gay and lesbian students even more.

Stonewall says that this exclusion causes permanent damage to its victims.

Victims’ experiences have adversely affected their school performance and the majority interviewed, say that they have been forced to stay home to escape the bullying.

However, the anonymity of ‘cyberbullying’ means that even at home, pupils are often unable to escape this teasing.

With socialising websites like Facebook and Myspace being largely unregulated, gay and lesbian pupils feel they have no refuge even in their homes, with the inevitability of bullies posting insults on message boards.

Many abusive messages are also sent by text.

The survey found three in five pupils fail to intervene when they see their fellow students being bullied and that a measly seven per cent of teachers ever take action.

Three quarters of victims say that they have never seen gay and lesbian issues addressed in the classroom.

In other findings, teachers have admitted that it is more difficult to report homophobic bullying as the word ‘gay’ is often used as a generic word of insult.

Students report staff telling them that it was ‘their fault’ for coming out and even though they would not stand racism, homophobic bullying was, “completely different”.

This kind of ignorance, the report implies, should be addressed. Teachers do not perceive homophobic bullying as serious.

Sixty two per cent of gay and lesbian students have said that no action was taken against their bully.

A third of gay and lesbian students are unhappy in school.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Education Spokesperson, Stephen Williams MP said:

“This is a landmark report for gay pupils and students. As it surveys the views of over a thousand young people it cannot be easily dismissed by anyone who denies that homophobic bullying is a serious problem.

“Whether a young person is gay, seen as being gay or has gay parents, homophobic bullying can make their life a misery.

“I remember myself what a lonely and isolating experience school was when I was bullied for my sexuality. The Stonewall survey shows that half of lesbian and gay pupils don’t feel able to be themselves when at school.

“Homophobic bullying can snatch away a child’s identity. If it also leads to staying away from school then children will not achieve their potential.

“No school should be allowed to turn a blind eye to bullying of any kind. All schools, including religious schools, should have anti-bullying policies that specifically address homophobic bullying.”

Mr Williams was responsible for education select committee report into bullying in schools.

The Stonewall report reveals that if guidance is provided to students who are attracted to members of the same sex, and if LGBT issues are openly addressed by teachers in an informed manner in the classroom, the pupils are 70 per cent more likely to feel welcome and comfortable.

They need to be made aware of the resources and information available to them in the school, community and the internet should they feel the need for such information.

They are also likely to feel more empowered if they have an adult to speak to.

Other recommendations in the report include:

Acknowledging the problem, developing rules and policies to tell young people about gay and lesbian issues which will help promote a social environment where being LGBT is embraced, accepted and understood better.

Schools that have good anti-homophobic bullying practices are encouraged to pass on their knowledge and experience to encourage and help other schools achieve a more accepting social environment for its LGBT students

The Stonewall report aims to pressurise schools into acknowledging this persecution which impinges on gay and lesbian students achieving their full potential, and also indeed emphasises that the students who are attracted to members of their own sex, have the right to a stress-free environment both in the classroom and the playground.

The survey of 1,145 young people was conducted by the Schools Health Education Unit for Stonewall.