There has been a steady influx of new members with the vast majority joining via the Internet. We have members in most parts of the UK (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales), the Isle of Man and other European countries (Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, the Republic of Ireland, Sweden and Switzerland), Canada, South Africa, South America, and the USA.
Our public meetings at London’s Conway Hall and elsewhere over the year covered by this report have been very successful with varied topics, good speakers and high attendances.
The programme started in October 2005 when we played host to “Homophobia in Eastern Europe” and Bill Schiller (a GALHA member from Sweden and co-founder of the International Lesbian and Gay Cultural Network) gave a very impressive talk on his extensive involvement in campaigns in the region.
In February we featured a DVD preview of a sparkling new piece of multimedia music/theatre written by conductor-composer Graham Treacher giving a revitalised slant to Charles Darwin’s life and his theory of evolution by natural selection. Darwin’s Dream charts the history of the world from the Big Bang to the present day through Darwin’s science, ideas and dreams. The work features opera singers, a chamber ensemble, and a cast of over 100 children and the London premiere was performed at the Albert Hall later in the year. Our preview was a Darwin Day event jointly sponsored with South Place Ethical Society.
For the second year running we acted as UK Co-ordinator for the International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO). We organised and funded a launch meeting in April 2006. The meeting was held at Amnesty International UK’s London headquarters. It was chaired by Derek Lennard and speakers included Louis-Georges Tin, the French gay activist who founded IDAHO, one of our vice-presidents, Michael Cashman MEP, another vice-president, Dr Evan Harris, Liberal Democrat MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, and Jason Pollock, Chief Executive of EuroPride 2006. The meeting also featured a dramatisation based on GALHA member Rex Batten’s book Rid England of this Plague.
The meeting in May was a panel discussion on what the war in Iraq has meant for women, gays and secularists and the speakers included Ali Hili of the Abu Nawas Group for gay Iraqis exiled in the UK, Houzan Mahmoud of the Organisation of Women’s Freedom in Iraq, and Peter Tatchell of OutRage!. A collection made for the gay Iraqi group raised over £200.
On a lighter note in June, our treasurer, Keith Angus, organised a Joe Orton walk through Islington. Local celebrity Peter Powell, who knew Orton and met him just days before his tragic death, took us back to 1960s Islington where Orton lived with his partner Gerry Halliwell. The walk was followed by a showing of Prick Up Your Ears (the film of Orton’s life) at Conway Hall where Peter Powell was on hand to answer questions.
Response to the Equalities Review Call for Evidence (November 2005), Response to Getting Equal: Proposals to Outlaw Sexual Orientation Discrimination in the Provision of Goods and Services (May 2006), Response to The Equalities Review: Interim Report for Consultation (June 2006).
Our twenty-first residential weekend gathering was held in September 2005 at the Dene Hotel in Chester. The hotel proved to be an excellent choice as we had good accommodation and food and were given a very warm welcome by the staff. Two highlights of the event were a hilarious entertainment featuring an Anglican vicar (Derek Lennard) asking for guidance from his bishop (Terry Sanderson) following the new C of E ruling that its clergy can register their partnership provided they are celibate, and a coach trip to Port Sunlight’s Lady Lever Art Gallery. A discussion was held on “How do we approach political or religious groups from a gay humanist perspective in our public relations and campaigning?”
This was held at the weekend gathering in Chester and two motions were discussed, both proposed by Mike Foxwell and seconded by Dean Braithwaite in absentia:
Motion 1
“This Annual General Meeting calls on GALHA:
(a) to reaffirm its commitment to continue to make outspoken and forthright criticism of all religious dogma, irrespective of the enactment of any legislation that seeks to curtail such criticism; and
(b) to ask the trustees of The Pink Triangle Trust (the publisher of Gay & Lesbian Humanist) to give clear guidance to the G&LH editor regarding whether or not material that could possibly be deemed to breach such legislation as referred to in (a) is to be included in the magazine, should such legislation be enacted.”
Motion 2
“This Annual General Meeting instructs the GALHA committee:
(a) to strike from GALHA’s list of vice-presidents Lord Stratford (formerly Tony Banks MP) in view of his ‘no’ vote against the following clause proposed by Dr Evan Harris MP in the racial-and-religious-hatred debate in the House of Commons on 7 February 2005:
‘The offences of blasphemy and blasphemous libel are abolished’
recognising that his decision to vote with the ‘noes’ was wholly antithetical to the stated aims and ethos of GALHA and of humanism in general;
(b) to write to Lord Stratford to inform him of GALHA’s decision to strike him from its list of vice-presidents, explaining the reasons for this decision; and
(c) to produce and distribute widely a news release publicising the striking of Lord Stratford from GALHA’s list of vice-presidents and explaining the reasons for this decision.”
The motions were carried with amendments. The committee was asked to consider raising the group’s subscription rate, offering bursaries to members who wanted to attend the weekend gathering but could not afford the full cost, appointing vice-presidents on the basis of their ability to make an active contribution to the group’s work, amending the constitution to require motions at the AGM to be proposed and seconded by members present at the AGM, and seeking charitable status for GALHA.
A vote of thanks was proposed to Mike Savage for organising the weekend gathering, to retiring committee member Malcolm Barnes, especially for his work as treasurer, and to retiring committee member Cherry Bennet, especially for her work on the group’s 2005 Film Festival.
Our annual lunch was held in November 2005 in the stylish private function room of the Chez Gerard restaurant on the South Bank in London. The guest-of-honour and speaker was Dr Evan Harris MP. Evan’s staunch commitment to LGBT rights was recognised by the presentation of an award.
The following news releases were issued during the period covered by this report: Gay Humanists Support UK Recognition of Lesbian Marriage (11 August 2005), Gay Humanists Welcome Home Secretary’s Stance on Islamic Extremists (24 August 2005), Comments in Gay and Lesbian Humanist (16 October 2005), Look at Your Own Church First, Bishop Robinson (6 November 2005), MP Voices Fears about New Equality Bill (14 November 2005), Gay Catholics Should Leave the Church that Persecutes Them (29 November 2005), Gay Humanists Welcome Support From Brave Human Rights Activist (28 December 2005), Cardinal Risks Inciting Violence Against Gays (30 December 2005), GALHA Vice-President Challenges Catholic-Inspired Homophobia (14 January 2006), GALHA Urges Mayor of London to Repudiate Moscow Gay Pride Ban (16 February 2006), Gay Humanists Back Rally for Free Expression (18 March 2006), Archbishop of Canterbury is Spineless Say Gay Humanists (21 March 2006), Beware of Christian Fundamentalists (28 March 2006), Launch of IDAHO UK 2006 (31 March 2006), Pope’s Latest Attack on Gays Verges on the Unhinged (11 April 2006), International Day Against Homophobia 2006 Launched (12 April 2006), Courageous Iranian Dissident Supports GALHA (17 April 2006), Nigerian Humanists Fight for the Survival of Their Country’s Gay Community (24 April 2006), Gay Humanists Protest at Russian Abuse of Gay People (2 May 2006), Gay Humanists Balk at Appointment of Kelly to Equality Ministry (13 May 2006), Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor’s Hypocrisy is Sickening, Say Gay Humanists (14 May 2006), Vatican Attacks Against Gays “Reminiscent of Worst Dictators” (7 June 2006), Homophobic Christian Course Kicked out of Prison (6 July 2006), Pope to Use Spanish Visit to Further Defame Gay People (7 July 2006), Gay Humanists Support Police Group over Religious Discrimination (20 July 2006), Gay Humanists “Appalled” by Judgement Against Lesbian Couple (31 July 2006).
Most of these resulted in publicity in the gay press, including lesser known publications (e.g. Fyne Times (Oxford area) and Gscene (Brighton area)), and on the gay websites. Letters from the secretary on GALHA’s behalf were published in the gay press, The Times and The Independent, though for every one published several were not!
GALHA members took part in a protest on 17 May 2005 outside the Iranian Embassy in London to protest against the execution and torture of gay men in this barbaric Islamic theocracy.
For the first time for many years we decided to take part in a gay pride event – EuroPride 2006 – with a stall set up in conjunction with the British Humanist Association. This proved very successful and thanks are due to the helpers and to Brett Lock for designing and producing a banner and flyers.
We took out a half-page full colour advertisement in the Europride 2006 The Show brochure which was distributed to the thousands who attended the Albert Hall event and others.
We sent a framed certificate to Sidmennt, the Icelandic Ethical and Humanist Association, to be presented with its awards to the country’s longstanding LGBT rights group Samtokin 78. One of the awards was a three-year subscription to Gay Humanist Quarterly.
We have maintained our affiliation to Amnesty International and the International Humanist and Ethical Union.
Birmingham, Cardiff, Lewisham, North-East and Sutton Humanist groups have renewed their affiliations. Thanks to these for their continued support.
We welcomed two new vice-presidents during the year: the Iranian human rights activist Maryam Namazie, and the Bangladeshi author and feminist Taslima Nasrin.
We continue to be represented at the LGBT organisations meetings sponsored by the Greater London Authority. Derek Lennard represented us, and spoke on our behalf, at South Place Ethical Society’s 2005 Annual Reunion of Kindred Humanist Societies. Andrew Copson spoke on our behalf at the 2006 Association of Teachers and Lecturers LGBT meeting and the 2006 conference of SPECTRUM, the Home Office network for LGBT staff. Andrew and his partner Mark Wardrop represented us at the 2006 Mayor’s Pride reception at the GLA’s City Hall.
New additions to the website included an analysis of references to homosexuality in the Qur’an (April 2006), and our submissions to the Government on their proposals regarding sexual orientation discrimination in the provision of goods and services (May 2006) and to the Equalities Review on their Interim Report for Consultation (June 2006). After several years of growth, the web counter levelled off at around 12,000, the same as the previous year. Membership of the mailing list has also levelled off, but the number of messages posted (1417) was up 19% on last year. GALHA now has an entry on Wikipedia.
The GHQ satellite website offers an electronic version (PDF format) of the magazine within a few days of the printed version being sent out to subscribers. It is proving very successful at extending our audience. Typically, about 200 additional copies are downloaded within two to three days of the new edition going “live”, with a steady stream of downloads after that, including back issues. The online edition is promoted via emails to kindred organisations, and on various blogs and online discussion forums. The GHQ website also offers PayPal subscriptions, and with each new edition, a handful of new subscribers to the print edition have been gained.
The GALHA blog is ticking over, but has been slightly less lively than we hoped. This is chiefly the fault of a lack of resources to keep it regularly updated and promoted. It is hoped that members who have access to the Internet can be encouraged to participate more regularly in the discussions.
GALHA took over the publication of the magazine from the Pink Triangle Trust with the Winter 2006/07 issue under the new title Gay Humanist Quarterly and new editor Brett Lock. However, The Pink Triangle Trust makes a donation to cover the printing and editorial costs of the new magazine. Thanks to all those who have made gratis contributions to it.
A card of congratulation was sent to the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement on its 30th anniversary.
Members of the committee serving at various times during the period covered by this report are: Keith Angus (treasurer), George Broadhead (secretary), Andrew Copson, Jim Herrick (co-opted February 2006), Brett Humphreys (resigned October 2005), Chris Houston (co-opted May 2006), Derek Lennard (resigned October 2005), Brett Lock, Roy Saich, Terry Sanderson and Lee Stacy (chair). Many thanks to Derek for his long service as chair and to Brett Humphreys for his very long service on the committee.
Colin Swinburn took over from Philip Bayliss as honorary auditor. Thanks to them for their help.
George Broadhead
Secretary
September 2006