After Chris Moyles and Jonathan Ross, it’s now Derren Brown’s turn to speak before he thinks. It seems his miraculous ability to predict the lottery numbers is only balanced out with his inane proclamation that the bonus ball was for “women and gays”. A strange image of pots, kettles and worms firing out of a can comes to mind. In a move as bewildering as one of his stunts, the freshly-out-of-the-closet Derren seems to have overlooked that’s he’s alienating the very community that he’s a part of.

Is this a case of a homophobic homosexual? Tongue-in-cheek or otherwise, Derren is skating elegantly on very thin ice here. Despite 27 (and counting) complaints to Ofcom and a possible investigation, I feel any disciplinary action is unlikely. “But I’m gay too, so it doesn’t matter” would be a likely defence by many gay people who find themselves caught in this situation. But it doesn’t change the fact that what he said was blatantly unacceptable, regardless of his sexuality. Derogatory remarks towards gay people (and women, in this instance) are hurtful no matter where or who they come from, and in the context of a programme such as Derren Brown’s, has no place on our screens.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not for banning our glib British humour altogether, but the likes of Brown, Moyles and Ross sometimes need reminding that however irreverently jocular they try to be, that they have camera lenses and microphones in front of them and therefore have a careful and important responsibility not to offend a large percentage of their audiences.

Maybe I’m being far too PC. Let’s see if I can get away with saying the bonus ball was for blacks and Jews. Wouldn’t go down well, would it? But replace both with women and gays and all of a sudden it seems more acceptable. This needs to change.

The flamboyance of Four Poofs and a Piano has undoubtedly contributed to the success of Jonathan Ross’ chat show, as has Aled Haydn Jones’s kitsch input to the Chris Moyles Breakfast Show on Radio 1. But it seems they can only repay them by putting their gay colleagues down. Apart from the odd PinkNews.co.uk article and Stonewall’s Bigot of the Year award, little is mentioned of their crassness towards the gay community.

An apology from Derren Brown wouldn’t go amiss but wouldn’t undo the offence that 27 people felt to the point of getting up from the sofa and contacting Ofcom.

In his naivety, Brown seems to think that gay people are getting more tolerant of the odd gay put-down or homophobic quip. This simply isn’t the case.

I’m off now to listen to Will Young on my new Hannah Montana MP3 player. I may even buy a lottery ticket. How very straight of me. 

The study, which was presented to the British Sociological Association’s annual conference in Cardiff today, shows that abusive relationships between gay women can include physical assaults, sexual coercion and emotional cruelty but victims are put off seeking help because of fear of being outed to friends, colleagues and family.

Forty women between the ages of 21 and 70 were chosen for the study, believed to the most detailed research into abusive lesbian relationships to date. All of those who took part had experienced abuse in some capacity.

Around 88 per cent of those questioned had suffered physical abuse such as punching, kicking and slapping.

Forty five per cent reported had been bullied into performing unwanted sexual activities and ten per cent admitted to having been forced into having sex.

Thirteen per cent had been threatened with being outed by their partner to friends, family and colleagues or outed altogether by the abusive partner, while 18 per cent had felt suicidal or had attempted suicide during the abusive relationship.

Dr Rebecca Barnes, who led the study, said: “Only women who had been abused by a previous female partner were invited to participate in the study, with the aim being to examine these relationships in detail rather than trying to establish what proportion of lesbian relationships as a whole is abusive.

“The findings show that women in abusive same-sex relationships experience very similar challenges to women in abusive heterosexual relationships.

“However, being in a same-sex relationship poses additional barriers to seeking and receiving effective support.

“My findings also showed that abuse in lesbian relationships can involve wide-ranging forms of emotional, physical, financial and sexual abuse, as it can in heterosexual abusive relationships.

“One of the key differences with same-sex abuse is the secrecy which surrounds many same-sex relationships – a few of my participants had had relationships lasting years which their family or colleagues knew nothing about or which only a few close friends were aware of. This particularly applied to women who were in their first same-sex relationship.

“The fear of losing key relationships with family or friends, or of encountering homophobia at work should one’s sexuality be revealed, can deter some victims from speaking out about the abuse.”

If you or anyone you know is suffering from domestic violence, Broken Rainbow offers advice and support for LGBT people in abusive relationships. Their helpline is 03009 995 428. Lines are open Mondays 2 – 8pm, Wednesdays: 10 – 1pm and Thursdays 2 – 8pm.

A Republican candidate for last year’s US presidential election, Ron Paul, revealed how he was lured into a hotel room by Cohen after being convinced that he was to be interviewed on Austrian economics.

Cohen then started to strip in front of him.

Mr Paul told America’s ABC Radio: “We were in a studio situation, I wasn’t invited into a hotel room. There were lots of lights and blaze and commotion and they said we better get in this back room which had been fixed up as a bedroom.

“By the time he [Cohen] started pulling his pants down, I was like what on earth is going on here and I ran out of the room. This interview had ended.”

He continued: “I don’t like the way he lies his way into interviews. That to me is fraud.

“He has raunchy material people buy into … it’s sort of sad that it’s a reflection of our culture. It’s a real shame people are gonna reward him with millions and millions of dollars for being so crass.”

Mr Paul is a notable opponent of gay marriage, having said in 2004: “Many Americans understandably fear that if gay marriage is legalised in one state, all other states will be forced to accept such marriages.”

The new film follows the huge success of Ali G in Da House and Borat: Cultural Learnings Of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation Of Kazakhstan and contains extremely lewd behaviour, forcing some scenes to be cut from the final version.

Cohen also ridicules Madonna’s adoption of a Malawi child, by collecting an African baby from a box on an airport carousel, later claiming that he called him “a traditional African name – OJ.”

The film also sees Cohen crashing the Milan Fashion Week by wearing clothes made entirely from Velcro.

In November, Cohen attempted to gatecrash a Proposition 8 rally in California as Bruno.

He arrived at the rally in Los Angeles sporting a blond wig and marched, but was uncovered by other protestors and escorted away.

Bruno is released in UK cinemas on July 10th.

Ahmed Marcouch hopes his proposals, which include a gay pride parade, will increase tolerance for gays in the area.

Among the plans are the opening of a gay bar, education programmes for the neighbourhood’s primary schools and football tournaments between gay and immigrant teams, many of whom originally come from Morocco.

Mr Marcouch told Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad: “The freedom of gay people is my freedom and my freedom is the freedom of gay people.”

Slotervaart is also home to a large recreational ground often used as a cruising zone for gay men.

The area made the news in 2004 when Islamic extremist Mohammad Bouyeri murdered film director Theo Van Gogh for his film in which he criticised Islam.

In 2008, a report was commissioned by the University of Amsterdam found low tolerance of homosexuality among young men in Slotervaart.

One resident stated: “They are not people. Dogs, monkeys, animals are better than those people.”

Marcouch believes his deep end strategy for integrating both communities will take time. As a Muslim of Moroccan decent, he has already made an appearance at a gay celebration of the end of the Muslim festival of Ramadan known as the ‘Pink Eid Al-Fitr’.

He would also like to see the Amsterdam gay pride event, one of the world’s largest gay pride events to start in Slotervaart.

As the event has traditionally taken place on the city’s canals, this idea has been deemed impractical by the organisers, and have instead suggested that Slotervaart lead the way by giving them space on the leading boat.

Organiser Frank van Dalen said: “If Gay Pride can’t come to Slotervaart, Slotervaart can come to Gay Pride,”

Marcouch was unhappy with the compromise, stating: “It’s about the change that should take place here, not in the centre.

“We’re going to take the confrontational approach and it will be painful at times.”

If successful, the new law will ensure that all 27 EU member states will adopt measures to give new fathers and partners of new mothers two weeks’ compulsory paid leave, meaning that paternity leave in the UK will no longer be voluntary.

Labour MEP Mary Honeyball was one minister present on the women’s rights committee who amended the European Commission proposals on parental rights to reflect the changing dynamics of family life.

Ms Honeyball told PinkNews.co.uk: “Co-maternity is a relatively new concept. It’s very important that we recognise that LGB couples have children and that this is respected and enshrined in law.”

Voting on the matter will begin during the first week of May and Ms Honeyball warns that it could be a “lengthy process” and that there will be “very interesting arguments on both sides of the debate”.

Lord Mandelson will represent the UK at the EU council of employment ministers where the proposals have to be agreed upon by a majority.

The proposals have met opposition by some Christian Democrat and Conservative MPs, including UK Conservative employment spokesman Philip Bushill-Matthews MEP who voiced his concern by saying: “The EU should not be dictating to any British mothers and fathers how much leave they must take.”

In the UK, maternity leave is granted to any mother who has given birth to a child.

As the law currently stands, paternity rights apply if the father is the biological father of the child or if the father or is fully involved in bringing up the child.

Men whose partners are the biological fathers of a child cannot currently take paternity leave, even if they will bring the child up together.

However, male partners who adopt a child together are given full adoption leave.

Two weeks of paid leave must be taken during the first 56 days of the child’s life.

Paternity rights can be available for fathers and ‘second mothers’ who have adopted a child, but this needs to be considered alongside provisions on adoption rights so that one person cannot claim both paternity and adoption leave.

The Moroccan man, who has not been named, stabbed his 34 year old ex husband on Tuesday on the doorstep of his home in the village of Adra, Almeria. The couple had separated two months ago.

The victim was stabbed at least once to the neck, and died after being rushed to hospital.

Later that day, the body of the killer was found lying on nearby waste ground.

Socialist Secretary for Social Movement, Pedro Zerolo, called the killing ‘tremendous and very sad’ news, and said that same-sex couples were also vulnerable to domestic violence. He said more education was needed to fight all forms of violence.

Spain became the third European country after the Netherlands and Belgium to legalise same-sex marriage in 2005.

Norway legalised same-sex marriage in 2008 and Sweden is due to follow suit from May 1st.

Of course, this depends on what exactly he said, who he said it to, the amount of offence taken and what job he does. Or does it?

Society’s increasing disregard for religious beliefs, whether held personally or collectively, should be a matter of concern for LGBT people.

With the Daily Mail brigade’s constant rants on the dominant genes of secularism and political correctness, it would be easy to forget that many gay people also regard themselves as religious.

Many non-religious gay people still aren’t comfortable with gay marriage. Would the charity worker therefore be suspended if he was a gay man objecting to the ‘broad cause’ of pushing for same-sex marriage? Almost certainly not.

We’ve been here before. Only a few months ago Lilian Ladele, a registrar from Islington who refused to perform civil partnerships on same-sex couples because it conflicted with her Christian beliefs, had her case overturned after originally winning a tribunal case on the grounds of religious discrimination.

This highlighted the clear division between the rights of gay people and those of faith as almost competing entities.

This again manifested itself in California’s decision last November to ban gay marriage in the state. Both the ‘yes’ and ‘no’ campaigns on passing Proposition 8 received huge endorsements from politicians, celebrities and the public, but was ultimately a fight between religious voters and gay voters, with no real reason for a straight person with no views on the matter to vote.

Interestingly, these are issues where gay and religious interests overlap, and factions within both sides of the argument may contradict the larger cause to which they belong.

Surely this waters down the notion that there are simply two sides to an argument over issues like same-sex marriage? A ‘yes/no’ option was too simplistic to assess what the people of California really wanted.

A multi-option referendum could have been held to express individual opinions on gay marriage, eg. whether the state should revert to having civil partnerships indefinitely.

With this in mind, is the case of the charity worker a case of religious bigotry on his part or religious discrimination by his employer? Whatever the outcome of this case, it seems increasingly apparent that people have more of a right to be gay than to be religious.

Former lesbian and gay liaison officer Mark Brigham, of Hackney, received a two-and-a-half year jail sentence from Judge Roger Hetherington at Portsmouth Crown Court and has been forced to register as a sex offender.

The incident happened in August of last year, where Brigham attended a party in Portsmouth, where he met the 15-year old who cannot be named for legal reasons.

Brigham had been asked for advice by the parents of the boy and knew he was underage.

In his defence, lawyers at the hearing claimed that Brigham had experienced personal problems after splitting up with his boyfriend and struggled to cope with debt.

Speaking on his behalf, Brigham’s lawyer said: “He wants to apologise to the young boy and the Metropolitan police force, which he served in for nine years with distinction. His behaviour came at the end of a long downward spiral in his life.”

Jude Hetherington then proceeded to sentence Brigham, adding:

“These offences are aggravated by the disparity in age between you. You were more than twice his age. You knew he was underage and yet you succumbed to temptation.”

Mr Brigham is expected to serve half of his sentence before being released on a community licence, but will remain on the sex offenders register for the rest of his life.

However, a Jamaican LGB organisation has said the campaign will damage their cause as one of the products targeted, Red Stripe beer, is openly supporting the anti-hate movement.

A campaign website, www.boycottjamaica.org was set up by former Human Rights Council Spokesman Wayne Besen, along with prominent LGB rights activists Jim Burroway and Michael Petrelis, and campaigns for Jamaica to become a pariah state until social attitudes on the island towards homosexuality change.

Jamaica is considered to be one of the most homophobic countries in the world, where gay sex between two men can carry a ten-year jail sentence or hard labour. Sex between two women is currently legal.

Mr Besen told the Huffington Post: “Why boycott [Jamaica]? Because Jamaica is on a downward spiral and suffers from collective cultural dementia on this issue. There is clearly a pathological panic and homo-hysteria that has infected this nation at its core.

“Jamaica is an island of self-righteous hypocrites. The Bible is used to rationalise brutality, and vigilante violence is justified with talk of virtues and values. But, the island is quite comfortable with ganja and gratuitous sex for heterosexuals.”

The website calls for boycotting of specific of Jamaican products sold in the US, including Myers Rum and Red Stripe beer.

In an open newsletter, the Jamaica Forum for Lesbians All-Sexuals and Gays (J-FLAG) responded to the website’s demands:

” … we find it unfortunate that a campaign has been launched calling for the boycott of two Jamaican products, one marketed by a company that unequivocally distanced itself from the hostility and violence typical of Jamaican music towards members of the LGBT community.

“In April 2008, Red Stripe took the brave and principled stance to cease sponsorship of music festivals that promoted hate and intolerance, including that against members of the LGBT community.

“The naming of Red Stripe, therefore, as a target of this boycott is extremely damaging to the cause of LGBT activists in Jamaica.

The letter added: “Jamaica’s deeply ingrained antipathy towards homosexuality and homosexuals is a social phenomenon that will not be undone by boycott campaigns or government dictate. It requires the painstaking effort of confronting the society and talking to social actors who can bring change in the way society sees LGBT people.”

Last month, it was revealed that gay men in Jamaica were at a higher risk of contracting HIV due to discrimination.

The prime minister of Jamaica, Bruce Golding, also recapitulated his government’s attitude towards homosexuality:

“We are not going to yield to the pressure, whether that pressure comes from individual organisations, individuals, whether that pressure comes from foreign governments or groups of countries, to liberalise the laws as it relates to buggery,” he said.

Born-again Christian David Booker, 44, who works as a hostel support worker in Southampton for the non-religious charity Society of St James, told co-worker Fiona Vardy about his beliefs but denied being homophobic.

Soon after the incident on 26th March, Mr Brooker received a suspension notice which was issued to “safeguard both residents and staff” following the “events that happened last night”.

An investigation and a disciplinary hearing have been ordered.

The Christian Legal Centre (CLC) have assigned human rights lawyer Paul Diamond to defend Mr Brooker.

Director of the CLC Andrea Minichello Williams said: “No date has been set for the investigation and disciplinary hearing.

“This case shows that in today’s politically correct, increasingly secularised society, even consenting reasonable discussion on religion between two employees is being twisted by employers to discriminate and silence the Christian voice and freedom of expression.

“The Archbishop of Canterbury, as patron, has confirmed the Church’s teaching on marriage, same-sex relationships and homosexuality and that is in the public domain.

“We are interested to know whether his patronage is now under threat under the charity’s Culture and Diversity Code of Conduct.”

The Society of St James maintain that their decision was based on Mr Brooker’s decision to promote his religious views at work “which contained discriminatory comments regarding a person’s sexual orientation”.

The case follows a number of high-profile suspensions regarding religious views.

Last year, Lillian Ladele, 48, from Finsbury, was threatened with the sack after she told Islington borough council she could not carry out civil partnerships for gay couples due to her Christian beliefs.

An employment tribunal in 2008 had ruled in favour of Ms Ladele but the council successfully appealed the decision at the Employment Appeals Tribunal earlier this month.

Gary McFarlane, a Christian, claimed for wrongful dismissal against counselling service Relate.

He said that he had “overcome” his prejudices against same-sex couples since he began working as a Relate counsellor in 2003, but in subsequent work as a psychsexual therapist, he felt he would be “encouraging sin” when working with gays and lesbians.

A tribunal in January ruled he had not been discriminated againt on the grounds of his religious belief. A claim of unfair dismissal was also rejected.

However, Related addmitted wrongfully dismissing Mr McFarlane as it should have given him notice to leave instead of dismissing him on the grounds of gross misconduct and accepted his claim of wrongful dismissal.

The plaques are placed on the homes of those noted for their achievements in various fields and also awarded to places of interest.

Local residents in the south London borough voted on who should receive the award.

Amongst the winners were comedian and actor Charlie Drake and former Arsenal and England football player, Kenny Samson.

After hearing the news, Mr Tatchell told PinkNews.co.uk: “It is a big honour. I am very grateful to the people who voted for me, especially since there were other notable, worthy and deserving nominees.

“I have lived in Southwark most of my life and I am very proud to be part of its long, illustrious history of distinguished authors, playwrights, scientists, inventors and social
reformers.

“I hope my receipt of this award will encourage others to campaign for human rights.”

One voter said: “Peter Tatchell for his indefatigable approach to not just gay rights but human rights. He lives modestly and is a thorn in the side of the police (less so these days) and the establishment but that is what makes his so utterly indispensable. Society needs selfless courageous individuals like Peter.

“Give him a Blue Plaque! Although a pink one would be even better!”

The reduction comes after the Scottish government decided to end ring-fencing on minority funding awards which means that the council doesn’t have to spend the money.

The group received less than half of the money allocated to them last year.

Services manager Grace Cardozo told the Dumfries and Galloway Standard:

“I have dramatic funding decisions to make to meet the demand for the level of service.

“One post has already been re-graded and another post has been discontinued.

“We have also cut our session hours.

“There will have to be a good deal of rationalisation to find savings in the region of £40,000.

“What we do is fairly unique in Dumfries and Galloway and is usually only on offer in big cities.”

Melinda Dolan, council equality officer for Dumfries and Galloway Council said: “The funding situation for LGBT Youth Scotland for 2009/10 is critical and as a result of a gap between current income and secured monies for the coming year, redundancies and a contraction of services being offered in Dumfries and Galloway is likely.

“This is unfortunate as the work here has been nationally recognised and is seen as an example of good practice which is being copied elsewhere.”

The Dumfries and Galloway Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender organisation provides support for gay and transgendered people by holding social events, counselling services and promotes sexual health.

One in four workers in companies making staff redundant believe disproportionate numbers of people in minority or vulnerable social groups have been among the first to be dismissed.

The survey of over 500 workers in London commissioned by Ipsos MORI for employment lawyers Russell Jones and Walker, revealed that a quarter of those asked believed that those being made redundant were older employees, women, those with a visible ethnic origin, disabled or those with children.

LGB people were also thought to be of high risk when it came to cutting jobs.

Arpita Dutt from the firm said: “It is important to remember that this reflects employees’ perception of what is going on. Whether it is right or wrong, it is unlikely that these perceptions will include the impact on the ‘invisible’ victims of discrimination, such as those with ‘hidden disabilities’ -especially mental health conditions, women on maternity leave who are absent from the workplace and gay, lesbian and bisexual workers who may not be ‘out’ to all at work

“Very often, where these are underlying factors in an individual’s selection for redundancy, it is unknown to the majority of colleagues in the workplace. ‘

“We are seeing worryingly high numbers of individuals with very strong evidence of discrimination in their selection for redundancy at present. This suggests a high prevalence of unlawful discrimination in dismissals may well be going on.”

The episode, aired on 8th April, sees West being made the butt of a joke he does not understand.

When Cartman asks “Do you like fish sticks?” and is given ‘yes’ as an answer, he replies “Then you’re a gay fish!”

It seems the entire world finds the joke hilarious, apart from West who eventually starts to believe that he is actually a gay fish before setting out on a journey to find an aquatic soulmate.

The episode ends with West falling in love with a carp.

West has voiced his opinions on homosexuality several times in the last year.

Last month, he lashed out at claims that he “dresses gay”, saying he just liked to dress creatively.

In February this year, the star sparked controversy when he suggested that the word ‘gay’ should not be used as an insult. Speaking in an interview with Detail, West said:

“I like to embody titles or words that have negative connotations, and explain why that’s good.

“Take the word gay. Like, in hip-hop, that’s a negative thing, right?

“But in the past two, three years, all the gay people I’ve encountered have been, like, really, really, extremely dope.

During a concert in New York last year, he admitted he used to be scared of gay people:

“Coming from Chicago, where if you saw somebody that was gay you were supposed to stay ten feet away.

“It took me time to break out of the mental prisons I was in. The stereotypes of the fear of the backlash that I would get if you don’t believe what I believe in, accepting people for who they are.”

The ad, from the National Organisation for Marriage, depicts a Californian doctor “torn” between his faith and his job, a Massachusetts mother “forced” to send her son to a school which actively promotes gay marriage and a Jersey Church group member who feels punished by the state for not supporting gay marriage.

They are all played by actors who claim that a “storm is gathering, the clouds are dark and the wind is strong”, but the organisation insists that their concerns are based on true stories.

At the end, Damon Owens speaks of a “rainbow coalition” of people “of every creed and colour” coming together to protect marriage.

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has condemned the one-minute campaign (see below) branding it as “lies”.

HRC spokesman Brad Luna said: “This ad is full of outrageous falsehoods – and they don’t even come out of the mouths of real people.

“Again and again, opponents of equality have claimed one shallow victory after another by telling lies about who we are as individuals, as loving couples and as families. These lies must be called out for what they are every time the right-wing seeks to derail our progress by spreading distortions and inciting fear mongering”

The claims made in the ad were all proven false following research by the HRC and concerned anti-discrimination laws rather than gay marriage itself.

It concluded that the Californian doctor’s faith cannot be dictated by law, and that she is answerable to her professional oath. The Massachusetts parent has a right to remove her child from a school that contradicts her personal beliefs and that the New Jersey Church Group actually profits from holding same-sex civil partnership ceremonies.

Maggie Gallagher, president of the National Organisation for Marriage responded to the HRC’s claims:

“HRC’s record of truth and honesty about their intentions is not that impressive. They once said marriage amendments weren’t necessary because there were no federal court cases. Now there is one.

“They called us liars when we said public schools will teach about gay marriage if its the law – but they do in Massachusetts.

“Serious religious liberty scholars from Eugene Volokh to Doug Laycock to Robin Wilson acknowledge the central driving idea behind gay marriage – there is no difference between same-sex and opposite sex unions and supporters of marriage are engaging in discrimination if they think differently – will have consequences for the freedoms of traditional faith communities.

“To pretend otherwise is to be profoundly unserious – if not deceptive – about what gay marriage means.”

The ad is due to be aired up to eight times a day in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island and California.

Audition videos for the ad can be seen here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRjVDZxho54

The decision was made by principal censor Leiataua Niuapu Faaui, who rejected an application for the film to be rented and sold in Samoan outlets.

Mr Fauui refused to comment on the decision, but told the New Zealand Herald that “rules and guidelines had to be followed”.

Movies4U, the island’s largest home movie outlet, are disappointed with the decision.

Their general manager, Eteuati Junior Esau said “I really just want a reason why, because my customers are demanding this movie”, adding that up to twenty people ask daily to rent the film from his stores.

Human Rights activist Ken Moala said: “I do not think it should be banned. It is basically a documentary about the human endeavour to conquer something that people tend to discriminate against.

“It’s really harmless, I don’t know how it would affect Samoan lifestyle. It is totally different and not applicable to here, it is pretty tame really.”

Moala is well known for his charitable work with minority groups on many Pacific islands and questions the double standards of the Censorship Board:

“Some of the movies that have been here are violent and horrific. When it comes to documentaries like this, I think it is all about the human story as opposed to the slaughter that goes on in some of these movies.”

Principle censor Leiataua says he will comment further on the matter pending approval from his superior, but insists that the ban on the film will not be lifted.

Homosexuality is currently illegal on Samoa. 

He said: “Bullying, of whatever kind, is always completely unacceptable. At its worst it leads to atrocities such as the Nazis’ persecution and extermination of people on the grounds of their race, religion or sexuality.

“That is why faith schools must, as many do, lead the way in combating bullying – and not least the bullying of lesbian, gay and bisexual people, be they young or old.

Research carried out by gay rights organisation Stonewall shows that 65 per cent of LGB pupils have experienced direct bullying at school, compared with three quarters of pupils who attend faith schools.

The Exceeding Expectations project provides Manchester’s schools with training and support to tackle homophobic bullying. The Bishop ended his address with a message of support for the scheme in the city’s faith schools.

“I urge all faith schools to make sure that every pupil is fully included as part of the school community and encouraged in his or her studies. Each of us is made in God’s own image; and every one of us is precious to God.

“That should be the motivation of all our faith schools: to honour all people, including those who identify themselves as lesbian and gay.”