In an interview with Attitude magazine, the couple spoke of the “challenges” facing the family.

Their first son, Zachary, was born on Christmas Day 2010. His godmother was later confirmed to be Lady Gaga.

Of baby Zachary, Furnish tells Attitude: “I think he’s going to have a lot of attention thrust upon him.

“He’s going to be potentially doubly stigmatised, because one of his parents is extremely famous and because he comes from two dads.

“We’ve taken advice from counsellors. We’ve put a whole scrapbook together about his creation, the people who were involved in the process and how the intent was about love. We’re going to raise him to be proud of who he is.”

Last year, John spoke of the “happiest months” of his life being a parent, but warned of the dangers facing gay youth.

Writing in the Guardian, the musician said parenthood was a “blessing” and “an awe-inspiring responsibility”.

He concluded: “And we’re determined that he’ll grow up in a world different from the world that we grew up in ourselves.”

John announced in January that a “surreal” biopic of his life was “very much in the works”. 

Michael Overd, 47, from Creech St Michael in Somerset, had been accused of telling Craig Manning and Craig Nichol that they were “evil” and would “burn in hell”.

But the Christian Legal Centre-funded defence said Mr Overd was simply reading from the Bible as they passed.

Taunton Deane Magistrates’ Court had heard that the preacher had previously singled the gay couple out when he saw them holding hands in 2010.

The BBC reports him saying: “Even these two dear men whom I have met before, caught in the sin of homosexuality, can have the forgiveness of the sin should they so repent.

“I was not trying to draw to the public the fact that they were homosexuals, I was drawing the public to the fact that they were sinners.

“If I heard someone preaching the things I am accused of preaching I would talk to them about it.”

After the verdict, he said: “This is a case that should never have been brought. Christians like me are being harassed. Thankfully the Magistrates saw the truth of what happened and is happening on a wider scale in our country.”

Andrea Minichiello Williams, CEO of the Christian Legal Centre, said: “This is an important victory for freedom of speech, which is under attack on all fronts. We are determined to fight for the freedom to speak and preach the gospel.

“The Lord Jesus himself spoke directly to sinners; religious speech needs protection as people do not want to hear about ‘sin’ and they try to shut down freedom of speech.”

Dean Lampard, CPS District Crown Prosecutor said: “We take allegations of this nature very seriously and when we reviewed the case in line with the Code for Crown Prosecutors, we determined it was appropriate to charge Mr Overd with harassment. We examined the evidence and were satisfied that there was a realistic prospect of conviction and that it was in the public interest to bring criminal proceedings. We respect the Magistrates’ decision today.

“Everyone has the right to live their life free from harassment and distress and we will continue to work closely with Avon and Somerset Constabulary to investigate any allegations of hate crime of any sort, be it homophobic, racist, religious or disability hate crime.”

Mr Overd was cleared of the charge under Section 4a of the Public Order Act 1986 of using “threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour, or disorderly behaviour [...] thereby causing [...] harassment, alarm or distress”.

The Christian Legal Centre had funded Lesley Pilkington’s failed defence against a malpractice charge by the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy last year after offering ‘gay cure’ therapy, currently being appealed.

In another verdict today, the Court of Appeal has upheld a landmark court ruling in favour of a gay couple refused a room by the religious owners of Cornwall hotel.

Three Muslim men have been jailed for handing out a leaftlet outside their mosque in Derby inciting hatred against gays.

Ihjaz Ali, Kabir Ahmed and Razwan Javed were found guilty of stirring up hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation at Derby Crown Court.

Ali was jailed for two years. Ahmed and Javed have both been given 15-month sentences.

The men had distributed a leaflet entitled ‘The Death Penalty?’ outside their mosque ahead of a gay Pride parade.

The BBC reports Judge John Burgess saying: “You have been convicted of intending to stir up hatred.

“It follows that your intention was to do great harm in a peaceful community.”

“Much has been said during the course of this trial about freedom of expression, and the freedom to preach strongly held beliefs; beliefs, which may have some foundation in scripture.

“Freedom of speech is a cornerstone of democracy and a basic ingredient of any free society.

“Parliament clearly had this very much in mind when this legislation was passed.”

Ben Summerskill, Stonewall Chief Executive, said: “Gay people in Derby – and their friends and families – will feel relieved to see these extremists kept away from the community that they terrified with their deeply offensive and threatening leaflets.

“This whole case vindicates Stonewall’s long fight to secure specific legal protection for gay people against incitement to hatred.”

The ‘Death Penalty?’ leaflet contained an image of a mannequin hanging from a noose and quoted Muslim texts suggesting death was the way to rid society of homosexuality.

The Public Order Act 1986 was amended by the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 to create the offence of intentionally stirring up hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation, and this was the first-ever trial under the offence.

In order to convict, the jury had to be convinced the leaflets were not just insulting or abusive, but were “threatening”, and were distributed with the intention of stirring up hatred.

Ahmed had told Derby Crown Court: “We are living in a society and if we don’t stop it something like a tsunami will happen here, something on that scale.”

He added: “We are trying to stand and voice on these issues. I am part of this country – I was born here.

“You can think of it as a little vigilante thing.”

The 2012 London mayoral hopeful had almost been clear of the controversy he prompted earlier this week when he said the Conservative party had been “riddled” with concealed homosexuality.

Asked by the Metro whether he feared a banking exodus, Mr Livingstone said: “Our only real competitor is New York.”

When Dubai was suggested, he told the paper: “Would you want to get your penis chopped off? A gay banker would get his penis cut off in Dubai.”

Chris Doyle, Director of the Council for Arab British Understanding, said Mr Livingstone’s comment was “ridiculous”.

He said: “This is a desperate attempt to grab headlines using damaging stereotypes about chopping off body parts.

“It is true that many areas of the Arab world are not as tolerant towards homosexuals as we are in Britain, but many gay men travel to the region and work there and conduct their private lives in private.”

Dubai does penalise gay sex with up to 10 years in prison under Article 177 of its criminal code, but there is no requirement that offenders’ penises are removed.

Writing for PinkNews.co.uk yesterday, the leader of Lambeth Council Steve Reed said Mr Livingstone had broken “new ground” for gay Londoners during his eight year tenure as mayor.

Michael Overd, 47, from Creech St Michael in Somerset, allegedly told Craig Manning and Craig Nichol that they were “evil” and would “burn in hell”.

The defence reportedly claims Overd, of Creech St Michael in Somerset, was exercising freedom of expression, reading from the Bible as they passed.

The court has heard that the preacher had previously singled the gay couple out when he saw them holding hands in 2010.

According to the Press Association, Mr Nichol said: “He said ‘I have already told these two sinners over here that they are going to burn in Hell’.

“He looked at us and pointed at us when he said it. His voice was quite loud and very clear.

“I felt angry, embarrassed and ashamed.

“It was a really busy day and I felt that everyone was looking at us when he was saying these things to us.

“I asked him who he was to judge me and he said ‘It’s God’s words, it is in the Bible’.

“He said I should repent and ask God for forgiveness.”

The defence said Mr Overd was reading 1 Corinthians, which says: “Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor homosexuals nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”

The defence also asked Mr Nichol why he did not cross the road to avoid Mr Overd as he walked through Taunton last summer.

The trial continues.

Tackling Transphobia

In schools, LGBT pupils are routinely excluded from school and college curricula. Stonewall’s survey (PDF) in 2006 provided a sobering reminder of the misery faced by gay youth in schools when it was revealed that 65 percent of gay pupils had experienced bullying. While the awareness of bullying and homophobia has been raised thanks to celebrity campaigns such as Ben Cohen’s ‘Stand Out’ and a handful of sports personalities coming out, a Times Educational Supplement survey found that homophobic attitudes and language are rife in Britain’s schools today.

The key challenge is that in many cases, teachers have insufficient training, confidence, understanding or guidance to tackle homophobic bullying. Some teachers are too afraid to bring up the subject of homophobia or transphobia, for fear of a backlash from pupils and parents. Furthermore, autonomous academies have greater freedom to set their own curriculum, and consider diversity as a low priority. And some – though by no means all – faith schools expose pupils to homophobic teachings in the name of ‘teaching sexuality according to religious ethos,’ as the law allows them to do. As for transphobia – a term not even recognised by the notebook with which this article is written – ignorance of the condition is institutionalised.

SchoolsOUT, which has been campaigning to create a culture of inclusiveness for LGBT people since 1974, is determined to tackle these issues head-on. Central to the organisation’s campaign is its eighth annual LGBT History Month, in which participating schools in Britain counter the legacy of silence by celebrating the achievements of sexual minorities. The group has met the demand for teacher resources with a new website, The Classroom, which has had over 22,000 hits since its November launch. The SchoolsOUT conference, held at the RADA Studios in Central London on February 4th, provided an opportunity to hear about the state of progress in promoting inclusiveness.

The first session examined the issues surrounding transgenderism. Terry Reid O.B.E., founder of GIRES (Gender Identity Research and Education Society), which provides transgender-related policy advice to the public sector, explained the prevalence of and scientific explanations for gender variance.

Statistics show that a school of 1,000 pupils will have six pupils who have to deal with transgenderism throughout their lives. Recent estimates suggest nearly 7,500 people have undergone for treatment of gender dysphoria, at a rate of 1,500 per year, and growing at fifteen percent. More trans youngsters are having the confidence to come out because they talk to each other and on the internet and learn that they feel the same way as others do.

Rooted in the brain

The evidence that gender identification is rooted in the brain, determined in the womb and largely stable thereafter, is extensive. Variations may result from additional hormones in the pregnant mother’s system, or unusual X/Y chromosomal patterns. There is a spectrum of variance, from undetected cases, to Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome, in which a person grows up with the brain wiring and external appearance of a woman, yet shortened female genitalia with undescended testes. Furthermore, research by Professor Milton Diamond has shown a raised incidence of gender and sexual orientation variance among twins, who are vulnerable to different inputs of hormones. Unlike those with atypical sexual orientation, pupils with gender variance need medical attention. Trans people may experience stress at the onset of puberty, when their bodies become increasingly discordant with their gender identities. At this point, after careful screening, hormone blocking treatment may be given, so children can have more time to decide their gender role.

But while nature loves variance, society hates it. One only has to look in a children’s toy or clothes store to see how boys and girls are straitjacketed into gender specific roles, almost from birth. Those who don’t fit the mould often face rejection and abuse.

The Leveson inquiry this week showed that while the press have by and large moved on from depicting LGB people as objects of ridicule, trans people are still fair game (PDF). The Tavistock and Portman Clinic in North London, the only gender clinic for young transgender people, reports that 23 percent of its patients have attempted self-harm.

The challenge, says Reid, is to help people understand that gender is not a choice but like sexual orientation, it is who you are. Ignorance about causality of gender prevails even in the medical community. Eighty-four percent of NHS doctors believe public money shouldn’t be spent on gender reassignment because it was a ‘lifestyle choice’.

Educating teachers

Reid also highlighted the need for educating the teachers themselves. Twenty-five percent of trans people experienced bullying from teachers, often because they don’t understand how hurtful it can be to address the child by the wrong pronoun (for that matter, even when mistakes are made by well-intentioned people, the ignorance can be hurtful, as a cringeworthy moment in the 2009 series of BBC1’s Apprentice reminded us). A gender variant child might approach a teacher for help because they may be unable to approach their parents. It is essential therefore that teachers be supportive without expressing horror or surprise. The Home Office has commissioned the charity to develop a toolkit for fighting transphobic bullying.

Mermaids

Susie Green from Mermaids, a support group formed by parents of children who are affected by longstanding gender issues. Gender variance describes people who have a different identity and/or expression than the sex they were assigned with at birth. Within this spectrum are children who have the external appearance of one sex, but may have determined they are another on the inside, or children who exhibit non-conformity in the type of toys or clothes they play with. Mermaids brings these people and their families together to talk about the issues in a safe environment.

Susie’s motivation for setting up Mermaids sprang from the experience of the trauma suffered by her 18 year-old daughter, Jackie, who was born as a boy and faced daily abuse from peers and isolation in a school that rigidly enforced sex segregation.

It’s important not to fit children into boxes and to be told that it’s OK to be different. The best time to introduce diversity is at primary school, when children first come across peers of other social groups that they don’t see within their home. Prejudices are strongly diminished when children at this age get in touch with real people or even learn through storytelling. This helps them to empathise and understand that people from different ethnic or sexual groups are real people, not the lazy stereotypes portrayed in the media.

She takes inspiration from a primary school teacher from America, Melissa Bollow Tempel, who pioneered ways of expanding her class’s idea of the ‘norm,’ after having a gender-variant child in her class. Bollow Tempel’s essay, ‘It’s OK to be neither’ has numerous practical ideas. Line-ups can be formed on different, fun personal preferences, such as ‘milk or juice’, for example, rather than gender. AN effective way of countering ideas of stereotypes was a class discussion about things that were supposedly girlish or boyish. Class members discovered among their poeers girls who played with Lego and skateboards, while boys identified with pop artists who used nail varnish and make-up.

Empowering transgender people through the arts

Jay Stewart, co-founder of Gendered Intelligence, believes that the creative arts are a way into discussion and debate about gender issues, and opening up opportunities for gender expression, to empower them and enable their voices to be heard. They facilitate workshops to all young people in school or youth settings, to think about how everyone can contribute to debates in which trans people’s voices are embedded. A crucial objective is to create spaces for young trans people to really feel confident and strong in their own identities that they can go out and challenge exclusion.

Stewart notes the superficial school objectives around gender or sexual orientation, relate to bullying and not to the underlying causes. It is not enough that children don’t feel afraid to go to school; the only way to challenge prejudice and raise the self esteem of its targets is to challenge the preconceptions that underpin it.

GI has plenty of experience of working with schools where a pupil is transitioning, and ensure that person is thriving. For a student at an Oxfordshire school, GI created an action plan, to gather the core staff team, including the heads of year, with the young person. They informed the staff and created a peer group of friendship where the trans status of the person was disclosed among friends. This created a wall of protection, and they felt proud to be included. The idea was to make a safe network among the group, so they understood what it meant to embark on this transition from male to female. At the end of the session, the year head led an assembly pledging the school’s support for the student and encouraging the year-groups support for the peers. The student had put together a video to express her feelings and hopes about how she would like to be treated.

Read part two of this report.

Doreen Wachmann said her column on ‘gay cure’ in the Jewish Telegraph was not intended to be homophobic and that it was understandable that “homosexuals, after their history of persecution, are extremely sensitive about the issue”.

Her opinion piece, “Gays should be able to see if they can be ‘cured’”, was described by one rabbi as showing “shocking ignorance and malevolence towards gay Jews”.

She says in response to complaints: “I wrote my article because I was upset at the seemingly automatic assumption within the gay community that any mention of the possibility of ‘curing’ homosexuality equalled homophobia.

“This was why I began my article with ‘it’s scary publicly posing the question’ of whether gays can be ‘healed’ and why I ended it with the words ‘why should people be discouraged from even suggesting that road without being pilloried?’

“That is exactly what has happened to me this week. The reaction to my article proves that my freedom to express my opinion is being denied by the gay community.”

At one point in her original column, Wachmann had highlighted a particular doctor’s experience treating “desire for sex with the dead” before saying gays go to him “because they know he will respect their religious beliefs and help them heal their homosexual tendencies if that is their choice.”

She considered that gay ‘cures’ do not “always work”, adding that “medical procedures have potentially damaging side-effects. But patients are still encouraged to try them.”

In response to the column, Rabbi Mark Solomon, Manchester Liberal Jewish Community said: “Doreen Wachmann’s article “Gays should be able to see if they can be ‘cured’” displays a shocking ignorance and malevolence towards gay Jews.

“Gay people have been systematically stigmatised, marginalised and persecuted for many centuries, and are still subject to imprisonment, violence and death in many parts of the world. In the West our hard-won freedom to express our loving sexual nature, as gay, lesbian or bi people, is still brand new, vulnerable and precious.

“The consensus of all respectable medical and psychological opinion not fettered by fundamentalist religious dogma is that same-sex attraction is utterly natural and deeply ingrained in the personality, not a disease or pathology of any kind.

“The language of “cure” simply does not apply, and any suggestion that it does reeks of bigotry.”

The Jewish Telegraph’s editor Paul Harris defended Wachmann, saying: “She was open-minded and sympathetic to those who sometimes find themselves shunned by narrow-minded members of our own community and beyond.

“Yet she has been lambasted by some gay websites and by a small number of individuals whose letters we feature elsewhere in this edition. Mrs Wachmann is not herself a narrow-minded journalist. Were she to be so, she would not be offered a regular forum in this newspaper.”

He adds: “We are aware that gays, and particularly Jewish gays, do not always enjoy a good press and sometimes feel that they are discriminated against.

“We can assure them that neither this newspaper nor any of its columnists would knowingly criticise them or discriminate against them because of their sexual orientation. We believe their reaction against Mrs Wachmann was unnecessary and ill-founded. It really is a case of not shooting the messenger.”

In her response, Doreen Wachmann says she believes gays “are equally precious and valued members of our Jewish community”.

But, she adds, “religious Jews see this inability to mention the idea of ‘curing’ gays as an infringement of their right to free speech and to practise their religion”.

She adds that there are “many Jews with problems with their sexuality who are scared to discuss the issue with health professionals in this country lest they feel pressured to come out as gays, which may not be why they are seeking advice.”

Professor Andrew Samuels, Chair, UK Council for Psychotherapy told PinkNews.co.uk: “No responsible psychotherapist would ever pressurise someone into coming out.

“One of the main criticisms of psychotherapists is that we never tell people what they should do, even if they ask! Psychotherapy is a safe place where people can discuss their sexuality and relationships (or lack of them).

“It really concerns me that the very people who are pressurising gay men and lesbians to change their sexual orientation because that is what their religion requires now try to stigmatise psychotherapists as bigots. It’s an utterly hypocritical manoeuvre.”

Wachmann concludes her letter saying: “In the meantime I really wish everyone well, regardless of their sexual orientation. At the end of the day sexuality is a very private and individual matter, which should be respected by all.”

In a joint statement between the group and former mayor of Lambeth Christopher Wellbelove, who strongly condemned the group for their opposition, the Friends said they would be working with gay and trans community members to benefit the common.

The Friends of Clapham Common had said last month a gay Pride House event due to be held on the common was “highly likely” to become a “magnet for undesirable elements of the gay community”.

The group had denied claims the objection, which was partly based on perceptions that the event was “exclusively” for the LGBT community, was homophobic, saying all communities have “undesirable elements”.

John Amaechi, openly gay former basketball player and Clapham resident, said the objection was based on “archaic stereotypes and a complete misrepresentation of the facts.

“Today’s LGBT community and their straight friends are as much about family and children, book clubs and Bikram yoga and indeed a fanatical support for the greatest sporting spectacle in our lifetime, as any other part of the community.

“To suggest greater numbers of ‘undesirable elements’ in the gay community is not only pure speculation, it’s an implicitly bigoted insinuation.”

Now, the group has said they wish “to apologise to the LGBT community for any offence caused” in their submission to Lambeth Council opposing Pride House.

It said: “Following a meeting between FCC Chairman Melanie Oxley and Councillor Christopher Wellbelove, who had raised concerns around comments in the FCC’s objections, they have agreed to work together to increase involvement by individuals from the LGBT and other minority groups in the local area, to help strengthen the great work done by the FCC in enhancing Clapham Common for the benefit of all in the community.

“They also agreed that should the Pride House event be approved, that they would work to ensure that the event is a success in the spirit of the Olympics, whilst minimising impact on the local area and ensuring that the Common is restored following this and other events during this exceptional period.”

John Smith, of Tunbridge Wells in Kent, shouted “I don’t care if you’re gay, I’m going to stab you,” as he climbed into the man’s home, the Kent and Sussex Courier reports.

The attack launched by Smith, an alcoholic, was described as unprovoked. He also spat at a police officer who attended the scene.

He was charged with common assault, the use of threatening words or behaviour and assaulting a police officer.

Smith, 28, climbed into Nicholas Thake’s bathroom on 16 September last year.

James Nichols, prosecuting at Sevenoaks Magistrate’s Court said: “Police received a call from the victim saying there was a man kicking his door and he was being threatened by the defendant telling him ‘I don’t care if you’re gay, I’m going to stab you and shoot you’.

“Before police officers arrived, the defendant climbed up the drain pipe, got inside a bathroom window and grabbed Mr Thake round the throat.”

Smith had also attempted burglary at Summerfield Lodge Veterinary Surgery and Durnell Marketing while he was on bail. He was charged with a total of five offences and plead guilty to all.

He has been jailed for 160 days.

Martin Hall and Steven Preddy, civil partners, had successfully sued devout Christians Peter and Hazelmary Bull for sexual orientation discrimination.

They had been turned away from the Chymorvah Hotel near Penzance in 2008 under the Bulls’ policy of not allowing unmarried couples to share rooms.

In January 2011 a judge at Bristol County Court ruled that the Bulls’ behaviour amounted to direct discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, and awarded a total of £3,600 damages to Mr Hall and Mr Preddy.

The hotel owners were given leave to appeal and the case was heard at the Court of Appeal in London by Sir Andrew Morritt, Chancellor of the High Court, Lord Justice Hooper and Lady Justice Rafferty.

Robin Allen QC argued on behalf of Mr Hall and Mr Preddy: “The restriction operates to confer a benefit only on married persons and no others”.

“For [the hoteliers'] purposes this only means heterosexual persons. For this reason alone it is directly discriminatory.”

The court upheld the Bristol judge’s decision today. Mr Hall and Mr Preddy were defended by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

John Wadham, Group Director Legal, Equality and Human Rights Commission, said: “I have genuine sympathy for Mr and Mrs Bull, as their beliefs are clearly strongly held. We believe that this case will help people to better understand the law around freedom of religion. When offering a service, people cannot use their beliefs – religious or otherwise – to discriminate against others.

“As the discrimination ruling has been upheld, Mr Preddy and Mr Hall are entitled to the compensation ordered by the County Court. However, the Commission has no intention of enforcing its entitlement to legal costs.”

Ben Summerskill, Stonewall Chief Executive, said: “We’re delighted that the Court upheld the judgment. The Court’s decision vindicates Stonewall’s hard lobbying to make it illegal to deny goods or services to someone just because they happen to be gay. That obviously includes hotel rooms for many gay holidaymakers, which can only be a good thing in a Jubilee year.

“I hope Mr and Mrs Bull will now feel content to go home to do God’s good work as Easter approaches, instead of relentlessly pursuing a happy couple through the courts.”

The Christian Institute had funded the Bulls’ appeal.

Spokesman Simon Calvert said: “Peter and Hazelmary have been penalised for their beliefs about marriage.

“Not everyone will agree with Peter and Hazelmary’s beliefs, but a lot of people will think it is shame that the law doesn’t let them live and work according to their own values under their own roof.

“Something has gone badly wrong with our equality laws when good, decent people like Peter and Hazelmary are penalised but extremist hate preachers are protected.”

Ihjaz Ali, Kabir Ahmed and Razwan Javed had distributed a leaflet entitled ‘The Death Penalty?’ outside their mosque ahead of a gay Pride parade.

They face a maximum sentence of seven years in prison and an unlimited fine.

In January, the men became the first to be convicted under the new offence.

Five Muslim men had stood trial at Derby Crown Court on the charges. Umer Javed, 38 and Mehboob Hassain, 45 were acquitted by the jury.

The ‘Death Penalty?’ leaflet contained an image of a mannequin hanging from a noose and quoted Muslim texts.

The Public Order Act 1986 was amended by the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 to create the offence of intentionally stirring up hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation, and this was the first-ever trial under the offence.

In order to convict, the jury had to be convinced the leaflets were not just insulting or abusive, but were “threatening”, and were distributed with the intention of stirring up hatred.

Sue Hemming, head of the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division said at the time of conviction: “A court has heard for the first time from witnesses how they felt, as gay men, when they read a leaflet calling for the death penalty for homosexuals.

“The leaflet which led to this prosecution showed a manikin hanging from a noose and said gay people were destined to go to hell. The jury was told by one witness that he felt he was being targeted and he feared he would ‘be burned’.

“Everyone has a right to be protected by the law and we regard homophobic crimes, along with all hate crimes, as particularly serious because they undermine people’s right to feel safe.

“While people are entitled to hold extreme opinions which others may find unpleasant and obnoxious, they are not entitled to distribute those opinions in a threatening manner intending to stir up hatred against gay people.

“This case was not about curtailing people’s religious views or preventing them from educating others about those views; it was that any such views should be expressed in a lawful manner and not incite others to hatred.”

Ahmed, 28, had claimed the wording and images in the leaflets, handed out in Normanton ahead of a gay Pride march, were not threatening.

He had told the court: “We are living in a society and if we don’t stop it, something like a tsunami will happen here, something on that scale.”

He added: “We are trying to stand and voice on these issues. I am part of this country – I was born here.

“You can think of it as a little vigilante thing.”

Ahmed had also told the court he saw it as his “duty as a Muslim to spread what God says about homosexuality. The references on the leaflets are historical facts and quote from the Koran.”

Gay men appeared in Derby Crown Court to tell of their experience receiving the leaflets, which questioned whether gays should be executed.

One believed he was the victim of a hate campaign, and said: “They made me feel terrorised in my own home. Sometimes I wondered whether I would be getting a burning rag through the letterbox or if I would be attacked in the street.”

Ben Summerskill, Stonewall Chief Executive, said of the guilty verdict: “We’re satisfied to see these extremists convicted for distributing offensive and inflammatory leaflets that suggested gay people should be burnt or stoned to death.

“This case vindicates Stonewall’s long fight to secure specific legal protection for gay people against incitement to hatred. Witnesses told the court they felt threatened and deeply fearful in their own homes.

“People from all communities will feel safer knowing that the law now makes it harder to stir up hatred and violence against gay people.”

The row about Ken Livingstone’s New Statesman article is entirely confected by a Tory party that is increasingly worried that Ken will win the Mayoral election. Ken’s campaign has momentum because of his ‘Fare Deal’ fares-cut plan, so the Tories have decided to sling some mud.

In his article Ken was welcoming the advance of LGBT people into politics, and pointing out the Tory hypocrisy that Labour broke down by scrapping the Tories’ anti-gay legislation, illegalizing hate crime, and introducing civil partnerships.

Brian Paddick is making a foolish mistake in jumping on the Tory bandwagon, a sign of desperation as the Lib Dem candidate struggles to avoid coming fourth behind the Greens.

I for one will be delighted if Ken is back in the Mayor’s office this May.

Above all because Ken will put Londoners first by protecting policing and cutting fares. In tough times like these, Londoners can’t afford a Tory mayor who is so out of touch that he is raising transport fares, cutting police numbers and thinks it’s fine to have a second job paying £250,000 a year – an amount he calls ‘chicken feed.’

But also I want a mayor who will not just pay lip-service to LGBT Londoners but will be proactive. These days London is lagging behind other major cities when it comes to promoting equality. That is the Tory mayor’s fault.

We do not have a mayor who wants to see London leads the world on LGBT rights. As mayor, Ken made sure London had the first civil partnerships register in the UK, the Greater London Authority was hailed as an exemplary organisation in the Stonewall Employers’ Index, he actively celebrated LGBT Pride from City Hall, and he helped lead the fight against anti-gay bullying in schools. Ken blocked the Sandals holiday company from advertising across the transport system as part of a campaign to force them to drop their ban on same-sex couples.

One of the reasons I joined the Labour party was because of Ken Livingstone’s actions in fighting for equality for lesbians and gay men at a time when it was politically difficult to do so. For gay men like me, young and coming to terms with their sexuality, things were difficult. The Tory Government was passing anti-gay legislation that labeled gay relationships second-class, and allowed employers to sack people because of their sexual orientation. People have forgotten just how tough it was in the 1980s, and how vital it was that a fearless and principled politician like Ken stood out so clearly for lesbian and gay equality. Ken broke new ground for equality and ensured there were voices to counter the widespread homophobia of the time.

There are no bold moves from City Hall under the current Tory mayor. The mayor was nowhere to be seen at Pride last year, the last Pride before the Olympics. He has cancelled the annual Pride reception. One of the first acts of his administration was to cut funding to Soho Pride. He withdrew the Greater London Authority from the Stonewall Index. He has given no lead to pressurise the government over cuts that will hurt LGBT London.

And in the past, while Ken fought homophobia, Boris Johnson reinforced it. He defended the anti-gay legislation Section 28. As Chris Bryant MP tweeted last night, Boris Johnson said of gay marriage: “If gay marriage was OK – and I was uncertain on the issue – then I saw no reason in principle why a union should not be consecrated between three men, as well as two men; or indeed three men and a dog.”

Alan Duncan is wrong today when he talks about taking LGBT issues out of politics. There is more to do for as long as LGBT people are still subjected to hate-fuelled attacks, young LGBT people grow up afraid of their own identity, or older LGBT people live in fear and isolation. Ken will work with LGBT Londoners to make progress, while Boris Johnson does not. Ken will put his administration back in the Stonewall Index. He will campaign for same-sex marriage and LGBT rights. He will establish a Mayor’s LGBT Advisory Panel. He will speak up for our city when the Government’s policies damage or ignore LGBT London. He will work to tackle hate-crime. You don’t have to take my word for it – just compare Ken’s record with the current Tory mayor’s. That tells you precisely why LGBT London needs Ken Livingstone as mayor. 

Ken Livingstone is not homophobic. His use of the word riddled has to be judged in context. It was clearly not used with any homophobic intent. All parties have lots of gay and bisexual MPs, as Ken noted. He is right to state that there were many gay MPs in the Tory party, from the backbenches to the cabinet.

After Labour’s election victory in 1997 many gay Labour MPs came out, while gay Tories remained in the closet and continued to vote against gay equality. Ken was making a simple statement of fact,” added Mr Tatchell.

Ken is correct to suggest that in the 1980s and 90s the Conservative Party was avowedly anti-gay, while having many gay MPs. Lots of Tories opposed gay equality, despite their own homosexuality. They were hypocrites and homophobes. Ken is right to point this out.

In recent years, the Conservative leadership has embraced gay equality, which is commendable. However, only two weeks ago it was reported that 100 Tory MPs intend to block David Cameron’s plan to end the ban on same-sex marriage. They still oppose gay equality.

Ken was very wrong to invite the sexist, homophobic cleric, Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, to City Hall in 2004 but he should be judged on his overall record, which on gay rights is exceptionally good.

In the early 1980s, as leader of the Greater London Council, he pioneered gay rights policies that most MPs opposed at the time. It took many of them another 20 years to embrace gay equality. Ken supported the lesbian and gay community at a time when most other politicians did not. He deserves great credit.

An inspector calls – at last

An especially encouraging note is the involvement of Ofsted for the first time in a SchoolsOUT conference, Janet Palmer, the National Adviser for Personal Social and Health Education on the curriculum explained how the Ofsted inspectorate is changing, and how it has responded to the Equality Act in their new framework, called a whole-school Section 5 Assessment that went into force in January 2012.

Ofsted, for the first time, will rigorously grade schools according to their record on tackling homophobia and transphobia and on creating an inclusive, accepting environment for LGBT people, who are at lasted listed in the framework guidance. LGBT issues are evaluated in the grade descriptors for behaviour and safety, to ensure action by the school. Inspectors will evaluate pupils’ behaviour towards and respect for other young people and adults including bullying and harassment. The new Assessment specifically spells out the types of bullying that can occur, such as cyber-bullying, and prejudiced-based bullying related to various minority groups.

The guidance lists a host of actions required to prevent and tackle all forms of bullying and includes the views of pupils. New pupil-teacher-parent questionnaires specifically mention homophobic bullying.

To achieve outstanding achievement, schools must prove that all groups of pupils feel safe at all times. The hidden nature of homophobic bullying, requires a sophisticated, sensitive approach to questioning pupils, to find out what’s really happening. It is so difficult for a young person to admit they are being bullied, because doing may come with the added burden of coming out.
Palmer added: “Once the bullying has occurred, it’s too late. To prevent it in the first place, we have to measure and seek improvements in all areas of school: the ethos, curriculum, management and leadership styles, even the displays among others.”

Schools will receive unsatisfactory grades overall if a significant minority of pupils show lack of respect and intolerance, even if it is directed towards just one minority group, and if pupils have little confidence in the schools’ ability to deal with bullying successfully.

Sadly, examples of poor practice are all too prevalent. On inspection tours, Palmer might ask groups of children if it was okay for a pupil to be out and gay. Suspicions are raised when she is told that there ‘none at this school’ or confronted with evasive silence.

A school is also judged by whether its pupils understand the impact of bullying on others and whether they actively challenge all forms of bullying. Outstanding grades go to schools where all children do so. A key indicator is the pupils’ attitudes towards prejudiced language. For instance, a school might clamp down on the term ‘gay’ as an insult, but if pupils cannot say why it’s wrong to utter the word, school has failed to promote understanding. It is not sustainable just having one or two teachers fighting for equality while others remain ambivalent.

Creating the safe environment depends fundamentally on empowering the teachers with the confidence and skills to discus sensitive and controversial issues. But teachers must be adequately trained if they are to tackle these issues head-on, and here lies the problem. The subject-specific training has not been available to teachers because PHSE is a non-statutory subject in the first place. However, ministers are in the middle of a thorough review of the curriculum. A white paper claims the new SRE curriculum will be informed by organisations such as Stonewall. “It will be a big step forward to have SRE that actually meets the needs of LGBT young people, and we are at the early stages of this,” added Palmer.

Palmer says that many schools are in breach of the Equalities Act because they omit to mention homophobia and transphobia in their policies. Bullying including prejudice based language is not consistently or effectively tackled.

Though she warns change won’t happen overnight and some inspectors will miss cases of homophobia and transphobia, many inspiring case studies and reports are coming though. Ofsted has launched a good practice website, with case studies of role-model schools including one of Stoke Newington.

Anti-bullying checklist

Palmer sums up with a checklist to determine how well a school is tackling bullying. The starting point is acknowledgement of the problem. St. George’s boarding school in Harpenden earned praise for its efforts after its head and governors were motivated by their Christian duty to promote inclusion.

Promoting a positive social environment, in which different types of families are reflected. Traditional mothers’ and fathers’ day cards are bad examples!
Addressing staff training needs means TA, admin and supervisors too.
Age-appropriate information and support, must be there for families as well as children. Notice boards must provide support information for youth groups for young people who are not confident to ask for help.

Bringing in outside expertise and role models, for consultation or presentations is key as well. Former pupils who are LGBT, or their parents might give talks about the issues they face.

Furthermore, it is imperative never to make assumptions: most schools are very hetero-normative places to be. Palmer singled out a school that proudly announced it had started debating whether gay parents should be able to have children. Palmer’s reaction: if you had a class of mixed race children, would you be discussing whether it is OK for their children to exist, and for their families to be called legitimate? This can be devastating for a child to be subjected to such a debate. They are assuming that every child in front of them is heterosexual and from a traditional nuclear family.

This initiative by Ofsted will almost certainly put it at loggerheads with the Department of Education and hard-line religious lobby groups. Michael Gove has already ruled out making sex and relationship education compulsory, or ending parents’ right to withdraw. And what will it make of the country’s largest provider of schools, the Church of England? Now, it mussed be stressed, there are many faith schools that are doing an outstanding job in creating an accepting environment for LGBT people. But some aren’t, and the C of E hierarchy sees no problem in teaching the view that homosexuality ‘falls short of the ideal’ and that all pupils in its care should have the opportunity to examine the ‘full range of views, including Christian views’ before they reach their own considered opinion. This is cruel lunacy: there are some extreme views that children should be protected from. The Department for Education, for instance, specifically prevents schools teaching the ‘full range of views’ on Evolution, because evidence overwhelmingly says it happened, contrary to what some religious lobbyists and school academy trustees believe. For that matter, would we consider exposing black children to the BNP’s views on race relations? The overwhelming evidence says it is cruel and dangerous to intimidate LGBT pupils with ideas that their very nature is wrong. Let’s stop the double standards.

It was particularly disappointing to hear Emma Reid, head of LGBT Equality in a panel at the LGBT History Month launch last November say that schools “can teach the Pope has a particular view on sexuality, but it cannot go on to say that you are wrong,” as if this made any difference. The Pope’s ‘particular view on sexuality’ of course, is that LGBT people are disordered and are called to live in life-long loveless celibacy. Janet will have face determined opposition, and she will need all the support she can get.

Christine Blower, general secretary of the NUT reiterated the dire lack of training for teachers on this issue. “It’s perfectly clear that there isn’t proper initial teacher training, either through all of the subjects or just in a general sense. We are concerned in the change in initial teacher trainign to the idea of teaching schools. If you are in one of the schools that has fantastically good practice, that’s great. But there will be schools that become teaching schools and get outstanding in Ofsted, but miss some of the things we want them to do, like LGBT or disability needs.”

The NUT is launching a toolkit for use in schools, so they can understand what the equality duty is about. At Easter the NUT will launch a project with five primary schools on gender stereotyping in schools with literacy co-ordinators. “It’s an issue for everybody. Our primary schools need to have the resources, tools and skills to talk about this. Otherwise, gender stereotypes will run riot and we will have bullying.

Blower stated that sexual minorities are not visible enough within the union. Out of over 300,000 members, just 1500 members who identify as LGB and 114 as trans.
Blower said: “Their contact with the union may not be a safe place to tell us that information, or maybe there is a lack of confidence of being out at school. At an LGBT caucus at the last AGM, only one third of delegates admitted to being out. If it doesn’t feel safe for a teacher, it won’t be for the child there either. It shows the enormity of the task ahead of us.”

“We are not happy about the curriculum review. We don’t think there is enough emphasis on equality generally, we don’t think there is enough emphasis on how you can teach about the whole range of things that happen in our society, and how you make sure everyone is visible through the curriculum.”

Reactions

A delegate offering diversity training to schools in a West Yorkshire LEA commented: “I was reassured to hear the Ofsted representative speak on LGBT issues. It’s been my feeling that the current government has been focusing on attainment and results at the expense of PSHE. So it has been difficult for people like me to get our resources into schools who don’t see the connection between the need for all pupils to feel safe and higher attainment.

We have had to become a traded resource and we are having to see services to schools that we formerly offered freely. SO far, schools are demanding English, maths and science consultants, while those of us in inclusion are increasingly regarded as unnecessary, especially by the Academies. But Ofsted are out there looking at what they are doing, so that gives me optimism.” 

The network said the tweets sent out by political commentator Martin, who is a regular guest on CNN shows, were “regrettable and offensive”.

A statement said: “Language that demeans is inconsistent with the values and culture of our organization, and is not tolerated. We have been giving careful consideration to this matter, and Roland will not be appearing on our air for the time being.”

The black-and-white advert showed Beckham only in underwear to promote his new line.

It aired during the National Football League’s championship game, which over 100 million people watched.

Roland Martin tweeted to his 90,000 followers during the game: “If a dude at your Super Bowl party is hyped about David Beckham’s H&M underwear ad, smack the ish out of him! #superbowl”

In response, GLAAD said “advocates of gay bashing” had no place at CNN, where Martin is a regular commentator.

Martin retorted that his jibe came about because Beckham was a soccer player, not an American football player and was not about gays.

He wrote on his website later that it was “furthest from the truth” that he would support violence or bullying towards gays and that he “sincerely regretted” any offence cause by his tweet.

6,600 people had signed GLAAD’s petition calling for CNN to stop inviting him onto network shows.

The network did not say how long Martin would be suspended.

Two men were left with severe burns by the attack after they were doused with flammable liquid and set on fire.

Police described the injuries of one as “life-changing”.

A 21-year-old man was charged with two counts of grievous bodily harm with intent at the Rainbow & Dove, the Leicester Mercury reports.

The man is due to appear at Basildon Magistrates’ Court, Essex.

​Russell Banks, 21, and Robert Laszewsk, 20, suffered severe burns in the Charles Street pub’s beer garden.

Mr Banks was hospitalised for six weeks under sedation. The Leicester Mercury reported that he required a number of skin grafts. Mr Laszewsk was discharged from hospital after a week.

In an interview with radio station LBC 97.3, on which Livingstone presents a weekly Saturday morning show, he said the Tory party had shown “real progress” from a time when MPs were forced to resign if “exposed” as gay.

Saying the party had “caught up” with Labour, Livingstone added: “There’s no harm being gay in the Tory party. It was actually a slightly back-handed compliment”.

Many were condemning the London mayoral candidate yesterday after previews were released of an interview he gave to the New Statesman.

In the interview, he condemns “hypocrisy, like some Tory MP denouncing homosexuality while they are indulging in it”.

He adds: “Well, the Labour [MPs] have all come out . . . As soon as Blair got in, if you came out as lesbian or gay you immediately got a job. It was wonderful . . . you just knew the Tory party was riddled with it like everywhere else is.”

Gay Tory MP Alan Duncan said: “Many of us have managed to take this issue out of politics. It’s inexcusable for him to try to reintroduce it.”

When asked whether the word ‘riddled’ was offensive, having connotations of disease, Livingstone said this morning his New Statesman interview was light-hearted and should not be taken seriously.

But pressed on people being upset, he replied: “Well, no. Tory MPs who did nothing to defend gay rights seized on this because they want to spend the entire election talking about anything except fare increases or police cuts.”

The former mayor said he did not regret the word, adding that he and Boris Johnson “do say what we think”.

Livingstone added that “not a single” Tory MP who had become “worked up” over his comment had objected to Boris Johnson’s comment ten years ago “that he couldn’t see the difference between a man marrying a man and a man marrying a dog.”

Boris Johnson said today: “The Mayor is proud of the excellent gay men who have worked for him – not least his deputy Richard Barnes and the late Simon Milton, who was one of the first prominent men in public life to have a civil partnership.”

Liberal Democrat candidate Brian Paddick said: “When the Daily Mail columnist Melanie Philips said similar things about me being promoted when I was a police officer, I sued her and won.

“When he talks about homosexuality in the Conservative party as being “riddled with it like everywhere else” his remarks are clearly homophobic. He is a political opportunist who likes to be controversial in order to draw attention to himself, I think his true feelings towards LGBT people have seeped out.”

Gay Labour MP Chris Bryant told the Daily Politics on BBC2 that Livingstone’s use of the word ‘riddled’ was “pretty daft [...] I’m not a fan of this word riddled at all.”

He added: “I disagree with Ken using the term riddled but Ken Livingstone is not a homophobe. He has battled for LGBT rights for years, even when it was profoundly unpopular.”

In 2006, at the launch of an anti-homophobic bullying campaign spearheaded by the gay rights charity Stonewall, Livinstone told PinkNews.co.uk: “In my school of two thousand boys, roughly a third, maybe a half of them, whilst never thinking of themselves as gay, engaged in sexual acts with other boys.

“We had no idea that what we were doing was anything other than ‘naughty’ and something that our teachers frowned upon.”

He added: “It was mainly driven by the fact that we weren’t having sex. I grew up in a world where the average man didn’t lose his virginity until he was 19 and the average woman until they were 21. Many not until the night of their marriage, only after a whole day of eating and drinking, when you’re hardly going to get the best results!

“My generation has been wholly envious of the generations that followed in relation to sex.”

Stonewall’s Top 100 Employers 2012 ranks the best employers for lesbian, gay and bisexual staff, from which the seven top Scottish employers have been extracted.

Clydesdale Bank won Scottish Network Group of the Year.

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service is named as the most improved Scottish employer.

Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index is drawn up from a staff satisfaction survey of over 7,500 lesbian, gay and bisexual employees and other indicators.

Barclays rose from tenth place to third in the overall UK rankings this year, behind the Home Office and Ernst & Young and has now been named the top Scottish employer.

Lloyds Banking Group came 18th overall, RBS was 45th and Clydesdale 67th.

Colin Macfarlane, Director of Stonewall Scotland said: “We’re delighted that seven Scottish organisations made the top 100 guide of best gay-friendly employers in Britain.

“In a labour market when competition for talent is stronger than ever before, the top Scottish employers featured in our guide have recognised the importance of sending a clear signal to staff, customers and to service users that they recognise that people perform better when they can be themselves. At a time when we need to ensure that Scotland utilises all its talent to ensure a strong and viable economy this has never been more important.”

Mark McLane, Managing Director, Head of Global Diversity and Inclusion, Barclays, said: “This recognition continues to affirm Barclays commitment to diversity and inclusion. Our partnership with Stonewall has been a vital enabler for our Spectrum Diversity Network in providing the resources essential in positioning Barclays as an employer of choice for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and ally community.”

Antony Jenkins, Chief Executive of Barclays Retail and Business Banking, added: “I firmly believe that we can only build a great business if we have talented people from all backgrounds contributing to our team at Barclays. That is why I’m thrilled that Stonewall has recognised our inclusive working environment for lesbian, gay and bisexual people; and that we have been rated as the top financial services company in the UK.”

Mr Hughes joined former footballer Paul Gascoigne, comedian Steve Coogan and football agent Sky Andrew in agreeing a settlement.

After a hearing, Mr Hughes said: “the evidence in my case clearly demonstrates that the practice of hacking was widespread. It was criminal behaviour on an industrial scale.”

He added: “Sadly, the deficiencies of the original police inquiries, which failed to investigate the clear evidence of much of the criminal behaviour at one of the most important businesses in our country, are also all too apparent.

“We must now make sure that nothing like this can ever happen again.

“Anyone involved in criminal activity at the News of the World must be brought to justice, and all those who allowed a large company to behave in this way must be held to account.

“There must also be answers to the serious questions about how the police managed to fail so badly in their original investigation.

“I will now pursue this matter through my participation in the Leveson Inquiry, an inquiry which I fully support.”

Glenn Mulcaire, the private investigator hired by the paper had already pleaded guilty to hacking into Mr Hughes’s messages, along with seven other people’s voicemails in 2006.

Mr Hughes was forced to come out as bisexual by the News of the World’s sister newspaper The Sun in 2005, in an interview to respond to claims to be made by the newspaper that he had contacted men using a gay telephone chat service.

News Group Newspapers is a subsidiary of News International, itself a subsidiary of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp.

The Labour London mayoral candidate told the publication he condemned “hypocrisy, like some Tory MP denouncing homosexuality while they are indulging in it”.

He added: “Well, the Labour [MPs] have all come out . . . As soon as Blair got in, if you came out as lesbian or gay you immediately got a job. It was wonderful . . . you just knew the Tory party was riddled with it like everywhere else is.”

Gay Tory MP Alan Duncan said: “Many of us have managed to take this issue out of politics. It’s inexcusable for him to try to reintroduce it.”

But a spokesman for Mr Livingstone, who was London’s mayor from 2000 to 2008, told the Evening Standard: “Ken is clearly saying the advance of lesbian and gay people into politics is unequivocally a good thing. He has fought for equality for gay and lesbian people throughout his life, and the fact they are represented in all major political parties is a sign of the progress that has been made.”

In 2006, at the launch of an anti-homophobic bullying campaign spearheaded by the gay rights charity Stonewall, Livinstone told PinkNews.co.uk: “In my school of two thousand boys, roughly a third, maybe a half of them, whilst never thinking of themselves as gay, engaged in sexual acts with other boys.

“We had no idea that what we were doing was anything other than ‘naughty’ and something that our teachers frowned upon.”

He added: “It was mainly driven by the fact that we weren’t having sex. I grew up in a world where the average man didn’t lose his virginity until he was 19 and the average woman until they were 21. Many not until the night of their marriage, only after a whole day of eating and drinking, when you’re hardly going to get the best results!

“My generation has been wholly envious of the generations that followed in relation to sex.”

Mr Livingstone was criticised last year for having earned money working for an Iranian television station which led to Tory calls for him to be banned from Pride. Press TV, for which Livingstone presented a series of programmes, had its licence revoked by Ofcom last month after it was revealed to be editorially controlled by Tehran.

In 2004, Mr Livingstone invited Islamic cleric Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi to City Hall. Dr Qawardi, who is banned from entering the US, has argued in the past that gays should be put to death and has also supported female genital mutilation and suicide bombings in Israel. Some of his statements have been filmed, while others were published as quotes on his personal website.

But in 2001, Mr Livingstone introduced the first gay relationships register, four years ahead of the introduction of civil partnerships. In 2010, he published an LGBT election manifesto for his campaign this year, saying he would appoint an LGBT advisory board and hold an annual Pride reception, reintroducing measures then removed by Boris Johnson.

He told the current issue of the New Statesman: “It is very hard to find anything in Boris’s career that he’s serious about. He just loves life too much to really succeed as a politician.”