USA – Teen who set fire to Berkeley student cites homophobia. The Alameda County District Attorney in California has charged 16-year-old Richard Thomas for a hate crime, along with aggravated mayhem and felony assault, for setting fire to 18-year-old Berkeley student Luke “Sasha” Fleischman on an AC Transit bus on 3rd November.
Peter Tatchell Foundation:Urge LGBTI equality in Commonwealth – 12 noon to 2pm, Wednesday 13 November Commonwealth HQ, Marlborough House. Corner of Pall Mall and St James’s Street, London SW1Y 5HX. Wednesday’s protest is timed to take place just two days before the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) opens in Sri Lanka. It is jointly sponsored by the Kaleidoscope Trust, the Peter Tatchell Foundation and the African LGBTI Out & Proud Diamond Group.
RMT PROTEST ACTION: Lithuanian Embassy London – Five anti-LGBT bills are to be considered in the Lithuania parliament in the December 2013 session. In solidarity with Lithuanian LGBT people and the Lithuanian Gay League, RMT Union will stage a protest demonstration outside of the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in London.
“Why I won’t attend Gergiev’s concerts” – David Nice. When a conductor unequivocally endorses a murderous state policy, it’s time to draw the line. Last Thursday I was giving a talk before a concert in Birmingham, decently but not inspiringly conducted by the much-liked Vasily Sinaisky. Had I been in London I could have taken my pick between two greater interpreters, Valery Gergiev launching his Berlioz series with the London Symphony Orchestra and veteran Yury Temirkanov returning to one of his standard programmes with the Philharmonia. Both appeared on the list of 549 “trustees” supporting Vladimir Putin’s 2012 re-election campaign.
Barilla Pasta Announces Major ‘Diversity and Inclusion’ Initiative in Response to Anti-Gay Controversy – Barilla, the international pasta maker who came under fire in September after its chairman Guido Barilla told a radio host that gay people could find another brand if they didn’t like the fact that the company would never make an advertisement with gay people in it, today announced a new Diversity & Inclusion Board, a Global Diversity Officer, and participation in the HRC Corporate Equality Index.
In just a few hours All Out raised over $30,000 to show Coca-Cola they’ve got to speak up now and take a strong stand against Russia’s anti-gay laws. On Monday, Coca-Cola employees snapped pictures of the 3 trucks with massive billboards reading “COCA-COLA” “DON’T STAY BOTTLED UP” “SPEAK OUT AGAINST RUSSIA’S ANTI-GAY LAWS” that roared past their head offices in Atlanta all day.
Re-Staging Revolutions: Alternative Theatre in Lambeth and Camden 1968-88 ( 11th Nov – 21st Dec at Ovalhouse, Tues – Sat 3-8pm). An exhibition featuring community, experimental, Black, Asian, lesbian, gay, women’s, disabled, political, Theatre-in-Education, agit-prop, physical, visual, performance art, vernacular drama, new writing, satirical and many other theatre companies; championing a generation of artists whose work has influenced and shaped present day British theatre.
Bullying can take many forms and when young trans people tell us that they feel consistently frightened and anxious about what their fellow students and teachers might say or do we know there is more work to be done. Gender Intelligence are carrying out ‘Stop Our Silence’ in Anti-bullying Week, 18th to 23rd November 2013. Ask your friends to sponsor you then make the donation online.
The opening of night of Valery Gergiev’s new London Symphony Orchestra concert season at the Barbican in London was disrupted last night (31 October) by a protest by human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell against Gergiev’s support for Russian President, Vladimir Putin.
