Joe Biden says he will “not rest” until LGBTQ+ community has full equality in powerful Pride Month essay

BY SAM DAMSHENAS


Joe Biden has proven his status as one of the most inclusive presidents in history with his essay for Pride Month.

The US president began his proclamation by remembering the Stonewall Uprising of 1969, calling the liberation movement a “call to action that continues to inspire us to live up to our Nation’s promise of equality, liberty, and justice for all,” before reaffirming his commitment to LGBTQ+ Americans in their “ongoing struggle against discrimination and injustice”.

Biden proceeded to recognise the “remarkable progress” that’s been made since Stonewall, including marriage equality and workplace protections for LGBTQ+ citizens, as well as the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which “broadened the definition of hate crimes to include crimes motivated by sexual orientation or gender identity”.

“Members of the LGBTQ+ community now serve in nearly every level of public office — in city halls and State capitals, Governors’ mansions and the halls of the Congress, and throughout my Administration,” said Biden.

Biden continued to say that he’s “honoured” to have the service of Pete Buttigieg, Transportation Secretary, who made history as the first openly LGBTQ+ person to serve in the Cabinet, and Assistant Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine, who made history as the first openly transgender person to be confirmed by the Senate.

Later, Biden addressed the lack of protections for LGBTQ+ individuals in areas such as hospitals, schools and public accommodations, and the ongoing violence against transgender women of colour in the United States.

“LGBTQ+ individuals — especially youth who defy sex or gender norms — face bullying and harassment in educational settings and are at a disproportionate risk of self-harm and death by suicide,” explained Biden.

“Some States have chosen to actively target transgender youth through discriminatory bills that defy our Nation’s values of inclusivity and freedom for all. Our Nation also continues to face tragic levels of violence against transgender people, especially transgender women of color.

“And we are still haunted by tragedies such as the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando. Ending violence and discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community demands our continued focus and diligence. As President, I am committed to defending the rights of all LGBTQ+ individuals.”

In his proclamation, Biden promised to take “historic actions” to ensure full equality for LGBTQ+ families and referred to his first day as president, in which he signed an executive order “to fully enforce all Federal laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation.”

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US State Department calls for Ghana national leaders to support LGBTQ+ rights

Biden has also signed an order “affirming all qualified Americans” will be able to serve in the Armed Forces of the United States — including patriotic transgender Americans who can once again proudly and openly serve their Nation in uniform — and a National Security Memorandum that commits to supporting LGBTQ+ Federal employees serving overseas.

“My Administration is also working to promote and protect LGBTQ+ human rights abroad. LGBTQ+ rights are human rights, which is why my Administration has reaffirmed America’s commitment to supporting those on the front lines of the equality and democracy movements around the world, often at great risk.”

Biden concluded his proclamation by telling his LGBTQ+ followers that he will “not rest” until equality is finally achieved and “codified into law”, before officially proclaiming June 2021 as LGBTQ+ Pride Month to “celebrate the great diversity of the American people and to wave their flags of pride high.”

The proclamation is the first for a US president since Barack Obama, after the two-time impeached television personality Donald Trump deserted the practice. He also denied several US embassies the right to fly rainbow flags for Pride Month.

In April, the Biden Administration overruled that ridiculous decision and announced that all US embassies can fly the flag, marking a stark contrast in Biden and Trump’s stances on LGBTQ+ equality and visibility.

You can read Joe Biden’s proclamation for Pride Month here in full.

June is Pride Month: This year, it's different. 2021 LGBTQ events and more

June is Pride Month. See how you can get involved, whether it's from your couch or marching down the road.

Katie Conner
June 1, 2021
CNET


Celebrate Pride Month from your home or at an event.James Martin/CNET

June marks the 51st celebration of Pride Month -- a time when millions of people come together in support of the LGBTQ community. This year, many celebrations across the globe will resume as COVID-19 restrictions are lifted and more people are vaccinated.

So why does Pride Month take place in June? It goes back to June 28, 1969, when police raided a gay club called the Stonewall Inn in New York. Though the police claimed the bar was operating with an improper liquor license, the raid was about nothing more than violently harassing and arresting LGBTQ people in one of the few places where they felt safe. Similar raids on gay-friendly businesses had been occurring for decades, but Stonewall was one of the first times when the patrons fought back. A diverse crowd of lesbians, gay men and transgender women, many of whom were people of color, clashed with the police, threw bottles and refused to be intimidated. The six-day period of protests and demonstrations is now known as the Stonewall Riots. A New York rally held the next year to commemorate the first anniversary of the riots started the now-regular tradition of Pride Month

Below, we've suggested ways you can get involved, what you can watch and read, and other ways to celebrate the LGBTQ community.
Attend a Pride parade or festival

This year, some Pride Month festivities will resume in person, depending on where you live. However, many have been postponed until later this year or next due to the coronavirus. If you can't find a parade in your area (you can search "Pride parade Chicago," for instance), see if there are other events you can attend.

San Francisco, for example, will not have a parade, but will have a Pride movie night with face masks and social distancing required. Los Angeles will have two outdoor Pride events. See this calendar for more Pride events happening around the world in June.

Atlanta Pride Run is also happening this year in person. The run is for generating LGBTQ awareness in the community. You can also participate in this event virtually -- see below.

You can also find Pride events for different parts of the LGBTQ community including women, transgender people and people of color. 

Netflix has many shows and movies for Pride Month.César Salza/CNET
Support Pride organizations by donating

Can't make it to any events but would like to support the LGBTQ community? You can do so by donating to Pride organizations. The International LGBTQ Travel Association organization helps provide marketing support to LGBTQ businesses.
What to watch for Pride Month -- and where

Netflix has a genre page for Pride Month, including movies, TV shows, documentaries, GLAAD award nominees and more. New seasons of Feel Good and Elite will also be available in June, Netflix told CNET.

Hulu has a designated page for Pride Month, as well. A popular option is the documentary, Pride.

CNET editors also have recommendations for LGBTQ movies and shows to watch in June -- or any other time. Some of these include The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson, Portrait of a Lady on Fire and Moonlight.
What to read during Pride Month

Here's what CNET editors recommend adding to your reading list this summer.
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Less by Andrew Sean Greer
In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
Rainbow Boy by Taylor Rouanzion
Julián Is a Mermaid by Jessica Love
Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Punch Me Up to the Gods: A Memoir by Brian Broome
Reach out to your company's diversity and inclusion groups

If you'd like to get involved for Pride Month at work, you can contact your company's diversity and inclusion groups to see how you can help. You could help coordinate a virtual event where you play trivia games and decorate your Zoom background with a Pride flag. If your company doesn't have any Pride events scheduled, consider organizing one yourself

.

Host a Pride event on Zoom for your company.Sarah Tew/CNET
How to show your support from home

There are plenty of ways to show your support from home. We've listed several to get you started.
Hang a Pride flag outside your home.
Place a Pride sticker on your car.
Host your own Pride-themed movie night.
Wear some Pride clothing.
Join virtual events.
Be an ally to your LGBTQ colleagues, friends and family members.
Support LGBTQ organizations in schools.
Support businesses that support the LGBTQ community.
Celebrate virtually

If there's not a Pride event happening near you, don't fret. There are plenty of ways to celebrate virtually, and even watch Pride parades and events happening around the world. You can also participate in events virtually -- for instance, the Atlanta Pride Run has a virtual option you can sign up for and run anywhere you want (plus, it comes with a shirt).

Look up events you're interested in watching or being a part of, even if it's in another country, because there will likely be a link for viewing. Here's a calendar of Pride events happening around the world.

First published on June 1, 2021 at 4:15 a.m. PT

LGBTQ Pride Month leaders, in show of solidarity, unite to support George Floyd protests: 'Stonewall was a riot'

 AGAINST POLICE BRUTALITY 

IT WAS TWO BLACK QUEENS WHO LED THE PROTESTS
Beth Greenfield ·Senior Editor June 2, 2020, 12:23 PM MDT

The Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ equality movements must support each other, note activists at the start of LGBTQ Pride Month. Here, in a scene from San Francisco Pride 2017, the messages intermingled. (Photo: Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images)More

June is LGBTQ Pride Month. But it’s starting out in a way that no one predicted: With Pride organizers shifting their focus to the current racial unrest, and LGBTQ organizations — over 100 at last count — signing on to an open letter pledging support to George Floyd protests across the nation, in a show of solidarity denouncing racism.

“‘If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.’ Those words, written over 30 years ago by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, remind us that indifference can never bridge the divide of hate,” the letter begins. “And, today, they should serve as a call to action to all of us, and to the Movement for LGBTQ equality.”

The letter, which invokes not only Floyd’s name but of other victims of racist violence, including Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, has been signed by a fast-growing number of organizations — from major players such as GLAAD and the Human Rights Campaign and the National LGBTQ Task Force to smaller groups including Louisiana Trans Activists, Out Boulder County and Project PRIDE Sarasota. It makes connections between the protests of today and the roots of the gay civil rights movement.

“We, the undersigned, recognize we cannot remain neutral, nor will awareness substitute for action. The LGBTQ community knows about the work of resisting police brutality and violence,” it notes. “We celebrate June as Pride Month, because it commemorates, in part, our resisting police harassment and brutality at Stonewall in New York City, and earlier in California, when such violence was common and expected. We remember it as a breakthrough moment when we refused to accept humiliation and fear as the price of living fully, freely, and authentically.”

While planned Pride Month celebrations have already been completely altered by being moved online because of the coronavirus pandemic and social distancing measures, the latest national events are further impacting the lens through which Pride is being viewed, both officially and through scores of social media posts.

This pride month, we remember the reason we have the rights we do today. We thank the black trans woman who rioted and protested for us. If you do not support Black Lives Matter, do not celebrate Pride. pic.twitter.com/zbhht1NLzk
— rimie rat🌸 (@naeclue) June 1, 2020


pride 51 years ago vs black lives matter today pic.twitter.com/efJrMRZQjn
— slo 🤠🇰🇭 (@slohjm) June 1, 2020


The Stonewall riots were lead by queer POC and were a massive catalyst to the LGBTQ rights movements. If u are queer but dont stand with the Black Lives Matter movement maybe opt out of celebrating pride this month n think about why we have the rights we have. pic.twitter.com/kQ4btTG7Pr

— 𝖗𝖊𝖉𝖗𝖚𝖒 (@prodbyredrum) June 1, 2020

In light of the Black Lives Matter movement and the beginning of Pride Month, let’s talk about the black trans woman that aided and led the LGBTQ+ community into gaining equal rights: Marsha P. Johnson pic.twitter.com/xqTFQp3VcZ
— 𝕔𝕣𝕚𝕤🥱 (@cristaystay) June 1, 2020

“There’s no way you can talk about our community without addressing race,” Julian Sanjivan, co-president of InterPride, tells Yahoo Life. As the former director of New York City’s Pride March, and now deeply involved with the international organization of global Pride events, including the upcoming virtual Global Pride, Sanjivan says they’ve realized “just how intersectional this community is.”

They add, “Within the LGBTQ+ community, at any given point of time, you could see a person who is trans and a person of color and an immigrant, and there are so many other layers to that… within our community and within a single person.”

That’s why kicking off the month with a powerful show of solidarity with protesters became a priority.

“I think people forget that Pride started off because of riots — Stonewall was a riot, after all. We may not have seen a lot of the progress with the LGBT community if that first brick was not thrown in 1969,” Sanjivan says. “So, it was an uprising and still is. It’s not like we’ve achieved equality… [Pride is] a celebration of who we are, loving whoever you love, celebrating your chosen family, and for some, coming out — but it’s also a protest to be recognized. And with the current administration we have, a lot of what we’ve achieved over the years has slowly been taken away. Pride is always a combination of celebration and protest.”

GLAAD’s president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis weighed in with a statement on the organization’s website. “Today marks the first day of Pride Month, and although it may look different this year, the spirit of Pride continues to live on in our community’s resilience in the fight for equality and acceptance for all,” she noted. “And at this very time in our country’s history, this fight has never been more significant… This Pride Month, we’ll be centering and lifting up the voices of Black LGBTQ people. There can be no Pride if it is not intersectional. We are Together in Pride. Black Lives Matter.”

The open letter also mentions Christian Cooper, the black gay man who was targeted by a white woman in Central Park. It also points out the unending rash of violence against trans individuals, particularly transgender women of color, citing the names of the dozen of trans people who have been murdered already this year — Dustin Parker, Neulisa Luciano Ruiz, Yampi Méndez Arocho, Monika Diamond, Lexi, Johanna Metzger, Serena Angelique Velázquez Ramos, Layla Pelaez Sánchez, Penélope Díaz Ramírez, Nina Pop, Helle Jae O’Regan and Tony McDade.



#TonyMcDade, we say your name. https://t.co/pfgzkfbJaI

— Out Magazine (@outmagazine) May 29, 2020

“It is no exaggeration to describe it as an epidemic of violence,” the letter points out.



if you are not supporting the black lives matter protests then i don’t want to see you celebrating pride month. remember your history pic.twitter.com/1yrJwg8cxm

— e (@fetishwasabi) June 1, 2020

Similar efforts to raise awareness around the killing of black trans women infused Pride events last year when the series of murders was often discussed in the context of irony, as it was people of color, including late activist Marsha P. Johnson, who played a major role at Stonewall and in the activism that followed.

Read more from Yahoo Life:


Prompted by calls to 'give grace' to cop who killed George Floyd, black activists question the rush to forgive


Why coronavirus mask-wearing orders leave black Americans facing a tough decision


Shuttered LGBTQ community centers feel shutdown fallout: ‘It’s been really hard’

Want daily lifestyle and wellness news delivered to your inbox? Sign up here for Yahoo Life’s newsletter.





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George Floyd Protesters Get Creative in Moments of Solidarity






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On This Day: 

Stonewall riots kick off gay rights movement

On June 28, 1969, the clientele of a New York City gay bar, the Stonewall Inn, rioted after it was raided by police. 

The event is considered the start of the gay liberation movement.

By UPI Staff


People stop to take pictures of the Stonewall Inn during LGBT Pride Month on June 19. On June 28, 1969, the clientele of the Stonewall Inn rioted after it was raided by police. The event is considered the start of the gay liberation movement. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

   SPAIN JUNE 28,2020 GAY PRIDE PARTICIPANT 

 

Toronto charity helps airlift group of LGBTQ people out of Afghanistan

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Rainbow Railroad worked with the U.K. to help 29 people

flee the Taliban

Ashleigh Stewart · CBC News · Posted: Oct 29, 2021

LGBTQ Afghans board a plane destined for the U.K., in joint operation by Rainbow Railroad and Stonewall U.K. to help at-risk Afghans escape the country. (Rainbow Railroad)

A Toronto-based charity has played a key role in helping a group of LGBTQ Afghans escape the Taliban after a months-long, cross-continental campaign to get them out of Kabul.

After receiving hundreds of requests for help from Afghans fearing for their safety, Rainbow Railroad, a group that helps LGBTQ people escape persecution, has worked with a British charity called Stonewall to help airlift members of the community to the U.K.

The first group of 29 people boarded a military flight Friday bound for an undisclosed location in the U.K., the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office announced. 

"Rainbow Railroad's hope is that they will be the first of hundreds more arriving in the U.K. through this scheme, and that other governments, notably the American and Canadian governments, will partner with us on similar operations," said Eric Wright, the Canadian charity's communications officer, in a news release on Friday. 

After the group quarantines in a hotel, they will then be resettled in Britain. 

• Toronto charity getting pleas from LGBTQ+ Afghans desperate to escape Taliban rule

• After the Taliban takeover, Afghans in Canada call on Ottawa not to let their country, families be forgotten

Wright said some of the 29 are students and others are defenders of LGBTQ rights in Afghanistan, making them targets for the Taliban. 

Homosexuality is criminalized under Afghan law, with offenders facing imprisonment or a maximum penalty of death. A 2020 report from the U.S. Department of State on human rights in Afghanistan found that LGBTQ people faced discrimination in employment and health-care, and they are also vulnerable to beatings and sexual assault by security forces.

'Living in fear for their lives'

The campaign involved "months of partnership development, and direct advocacy to the U.K. government at the highest levels", Wright said, including an urgent letter sent to U.K. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Aug. 27, just days before the evacuation efforts from Kabul ended. The last U.S. plane left Hamid Karzai International Airport on Aug. 30.

While they were able to airlift only 29 LGBTQ people out of Afghanistan Friday, charities hope to help many more in the coming months. (Rainbow Railroad)

The letter, jointly signed by Stonewall chief executive Nancy Kelley and Rainbow Railroad executive director Kimahli Powell, requested urgent help to airlift LGBTQ Afghans, who were "at extreme risk of torture and death at the hands of the Taliban and already living in fear for their lives."

The two charities complied a list of 200 people who were in easy distance of Kabul's airport, hoping to airlift "as many people on this list as possible" before the airlift efforts ended. However, the U.K. pulled out of Afghanistan the following day.

Some of the group of Afghans show off their passports and boarding passes as they prepare to leave Kabul for a new life in the U.K. (Rainbow Railroad)

The list of people awaiting evacuation has grown since then, and while the spokesman couldn't give a specific figure, he said "hundreds" were still awaiting evacuation.

Rainbow Railroad says it has received more than 700 requests for help from LGBTQ people in Afghanistan since the Taliban took over. The group says that's more than a quarter of the number of requests for help that come in each year from all over the world. As a result, the group has hired extra staff specifically to triage Afghanistan cases.

Charity calls on Canada to step in

Only 29 people could be airlifted at one time because of the the operation and the extreme security risks that arise with the movement of people across borders, Wright said, as well as the Taliban actively pursuing LGBTQ people, their limited mobility due to fear of violence and the lack of help from other governments, other than the U.K. 

Wright called on the Canadian government to step in to help so LGBTQ people could also be resettled in Canada.

"The former Minister of Immigration has been tweeting about this since the beginning, but we need more than this. We need Canadian moral and humanitarian leadership on this file."  

Kimahli Powell, executive director of Rainbow Railroad, says the charity will continue to work with the U.K. government to help at-risk Afghans. (Supplied)

As the final Canadian evacuation flight left Kabul on Aug. 26, former Minister of Immigration Marco Mendicino tweeted his intention to help grant safe passage to Afghan refugees, such as people from the LGBTQ community, to enter Canada.

"Our evacuation is ending, but our commitment to the people of Afghanistan is as strong as ever. In the next months, we'll welcome thousands of vulnerable Afghan refugees forced to flee to other countries — focusing on women, religious minorities, LGBTQ folks and others," Mendicino's tweet said.

In total, Canada airlifted more than 3,700 people from Afghanistan.

The initial group of 29 will now be supported by Stonewall and other LGBTQ charities to begin their new lives in the U.K.

More LGBTQ Afghans are expected to arrive in the U.K. in the coming months. 

In a statement issued by the U.K. Foreign Office Friday, Rainbow Railroad executive director Kimahli Powell said: "This is just the beginning of our efforts to help hundreds of LGBTQI+  individuals we are supporting in Afghanistan relocate to safety."

Time running out for LGBTQ+ Afghans  hiding

 from Taliban, warn charities

Large numbers linked to previous administration are stranded in  Afghanistan, with calls for the UK to broker rapid mass evacuation

Radwin, an Afghan transgender woman, speaking during an interview with AFP at an undisclosed location in Afghanistan, September 2021. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images


Mark Townsend
@townsendmark
Sun 31 Oct 2021 

Calls for the government to speed up the evacuation of gay, lesbian and transgender Afghans intensified on Saturday after the first LGBTQ+ group arrived safely in Britain but left many behind to face an uncertain fate.

The group of 29 is “hoped to be the first of many” in the coming months, the Foreign Office said, hours after the Taliban announced LGBTQ+ rights would not be respected.

The move has left large numbers of LGBTQ+ individuals linked to the previous administration stranded in Afghanistan, with calls growing for the UK to broker a rapid mass evacuation from Kabul.

One of the 29, who did not wish to be named, told the BBC on Saturday that he felt “like a human being” for the first time in his life. “Everything collapsed after the fall of Kabul. I was very depressed. I was counting my days to die.”

He said Britain was now his home. “Everything is new to me here. A new lifestyle, a new language and culture. I am a bit nervous about my future, and I am trying to figure out where to start my new life, but man, I feel safe and free! This is amazing.”

Gianluca Di Caro, chief executive of the British and Irish Boxing Authority (Biba), said the organisation had 250 boxers and their families still trapped in Afghanistan, a significant proportion of them LGBTQ+.

Di Caro told the Observer: “We need to get them out quickly. We’ve already had female boxers who have been assaulted by the Taliban. In some cases Taliban have gone into some of the girls’ houses.”

Biba has been in contact with Home Office officials since the Taliban’s return to power on 15 August, but fears time is running out.

Previously, a Taliban judge said there were only two punishments for homosexuality – stoning or being crushed under a wall. During the Taliban’s last period in power there were reports of gay men being stoned to death in officially sanctioned executions.

The UK foreign secretary, Liz Truss, said in a statement on Saturday: “We played a key role getting these people out and will continue to do all we can to help at-risk Afghans leave the country.” She added Britain would defend “the right of all people to be themselves and love who they want”.

Among the group are activists who had stood up for LGBTQ+ rights in Afghanistan, Foreign Office officials said. The arrivals will stay in “bridging accommodation”, they added, although their legal status is unclear.

No details were given on how the group were able to leave Afghanistan, with officials stressing the need to safeguard the route. Yet the fact they were allowed to depart suggests a possible diplomatic agreement. Truss’s predecessor, Dominic Raab, previously stated the need to engage with the Taliban.


‘We have more in common than what separates us’: refugee stories, told by refugees


Officials said the foreign secretary, along with British LGBTQ+ group Stonewall and Canadian organisation Rainbow Railroad, had intervened to ensure the Afghan group gained safe passage to the UK.

Nancy Kelley, Stonewall’s chief executive, said her organisation had been campaigning to bring vulnerable Afghans to the UK for a few months. She vowed to continue to push for international support to help those still in the country.

“The situation is likely to remain extremely dangerous for some time,” Kelley said.

LGBTQ+ people have previously described hiding in small rooms and basements for weeks after the Taliban takeover. Others are being hidden by friends, who are helping to keep watch and bringing them food and supplies.

The UK has evacuated more than 8,000 Afghans who worked for the UK and their families, as well as many other highly vulnerable people, since the Taliban seized power.

The government said that the Afghan citizens’ resettlement scheme would remain open to provide protection for people at risk.

UK

LGBTQ RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS

Exclusive: Gay couple viciously attacked by gang armed with ‘wooden panel with nails in’

The attack in east London on Sunday comes as latest figures reveal there are more than 24,000 hate crimes a year against people because of their sexual orientation.

Emily Cleary
Updated Thu, 5 October 2023 

Callum Griggs was subjected to a homophobic attack in east London on Sunday. (Brad Balueta/X)

A gay man was hospitalised after a gang attacked him in broad daylight as he walked past shops with his partner.

Callum Griggs was kicked and punched by the gang on Chadwell Heath High Road, east London, at 5.30pm on Sunday.

He was walking with his partner, Brad Balueta, when they were targeted by a gang of six or seven youths who began to taunt them.

Balueta, 24, told Yahoo News UK: "I had spotted them and had put my head down. I am aware of situations and hoped we could just walk past, but they began to fire homophobic slurs at us, calling us 'batty boys' and 'fags'.

"Callum calmly asked them what they said, and one told him he knew where he lived, then named the street, and told him, "I will kill you".

"I am out and proud but in all my life I have never felt so scared. He clearly knew where my boyfriend lived, and was very aggressive."

Balueta said the gang were aged around 18 to 20 years old and were standing outside a fast food shop. Balueta said they began to jeer each other on, and that one grabbed a wooden panel with nails in.

He said: "He started waving it around, and near Callum's face. They seemed to feed off each other and got more aggressive."

Brad Balueta, left, and Callum Griggs, right, were targeted on the street in east London. (Brad Balueta)

As the situation escalated, the couple saw people inside shops watching, but no one came to their aid.

Balueta said: "It is all a bit hazy after that - one of them went for Callum, he grabbed his shirt then another sucker-punched him in the back of the head.

"I was terrified, they were piling on to him and it was three on one. They were punching and kicking him.

"So many people were staring but nobody came to help."

The attack lasted several minutes before the group fled, with one laughing as he shouted at Griggs: "I've got your blood on my hands."

Two women in a passing car saw Griggs's injuries and stopped to help. They took the pair home where they called police.

Griggs, a 23-year-old teaching assistant and sports coach, was told to go to hospital and call back on his return.

'People did nothing'

After 13 hours at A&E undergoing treatment - Griggs suffered a gash in his eye that needed glued back together - the pair returned home and called police again.

Balueta says they were told they would receive a visit at 2pm on Monday, but no one arrived. They were then told officers would visit later that day, then on Tuesday, but said nobody came to take statements until Wednesday morning.

"We wanted to go public because so many people just watched and did nothing," said Balueta.

"This has been happening to our community for years and is still happening in front of our very eyes today.

"Verbal or physical, homophobia and transphobia is a real thing, it needs to be called out."

Jon Cruddas, the local Labour MP for Dagenham and Rainham, told Yahoo News UK he was "saddened" to hear about the attack.

He said: "I was saddened to hear about the recent violent hate crime in Chadwell Heath which was reported on social media.

Labour MP Jon Cruddas told Yahoo News UK he will speak to the local authority and police to ensure the incident is investigated. (Getty Images)

"It is appalling that prejudices like this are still affecting our community. I will be making representations to both the local authority and police to seek assurances that this will be investigated, and that all efforts are being made to support the LGBT community who may feel vulnerable following this incident.

"There is no place for homophobic hate in modern Britain."

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police told Yahoo News UK they could not comment on the incident at this time.

Homophobic attacks in Britain

The government has revealed that there are more than 24,000 hate crimes per year against people because of their sexual orientation.

Home Office data published on Thursday showed that in the year to March 2023, the most recent period for which data is available, there were 24,102 hate crimes against people in Britain because of their sexual orientation.

Although this was a slight drop from the previous year, it is more than 10,000 more than were reported in year year to March 2019, and does not include figures from Devon and Cornwall Police.

Transgender hate crimes increased by 11% on the past year to 4,732 offences.

Robbie de Santos, director of external affairs at Stonewall, told Yahoo News UK: “As a survivor of a violent attack myself, I know the awful reality behind these rising numbers.

"What concerns me even more is that political leaders haven't acted seriously or quickly enough. Instead many of them are filling the public domain with toxic language that dehumanises LGBTQ+ people and legitimises violence.

"The UK government failed to implement any sort of strategy that responds to their own statistics and reports. We need a strong and committed leadership that moves away from divisive distractions and instead addresses the real problems of people in this country.

"We shouldn't be treated like second-class citizens.”

I Kissed A Boy’s Dan opens up on homophobic attack: ‘It was a very scary experience’

Dale Fox
Thu, 5 October 2023 

Dan Harry says he was the victim of a homophobic attack (Image: BBC)

I Kissed A Boy star Dan Harry has opened up about being subjected to a homophobic attack, adding he has partnered with Stonewall to encourage LGBTQ+ people to report such incidents.

The alleged attack took place last year at King’s Cross St. Pancras Tube station in London. Dan said a group of males verbally abused him and threatened to push him onto the tracks.

“I saw a group of three guys probably in their 20s spot me as I was walking onto the Tube station platform,” Dan told Attitude. “They followed me onto the platform, surrounded me, and threatened to push me onto the tracks in front of the train, while asking if I was gay and calling me slurs.

“They were nudging me closer to the edge of the platform as I was trying to just ignore them with my earphones in. As the train was approaching, I ran to the opposite end of the platform and got on the furthest carriage that I could. As the train then departed, and stopped at each stop, I could hear them walking down the platform checking each carriage for where I was. I remember by the third stop they were at my carriage and started shouting slurs at me through the carriage doors.”
“No one spoke or said anything or even asked if I was OK”

The reality star expressed his astonishment that nobody on the train offered to help during the alleged incident.

“The carriage I was on was busy with other people, and I will always remember that everyone just stared at me and watched the situation, but no one spoke or said anything, or even asked if I was OK.”

Almost one year on, Dan has been left with bad memories of what he says took place. “It was a very scary experience and I will always think about it when I’m standing on a Tube platform.”

Dan has since partnered with LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall as part of a campaign to encourage people to report LGBTQ+ hate crimes. This comes after a Home Office report found that only around 1 in 10 such crimes are reported.

“In the face of rising hate crimes, I want to stand up for my community who are under attack every day,” Dan said in a seperate news release. “What happened to me on the Tube platform … was not an isolated incident. For so many people in my community, it is so much worse.

“That’s why I’m partnering with Stonewall to demand change. We can’t face this battle alone; rather, we must tackle it together as a community. I want everyone enduring hate crimes to know you’re not alone.”
How do I report a hate crime?

You can report a hate crime by calling 101 or visiting the Stop Hate Crime website. You should call 999 if you’re reporting a crime that’s in progress or if you or someone else is in immediate danger.

Stonewall has also launched the Zoteria app, which it says can be used “to flag hate incidents, either against themselves or on behalf of someone else, and access support from LGBTQ+ charities”.

The post I Kissed A Boy’s Dan opens up on homophobic attack: ‘It was a very scary experience’ appeared first on Attitude.

GOP CELEBRATES REAL WINNERS OF CIVIL WAR
West Virginia Republicans seek to criminalize removal of Confederate statues
Zack Harold 

Nearly 158-years after its founding West Virginia – a state forged from the fires of America’s civil war – remains stuck between north and south. Now lawmakers are considering a bill that would protect Confederate monuments from removal or renaming. Supporters claim they are protecting everyone’s history. Opponents call the bill “traumatic and mentally exhausting”.

© Photograph: Ty Wright/Getty Images The statue of the Confederate general Thomas Stonewall Jackson stands at the West Virginia capitol in Charleston. A state bill aims to criminalize the removal of Confederate statues.

At a moment of national reckoning on race, the debate is fierce. “We were the Union. West Virginia was born out of seceding from Virginia, if i’m not mistaken,” said Delegate Sean Hornbuckle, one of the state’s few Black lawmakers. “We’re advocating for people who wanted to kill us.”


Related: How Republicans are trying to prevent people from voting after ‘stop the steal’

The bill being considered by West Virginia’s Republican-controlled legislature would criminalize the removal of Confederate statues unless that removal is first approved by the state’s historic preservation office.

Last year some 168 Confederate symbols were removed in cities and states across the US according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the majority after the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.

The national shift has clearly given impetus to the West Virginia bill. “We’ve seen a lot of attacks on historical monuments and names, and I think West Virginia is uniquely situated, historically, to have an interest in that,” said delegate Chris Phillips, a Republican and the bill’s lead sponsor.

The West Virginia Monument and Memorial Protection Act of 2021 seeks to prevent city councils, county commissions, boards of education, universities and any other public entity from removing statues or renaming structures dedicated to people who participated in a United States military conflict – unless the removal or renaming has been approval by the West Virginia State Historic Preservation Office.

The bill would affect monuments to every military conflict in United States history, from the French and Indian war to the second Gulf war. It would also prevent the removal or renaming of monuments to the labor movement, civil rights movement, Native American history or natural disasters.

Anyone who does not go through this process could be fined $500 and spend six months in jail.

Phillips says it’s important to take away local governments’ authority to remove monuments because history belongs to everyone, not just locals.

“If there’s a legitimate desire and need to remove monuments or rename anything in the state, then I think it behooves us to have a process in place that’s calm and thoughtful,” Phillips said. “And have historians involved in it.”

Critics say there’s another motivation behind the bill.

“I don’t see any other reason for it,” said David Fryson, a lawyer and minister who previously served as West Virginia University’s vice-president for diversity, equity and inclusion. “It’s not like we have Nazi monuments in West Virginia. It’s not like we have any other kind of historical challenge. This is all about the Confederate monuments.”


It’s traumatic and mentally exhausting, working for the betterment of all West Virginians and you’re reminded you’re not valuedDelegate Sean Hornbuckle

In particular, Fryson suspects the bill is a response to debates about the monument of Confederate general Stonewall Jackson that stands on the West Virginia capitol grounds. Jackson was born in what would become West Virginia, but fought against the state’s creation.

West Virginia was born during the American civil war when state lawmakers from western Virginia decided to remain loyal to the United States as the rest of Virginia seceded to join the Confederacy.

Hornbuckle, a Democrat, echoed Fryson’s concerns during debate about the bill.

“Why this? Why now?” he said. “All of us witnessed back in the summer our country at a boiling point.”

Hornbuckle is also concerned the legislation would strip local governments of the power to make decisions for their communities.

“It’s told the people they don’t matter anymore, and the people here in Charleston are going to make the decision for you,” he said in an interview with the Guardian.

He points to a recent example from his district: students and staff at Marshall University wanted to change the name of the campus education building. It was named for Albert Jenkins, a Marshall alumni and Confederate general whose men captured free Black people in Pennsylvania to sell them into slavery.

The school’s board of governors initially resisted changing the name. They reconsidered after George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police in May 2020 and the protests that followed.

Under Phillips’s bill, the school would not have had the autonomy to change the name.

Hornbuckle attempted to add an amendment to the bill, deleting references to the state historic preservation office and replacing it with “local government municipalities”.

House leadership didn’t even put his amendment to a vote, although Democrats were able to get the bill amended so any citizen could directly petition the historic preservation office to remove a statue or rename a structure. The bill passed the house of delegates with a 70–28 vote. The majority of opposing votes came from Democrats.

Hornbuckle says when the legislature considers changes to the state’s court system, lawmakers rely on the experience of the attorneys in the room. When they work on education bills, they rely on the educators in the chamber.

“But when it’s a bill like this, people are not listening to the historians in the room. Or the people that this impacts the most in this room,” Hornbuckle said. “It’s traumatic and mentally exhausting, working for the betterment of all West Virginians and you’re reminded you’re not valued.”

Phillips insists the bill isn’t racially motivated.

“This isn’t a Confederate protection act that some people try to make it (out to be). I’m truly interested in preserving history,” he said. “I do truly feel there’s a risk of losing historical perspective.”

He credits his own interest in history to seeing a statue of Stonewall Jackson in Clarksburg, West Virginia, the Confederate general’s hometown.

“His military genius is still studied today, and that doesn’t make him admirable for the cause he’s fighting for, but it’s still very important. And certainly very important to West Virginia and the area,” he said.

But David Trowbridge, a Marshall University history professor, says many of the Confederate monuments in West Virginia are themselves an attempt to erase history.

The United Daughters of the Confederacy sponsored a massive monument-raising campaign from the group’s founding in the late 1800s through the Civil Rights Movement of the mid-20th century. The statues and plaques were part of an effort to change the historic narrative about the civil war. They insisted the civil war was not about slavery and that slavery “civilized” African Americans. The group helped to popularize the Gone with the Wind-style image of a glamorous pre-war south and attempted to paint its military leaders as tragic heroes.

“They were attempting to erase history. They wanted to create a false narrative,” Trowbridge said.

Trowbridge created Clio, a location-based app that provides histories of thousands of sites in the United States, written by scholars. According to the Clio entry for the Stonewall Jackson statue that inspired Phillips’s love of history, the monument was erected by the local chapter of United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1953, just 16 years before the delegate was born.

It is unclear how the monument protection bill will fare in the West Virginia state senate. The legislation has been referred to the senate’s judiciary committee but, as of this writing, the committee has not yet taken action. The legislature’s regular session ends 10April.

Fryson suspects the bill might backfire if passed. When removing a monument becomes an even slower and more frustrating process, members of the public might decide to take direct action.

“It very well could end up being a cause célèbre to pull them down,” Fryson said. “I think people might – and, I suggest, should – resort to civil disobedience.”