Peter Tatchell invited to Downing Street after a decade ban
Prime Minister Theresa May has lifted the ban against the LGBT activist
By Steve Brown
LGBT activist Peter Tatchell has been invited to Downing Street after a decade ban.
Since the creation of Downing Street LGBT Pride receptions a decade ago, the veteran human rights activist was banned from attending by three Prime Ministers including Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and David Cameron.
Despite campaigning for 51 years, Tatchell – who was recently detained in Russie for staging a one-man protest over Russia’s treatment of LGBT people – was apparently “unacceptable” to be the face of LGBT activism, however, now Prime Minister Theresa May has lifted the ban and invited him to this year’s reception.
In a statement, Tatchell said: “Since the inception of Downing Street LGBT Pride receptions a decade ago, I have been banned from attending by successive Prime Ministers – Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and David Cameron.
“Despite my 51 years of campaigning, and my role in the UK’s first Pride parade in 1972, they apparently deemed me to be the unacceptable face of LGBT activism.
“I was therefore surprised and delighted that Theresa May has invited me to this year’s reception on 3 July – just days after I wrote to her urging compensation for gay men convicted under past anti-gay laws.
“I am not much fussed about attending such receptions but I am honoured to be asked and have accepted the invitation.
“I look forward to meeting the Prime Minister and reiterating my call for gay victims of homophobic laws, who suffered so badly, to receive government compensation.
“She has already acknowledged the grave injustice done to these men, so I hope she will go one step further and recognise that these men deserve recompense for the terrible trauma of criminalisation that they went through.”