» Stonewall Awards
Latest 7 attends the annual Stonewall Awards in London
An MP who called homosexuality “an abomination“ has been declared Stonewall’s bigot of the year. Iris Robinson, MP for Strangford, Northern Ireland, earlier this year said in a Westminster debate: “There can be no viler act, apart from homosexuality, than sexually abusing innocent children.“
Hero of the year at the Stonewall Awards, sponsored by Barclays, was Rt Rev Gene Robinson, who became the first openly gay bishop when he was ordained in 2003.
He was recently barred from Lambeth conference.
Accepting his award from compere Richard Wilson, Rt Rev Robinson said he was proud to receive a title voted by his peers.He said: “God’s name has been used and abused in the name of hatred and bigotry and prejudice for too long. It is time we took the scripture back.“ He added: “Dr King said, the arc of history is long and slow but it inevitably bends towards justice.“
BLAGSS, Brighton Lesbian and Gay Sports Society, was nominated for sports award of the year, although the prize went to Stonewall Lions FC. Publication of the year was Time Out; journalist of the year was Dr Miriam Stoppard from The Daily Mirror; broadcaster of the year was Sandi Toksvig and entertainer of the year was Sue Perkins.
Stella Duffy won writer of the year and used her acceptance speech to call for Stonewall to open dialogue with people campaigning for the charity to extend its services to transgender people. A protest had been held outside the awards at London’s V & A. Lord Waheed Alli, the first out peer, won politician of the year.
The winner of the Stonewall and Barclays community group of the year was the UK Lesbian and Gay Immigration Group, which was awarded a £5,000 cheque.
The hero, bigot and community group were chosen by 7,000 Stonewall supporters. Other winners were chosen by a panel including Diane Abbott MP and Coronation Street star Antony Cotton.
Ben Summerskill, chief executive of Stonewall, said: ‘It’s hugely humbling to honour those – both gay and straight – who have inspired or encouraged Britain’s 3.6 million gay people. Every year, the Stonewall Awards highlight just how much we have to celebrate in an increasingly gay-friendly modern Britain.”
In his opening speech he said Barack Obama’s election would result in: “hundreds of millions of young people around the world believing they could achieve their dreams regardless of having been born different.“
November 17th, 2008 at 9:40 am
Actually, I used my acceptance speech to ask for dialogue between all parties, not only about the issues regarding the protest, but rather more about where we are now as the LGBTQII (etc) ‘community’. I was not suggesting that it is specifically Stonewall’s responsibility to make this happen, but up to all of us who have an interest in forward movement through dialogue and discussion.
Stella Duffy
December 14th, 2008 at 6:31 pm
hello Stella
as a participant in the demonstration but only speaking for the grassroots inasmuch as individuals have communicated their feelings to me, generally we seek acceptance of all our diversity.
We do not see it as incumbent on us to blend in and be unnoticeable but on society to let us be.
That is why we protested the S(t)onewall nomination of Julie Bindel for the journalism award. We expect individuals to have inappropriate ideas about us, it is a free country, but not a human rights organisation which receive public funding and preach equality.
Thank you very much for your comments. All I have talked to from the protest concur very much with the idea of a coming together of minds on supporting diversity issues.
(BTW I think the acronym you were looking for is LGBTQQI which includes GenderQueer, Questioning and Intersex all of whom deserve equal human rights with those who have simpler explanations of their gender and/or sexuality)
best regards
Michal Dunkley