Posts Tagged UK

By Jos Truitt • 10 years ago

Guest post: What motivated the raids on sex workers in Soho?

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Mitzi Poesener. Mitzi Poesener is the pseudonym of a British sex worker, writer, and activist, living and working in London.

It’s been six days since the raids on sex workers in Soho, and there is still rampant speculation about the real motives behind the actions. The operation (code named Demontere) was the result of 18 months worth of investigations, and involved 200 officers in riot vans supported by sniffer dogs and a helicopter.

It has been reported that this is Westminster council’s biggest operation in years. For such a large operation it is interesting to note that only 22 people have been arrested. Other sex workers have been sent, without charges, to ...

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Mitzi Poesener. Mitzi Poesener is the pseudonym of a British sex worker, writer, and activist, living and working in London.

It’s been six days since the raids on ...
By Chloe Angyal • 10 years ago

Marriage equality becomes law in England and Wales

Way to go, England and Wales! BBC reports:

The government’s controversial legislation on the issue received Royal Assent on Wednesday.

The Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat leaderships all backed the proposals, which were finally approved by MPs and peers earlier this week.

It is expected that the first gay and lesbian wedding ceremonies will take place by summer next year.

Under the terms of the the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill, religious organisations will have to “opt in” to offering weddings, with the Church of England and Church in Wales being banned in law from doing so.

Commons Speaker John Bercow announced the bill had received Royal Assent – the formal approval of ...

Way to go, England and Wales! BBC reports:

The government’s controversial legislation on the issue received Royal Assent on Wednesday.

The Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat leaderships all backed the proposals, which were ...
By Vanessa • 12 years ago

What We Missed

The anti-choice bill in the UK that would have prohibited abortion providers from giving counseling to patients has been rejected by the House of Commons.

The parents of Annie Le, the young researcher who was murdered by a co-worker at Yale two years ago, are filing suit against the university on the grounds that they fail to protect women on campus.

Damn you, BUST! The magazine has a new advice columnist — the incredible Roseanne Barr.

Gender Across Borders has a great series this week in conjunction with altmuslimah called, Muslim Women Speak.

Have you been to the Community blog lately?

The anti-choice bill in the UK that would have prohibited abortion providers from giving counseling to patients has been rejected by the House of Commons.

The parents of Annie Le, the young researcher who was ...
By Vanessa • 12 years ago

UK abortion law may change to require “independent” counseling for patients

Next week, Members of Parliament are scheduled to meet and decide on a new bill being pushed by anti-choice MP Nadine Dorries that would strip abortion providers’ rights to counsel patients and make in mandatory to send those seeking abortion to “independent” counseling before the procedure.

In other words, this could be a potential CPC-style takeover of abortion rights in the UK.

It’s no news that not only is this is a way to tack more time onto the process (patients already have to get the consent of two doctors to obtain an abortion), but those “independent” counselors will not be other abortion providers — in other words, it’s very likely they could be anti-choice groups or crisis ...

Next week, Members of Parliament are scheduled to meet and decide on a new bill being pushed by anti-choice MP Nadine Dorries that would strip abortion providers’ rights to counsel patients and make ...
By Vanessa • 13 years ago

In UK, the average coming out age has dropped by over 20 years

Stonewall just released new findings from an online poll they conducted of over 1,500 individuals, revealing that the average coming out age has dropped significantly:

[A]mong the over-60s the average age they had come out was 37. But those in their 30s had come out at an average age of 21, and in the group aged 18 to 24 it was 17.

The survey, conducted via social networking sites, does not take account of the numbers of people who know they are gay or bisexual but have not come out. But Stonewall said it nonetheless revealed a pattern of people having the confidence to come out earlier.

Among the 33 respondents aged over ...

Stonewall just released new findings from an online poll they conducted of over 1,500 individuals, revealing that the average coming out age has dropped significantly:

[A]mong the over-60s the average age they had come ...
By Vanessa • 13 years ago

Pope Benedict welcomed in UK with bus message: “Ordain Women Now”

Now this is what I call some kick-ass activism.

We all know that Pope Benedict ain’t too much of a fan women priests. In fact, he’s ordered the excommunication of any women involved in being ordained as well as recently updated Vatican documents implying the ordination of women is just as grave a sin as child sex abuse. So ole’ Bendi can’t be too surprised to find The Catholic Women’s Ordination group took it upon themselves to give him a proper welcome when he’s in the UK next month — with bus posters calling for the ordination of women:

The group has paid 15,000 pounds for 15 buses to carry the message “Pope ...

Now this is what I call some kick-ass activism.

We all know that Pope Benedict ain’t too much of a fan women priests. In fact, he’s ordered the excommunication of any women involved in ...