Tonight on BBC 2 at 9pm you can see is It Safe to Be Gay in the UK? I made a small contribution to the programme after the Beeb asked if they could use my film about the murder of Ian Baynham in Trafalgar Square. To see if I make the edit, watch tonight! And I guess we should all remember that the fight is never really over. Always be aware and stay safe, people! (watch my short clip here complete with my remix of Flaming Lips https://youtu.be/4T_x_75A4yw )
This week Coca-Cola admitted their sponsorship of the Sochi Winter Olympics was turning into a PR nightmare. The invitation to ‘Share a Coke with (insert your name here)’ on social networks backfired as anti-homophobic protests blossomed across the net with people hacking the name generator to vent their anger. Embarrassed, Coke flushed its campaign under the shame of a global spotlight. Also this week, it emerges that Coke and several other huge corporations knew there would be a backlash if they didn’t use their financial might to lean on Russia to repeal its oppressive new ‘legislation’ which is widely seen as an excuse to recriminalise free sexual expression. But nobody did a thing despite Stolichnaya vodka getting stung by a boycott in the summer.
The clock is ticking and it’s sure to be a countdown to scandal
Politics on The Vibes? People come here for pretty pictures, surely!
Well, here’s a pretty little thing for you. In response to the flagrant disregard for human rights shown by the Coca Cola Corporation, I’m publishing this image. We know that those who point the moral finger are usually on a countdown to scandal, and that strange little man in Russia, with his plastic surgery and spray-on hair who whips off his shirt to expose his saggy moobs is just digging himself in deeper. It’s the ones who shout the loudest. So why Coke should continue to sponsor the Sochi Winter Olympics is beyond me. People are being abducted, tortured and murdered in Russia in the name of bizarre and twisted homophobic ‘legislation.’ Coke has blood on it’s cans.
Celebrating the most dynamic and wonderful man, a man who the world still needs today. He was the world’s first honestly gay politician. And he was murdered by a colleague who would be deemed psychotic by today’s standards. There are too many hate-filled religious lunatics preaching fear and intolerance. The fight for equality means that gay people are still enduring their own civil rights movement. In 2013. We may think we are living in the future, with its information superhighway and particle accelerators, but a lot of people are condemned to live in the past. By people who should know better. To those bigots I say ‘Stop obsessing about what other people do in bed and get a life of your own.’
Peace.
It’s that time of year again: Trafalgar Square in London becomes a sea of candles, comedy and choirs. Originally held in remembrance of Ian Baynham, a man who was kicked to death for holding his boyfriend’s hand in public, the Vigil is growing in prominence and has backing from celebrities, police and the Prime Minister. It’s the most uplifting and life-affirming experience, and if you’re in London, please go down and show your support. Thousands go each year, but the more people who attend, the more the world will listen. This is hugely important in the week that rabid right-winger Nick Griffin calls for homophobia to be decriminalised.
I made this short clip in 2009 and it shows you just how magical the Vigil can be. The soundtrack is an exclusive remix of a poignant Flaming Lips track, The Stars Are So Big, I Am So Small…Do I Stand a Chance? (It Overtakes Me) which I produced specially for the clip. I’m especially proud that this video was used to help secure funding and charitable status for the 17-24-30 No To Hate Crime organisation who campaign tirelessly for justice, human rights and equality.
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