By B.J. Epstein Autumn 2009 As my partner and I were planning our recent trip to Cornwall (in the far southwest of the English mainland), I was surprised by the number of B&Bs there that claimed to be “gay-friendly.” The last supposedly gay-friendly place we’d stayed at was a hotel in cosmopolitan London where, when
Contemporary British attitudes towards LGBT rights and homosexuality are regarded as generally liberal. The age of consent stands at 16 – regardless of sexual orientation. In 2004, the Gender Recognition Act created a process for transsexual and transgender people to change their legal sex. The landmark Civil Partnership Act 2004 created a parallel legal structure to marriage, giving gay couples all the rights and responsibilites of marriage, including the eligibility to apply to adopt children. In addition, discrimination based on both sexual orientation and gender identity is illegal in many fields, including housing, employment and the provision of goods and services. Likewise, Her Majesty’s Armed Forces allows LGBT individuals to serve openly. In December 2008, the United Kingdom – along with 65 other countries – signed a United Nations declaration calling for the global decriminalization of homosexuality.
Name: United Kingdom
Population: 60990000
Capital: London - Pop. 8278251
Area: 244820 sq. km/ sq. miles
Language: English
Religion: Christian
Status of Homosexuality: Legal
Telephone Country Code: +44
UK Government Aplogy to WW2 Hero Alan Turing
Westhampton, MA – September 11, 2009 Richard Ammon – GlobalGayz.com On September 10, 2009, the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown officially apologized to Alan Turing for the UK Government’s persecution of this WWII hero because of his homosexuality. Turing brilliantly invented his ‘Turing Bombe’ that crucially helped crack the German Enigma coded messages (sometimes thousands
England’s Crystal Mile
Intro: One of the most glittering sights in England is not the ‘crown jewels’ exhibit in the Tower of London. Rather, ninety miles north in the city of Stourbridge thousands of crystalline products dazzle the eye and impress the visitor inside numerous glass factories-all open to the public.
Gay England: London’s Gay Energy
Intro: A visit with a Brit friend to London’s gay downtown reveals many positive changes in the past generation. The gay community is very alive and very well.
Stratford-on-Avon and the Eternal Bard
Intro: This ‘quaint’ city in the heart of England is home to the world’s most famous writer, Shakespeare. I studied here, went to the theatre here, lived with a local family, visited all the Shakespeare properties and was forever spoiled by the charm, intellect and history of this ‘shrine’.