A theme from the Body Talk trilogy has been that each single featured on the preceding albumette as an acoustic track. Each of the acoustic and electro-amped versions definitely offers a new dimension to each song. Here’s the acoustic version from Body Talk Pt. 2:

Indestructible is released on November 22nd.
Body Talk Pt. 3 is released on November 29th.

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Thomas first broke into broadcasting while studying Arts in UCD (English, Sociology and Information Studies). After an open competition, she landed her first presenting job on children’s programme, Rapid. Shortly after, she progressed to the enviable position of travel-show host on No Frontiers, which was an impressive achievement for the then 21-year old. After ten years at the helm, Thomas’ tenure on No Frontiers appears to have come to an end (The show is on hiatus for one year and whether it will be resumed will be re-evaluated in 2011) but there appears to be no sign of her slowing down. She is currently in triathlon tr-43nbgs90hy… sorry, I dropped my keyboard…*ahem*… triathlon training. As for her wanderlust? Well, that shows no signs of abating. Her most recent project, The Festival Roadshow, was a three-part series which took her and co-host, Rob Ross, on the summer festival circuit around Ireland. The programme kicked off at the Galway Arts Festival, then beetled down to the Killarney Summerfest, before finally wrapping up and at its final destination, the Kilkenny Arts Festival.

Over the past few months, Thomas has occasionally stepped in for Ryan Tubridy on Radio One’s The Tubridy Show (Weekday mornings, 9.00am). Her first stint in radio has been well-received; and probably due to her immensely likeable and outgoing personality which would find a snug fit in the leisurely, jovial timbre of The Tubridy Show. And her dulcet-sometimes-gravelly voice was certainly a welcome addition to my morning wake-up routine. What’s next for Thomas? It’s anyone’s guess but the Montrose rumour-mill speculates that she may be a late-summer addition to The Afternoon Show. Thomas herself however is keeping tight-lipped about her future:

When people ask me where I see myself in five years time I’m so bad at answering that type of question, because I’ve always been somebody that lives from day to day. To have worked on No Frontiers for the last ten years has really been my dream job, so I’ve already achieved that. For me it’s not about having the ‘chat show’ or ‘day time show’ it’s about working to my strengths, and for me those strengths are working with people.

So, delectable or detestable: what say you of Kathryn Thomas?

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Dr. Lydia Foy with her solicitor, Michael Farrell, of FLAC

Yesterday afternoon, word was excitedly spreading that the Irish Government had withdrawn its appeal against the 2007 High Court decision which held that the Irish State had breached the European Convention of Human Rights by refusing to allow for the applicant–Dr. Lydia Foy, a transgendered person–to obtain a birth certificate reflecting the sex appropriate to her gender.

At the time the Government decided to lodge the appeal, it was regarded as a particularly callous move since the European Court of Human Rights had already found the UK to have breached the European Convention of Human Rights in a challenge on the same grounds in Goodwin v UK [2002]. Since the legal status of transgendered people was no better in Ireland than it was in the UK at that time, Ireland knew that the European Court judgment meant that the Irish State would either have to catch up and remedy the gaps in protection for its transgendered people, or else face a similarly expensive and unnecessary case before the European Court of Human Rights. Furthermore, the UK then introduced the Gender Recognition Act in 2004–before the 2007 High Court decision–but the Irish State remained defiant and determined not to be influenced by the developments of our closest neighbours. In fact, the continuance of the appeal has been something of a anomaly since the publication of the Renewed Programme for Government back in October 2009. On page 19 of the renewed programme, the Government pledges to introduce gender recognition legislation during the life of the current government:

“We will introduce legal recognition of the acquired gender of transsexuals.”

Now that the Government has dropped its appeal, the State must fulfill the requirements laid down under section 5 of the European Convention of Human Rights Act 2003. Namely, the Taoiseach must lay a ‘Declaration of Incompatibility’ between Irish law and the European Convention of Human Rights before the Seanad and the Dáil within 21 working days of the Houses of the Oireachtas. This declaration specifically must state that the High Court found that Irish law as it currently stands is incompatible with the Convention. The Irish state must now also take action to afford recognition of a transgender person’s new identity or face the ignominy of being reprimanded bythe European Court of Human Rights.

Dr. Foy first initiated proceedings against the State in 1997 and, 13 years later, much work still needs to be done in order for the State to vindicate the rights of transgendered people. The first steps for such work have been taken and on May 6th, an interdepartmental gender recognition advisory group met for the first time and is expected to make proposals for legislative reform within six months to the Minister for Social Protection,  Éamon Ó Cuív (although, interestingly–and maybe tellingly–not to the Minister for Justice & Law Reform, Dermot Ahern). The terms of reference for the group outline the following heads of a future Bill:

• a process for legal recognition of the acquired gender of persons suffering from gender identity disorder who have made transition from one gender to another.
• to set up a gender recognition register for such persons. The certificates issues by this register should be indistinguishable from birth certificates and not refer to the fact a person has acquired a new gender.
• an entitlement to transsexuals to marry in the legally recognised reassigned gender.

The working group and future legislators will hopefully carefully scrutinise and consider the experience of other nations and their transgendered citizens in developing its response to the vacuum in legal protection and provision for transgendered people in Ireland. In particular, the Government would be well-advised to avoid the temptation to carbon-copy the UK’s Gender Recognition Act 2004 into Irish law. An unsavoury aspects of the UK’s response include the forced divorce or annulment of marriages and the forced dissolution of civil partnerships. It is a mystery why this particularly harsh and intrusive feature was included rather than a simpler clause converting one institution to the other. An alarming and saddening aspect of most states in recognising gender reassignment is the requirement for genital surgery to have taken place. The latter criticism is the most contraversial as in many instances it amounts to mandatory sterilisation. In devising the approach it will take in addressing the human rights deficiencies identified in the Foy case, those charged with developing and implementing Irish provisions for gender recognition ought to heed the principled concluding remarks of Justice William McKechnie’s judgment in the Foy decision:

“Everyone as a member of society has the right to human dignity, and with individual personalities, has the right to develop his being as he sees fit; subject only to the most minimal of State interference being essential for the convergence of the common good. Together with human freedom, a person, subject to the acquired rights of others, should be free to shape his personality in the way best suited to his person and to his life.

All persons by virtue of their being are so entitled.”

…Somewhat related news from the UK today

• Woman who had sex change wins legal right to pension at 60 (guardian.co.uk)

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For those fans who can’t wait until Tuesday night or are knocking around Dublin city on Tuesday afternoon, a little birdy on Gaelick’s shoulder has tweeted that Tegan and Sara will be performing a lunchtime set from 2pm in Tower Records, 6-8 Wicklow Street, Dublin 2. Tower Records are advising that fans get there a bit early as wristbands may be required due to the expected popularity of the show. For sample of what to expect, check out their performance from November 2009 for online UK music magazine show, TheFly.co.uk:

Tegan And Sara: ‘The Cure’ on FlyTV In The Courtyard

Click here to preview tracks from Tegan & Sara’s latest release, Sainthood, and here to sample some of the 17 remixes on the forthcoming EP, ‘Alligator’. Here’s the Passion Pit mix to whet your appetite:

Alligator – Passion Pit Remix! from Tegan and Sara on Vimeo.

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Healthy blood donors are turned away every day due to an antiquated policy and our blood supply is not necessarily any safer for it.

The ban on blood and organ donation in the United States reflects similar restrictions which exist in Ireland against blood and organ donation from gay and bisexual men or any man who has ever had sex with another man. This “permanent deferral” was originally introduced globally to stem the rise of HIV/AIDS. Now, after 30 years of progress in medical diagnosis and screening methods for HIV, the objectives of the ban can be achieved through scientific procedure. So, why has the Irish Blood Transfusion Board not revisited the justification for the ban? In Ireland, organ transplantation services quiz the next-of-kin of the donor about specific aspects of the potential donor’s history, e.g. has their loved one recently received a tattoo, ever injected non-prescription drugs, or ever spent time in prison. One such criterion, which can automatically eliminate a potential donor from the donating his organs, is if the potential donor is male and has ever had sex with another man. Similarly, blood donation services in Ireland impose a permanent ban on men who have ever had sex with men; regardless of whether the potential donor uses condoms, whether it was just one occasion, or whether he is in a monogamous relationship. The Irish Blood Donation Service (IBTS) has repeatedly accepted that the lifetime ban against men who have sex with men (MSM) is discriminatory and based on the norms in medical procedures three decades ago when little was known of the origins of HIV/AIDS or how it was contracted. So how have they been justifying a ban–that the IBTS acknowledges to be “blatently discriminatory“–which refuses the donation of healthy blood from a perpetually under-supplied stock of blood? The IBTS’ National Medical Director, Dr. William Murphy, has acknowledged time and again that the lifetime ban against gay men is outmoded and “offensive”, but the IBTS is of the opinion that the ban (which was introduced as an emergency measure worldwide in the 1980s due to the increased incidence of HIV/AIDS among gay men) is neither unwarranted or excessive.  Dr. Conor Malone, interim honorary Chair of Gay Doctors Ireland, recently told the Irish Medical News:

The [IBTS is] still recycling information from about five years ago, which to me seems like rather than being based on evidence and science, is based on the old idea that because they have many STDs we just have to leave them out altogether because they are not trustworthy.

The transfusion service in Ireland was rocked by scandal in the 1990s when it was revealed that the safeguarding procedures used in donation screening failed to prevent the infection of recipients of blood transfusions with Hepatitis C and HIV. So, it is not hard to see why the service would be over-cautious now in its screening procedures. The IBTS, like many other transfusion services around the world, assert that since gay men caused the rapid dissemination of an infectious disease in the past, then they could do so again.  That particular decades-old point-of-view is entrenched in a time when to be gay was to be a social pariah, forced to socialise in secrecy and when safer sexual practices among gay or bisexual men were unknown and condoms were not as widely available or used. Those who subscribe to this grossly uninformed generalisation are quick to point out that this opinion is based on sexual behaviour, not sexual orientation. However, sexual behaviour alone has not been addressed on a scientifically or medically objective basis in the criteria for eligibility to donate through the IBTS. The vast majority of other potential donors who can be grouped as high risk for the same infectious diseases are not subjected to a lifetime ban outright. For example, a person who gets a tattoo or body piercing is deferred from giving blood for six months, not permanently. Some argue that although all blood is now screened for HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and Syphilis, there is a “window” period of several weeks or months in which a virus may not be detectable after infection. However, many nations including Italy, Spain and New Zealand, have overturned the lifetime ban on men who have sex with men. Instead of donor elimination, they are favouring careful donor selection. The basis for this is: (1) an undetected virus doesn’t care who its host is, it will remain as undetected in a straight person as a gay person; and (2) gay or straight, it is risky sexual practices that give rise to risk of infection and, again, that is regardless of the sexual orientation of the potential donor.

Even today, the IBTS is calling out for donations in anticipation of a surge in demand on the service over the bank holiday weekend, which existing supplies will not be able to meet.  To paraphrase the IBTS’ own adage: They need blood. What’s the excuse?

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Kiana Firouz in a still from "Cul de Sac"

Yesterday, a film called Cul de Sac received its global premiere in London. The film is based on the life of its maker, Kiana Firouz. Ms Firouz originally began filming in her native Tehran several years ago and continued filming in the UK when she relocated there as a student two years ago. According to PinkNews.co.uk, Iranian authorities have been keeping a watchful and disapproving eye on Ms Firouz and her work. Fearing deportation, Ms Firouz applied for asylum in the United Kingdom. In Iran, lesbianism is a criminal offence, the punishment for which is 100 lashes. If the same person is caught, convicted and sentenced for this same offence three times then she is sentenced to death on the occasion of a fourth offence.

The British Home Office refused Kiana Firouz’s application despite the fact that she faces flogging, execution, or both if she is returned to Iran. The basis for the Home Office’s decision is grounded in a deeply cynical English & Welsh Court of Appeal decision regarding a compatriot of Ms Firouz’s, who was identified as ‘J’ (2006). The test laid down in that case—and which has since been used by the Home Office and the courts to reject the numerous applications of numerous gay and lesbian asylum seekers—if gays and lesbians can avoid persecution in their native societies by behaving “discreetly” then they do not require the safety of asylum. Lord Justice Pill, in a different decision of the Court of Appeal, last year pointed out the absurdity of this logic:

It would have been no defence to a claim that Anne Frank faced well-founded fear of persecution in 1942 to say that she was safe in a comfortable attic [...] Refugee status cannot be denied by expecting a person to conceal aspects of identity or suppress behaviour the person should be allowed to express[.]

‘J’, a gay Iranian man, is currently appealing that decision to the highest court in the United Kingdom,  the UK Supreme Court (formerly the House of Lords). His case is being heard jointly with that of ‘T’, a Cameroonian gay man. Both men were told in the court decisions which they are appealing that they could expect violent reprisals in their countries-of-origin, but that their repatriation could be sanctioned because they could be reasonably expected to exercise enough “discretion” to avoid attacks. The Home Office is again arguing this line before the court. The case continues at present  but is expected to represent a major development in the UK approach to asylum, in one direction or the other. The newly formed coalition Government’s policy on equalities states:

We will stop the deportation of asylum seekers who have had to leave particular countries because their sexual orientation or gender identification puts them at proven risk of imprisonment, torture or execution.

Since the new Government automatically becomes a party to the appeals of ‘J’ and ‘T’, the case represents a perfect opportunity to demonstrate the conviction of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat Government in the pledge above. If the new Home Secretary, Theresa May, were to withdraw the submissions (entered in the case by her predecessor, Jacqui Smith), which cling steadfastly to the original principle laid down in the 2006 ‘J’ case then it would finally be acknowledged that those fleeing persecution in their homelands as a result of their sexuality have a legitimate claim for safe-harbour. And that would be a very welcome decision, however discreetly the new UK Government wish to do it.

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Over the years, many hip, young upstarts have adopted the boot as part of their uniform—usually accompanied with stonewash jeans and a curled lip. Over the decades punks, New Wavers, skinheads and gays and lesbians began to adopt the boot to assert their identity. When skinheads laid claim to docs in the 1960s, the boots became synonymous with violence and bigotry. Thankfully, mods, punks, goths, New Wavers and the Seattle grunge scene also came to regard ‘DMs’ as essential kit and hoisted them from forever being solely (pun not intended) associated with hyper-aggression. In the 1980s, gays and lesbians also started to assert their identity by wearing the boots. So did skinheads and gays tread common ground in Dr. Martens? Hardly. The emergence of so many different tribes sporting the boots lead to a sub-classification system developing through a shoelace colour-code. For instance, neo-nazis and skinheads thread the boots with whites laces*—horizontally and not criss-cross—while membership of the LGBT community is declared with rainbow laces.

The boots retain cult icon status and with the likes of de facto Ambassador Agneyss Deyn strutting around town in classic cherry red 1460s, they’ll persevere for years to come as a must-have fashion accessory, as well as a personal or political statement.

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- Best News/Current Affairs
- Best Group Blog
- Best Specialist Blog
- Best Newcomer

Whether we make the shortlist is in the hands of the judges but for now, from the bottom of our ickle pink hearts, we would like to thank those who took the time to vote for us and for the continued support and contribution form you guys, our readers. And to our fellow nominees: Congratulations and the very best of luck!

The Irish Blog Awards take place on March 27th 2010 in Galway. They are the progeny of Damien Mulley and they take place every year thanks to the generosity of these lovely folks.

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The Teddy Award is an independent award conferred upon the best gay-themed feature film in the Berlin film festival. There were more than fifty films in the running for this year’s award (of which, only three had a bisexual women’s or lesbian theme). The jury is composed of eight LGBT film festival programme directors from the around the world.

Announcing the winning flick, the jury said in a statement:

The Teddy for the Best Feature Film goes to Lisa Cholodenko‘s The Kids Are All Right for being a well-crafted and humorous take on the issues facing contemporary lesbian parents and the complexity of sexuality, relationships and family bonding.

Lisa Cholodenko also wrote and directed that heavyweight in the canon of lesbian cinema, High Art. The film’s leading ladies are Academy Award alumni, Annette Bening and Julianne Moore (On a side note, this is the third gay-themed release—A Single Man, Chloe—this year featuring Julianne Moore). The calibre of acting in those two names alone will pique the interest of any discerning filmgoer. The film itself tells the story of an unexpected family reunion an is set in the Los Angeles family home of Nic (Bening) and Jules (Moore) which they share with their teenage daughter, Joni, and son, Laser. Before Joni leaves home for college, Laser asks her for a favour: help him track down their biological father. Laser’s enthusiasm and Joni’s reluctant assistance lead to a new chapter opening in their family’s life when their biological father, Paul, (Mark Ruffalo) is brought home one day for dinner.

The Kids Are All Right has already proven to be a hit at the Sundance Festival and now the Berlinale. At the Sundance Film Festival, The Kids Are All Right was picked up by Focus Features for distribution to the USA, UK, Germany and South Africa. Here’s hoping that Ireland and other countries are added to that syndication list soon.

Click here and here to watch clips from the film.

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Everyone’s favourite Big Brother runner-up and documentarian, Anna Nolan, shall be returning to our screens tomorrow night (10.30pm, RTÉ 1, January 10th 2010) with a new programme which retraces her time as a trainee nun in the Loreto Order in Rialto, Dublin.

In O, Sister, Where Art Thou?,  She will reconnect with other trainee nuns and priests she encountered during her time in the convent. The programme is a special edition of the Would You Believe? series, on which Anna is a regular contributor as a documentary-maker. This programme will see her ordinary role in the programme inverted with that of being the documented, and in an introspective exposition which will resonate for many at the moment as it casts the spotlight on our relationship with our faith.

Last night (January 8th 2010), on The Late Late Show, Anna appeared with two other former novices (Aisling Duignan and Mary Comerford) to talk briefly about their experience with life in the convent as teenagers and their later decision to leave. You can watch the interview on RTÉ Player here. It begins three minutes into the recording.

A more probative exploration of Anna’s sojourn in the sisterhood, among other topics, is last Sunday’s (January 3rd 2010) episode of Miriam Meets, in which she and her mother, Eileen Nolan, discuss Anna’s upbringing in Rialto, the family’s reaction to her joining the convent and Eileen guessing Anna’s sexuality shortly after she had worked it out herself. Click here to listen to part one and part two of the interview.

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1. Bubble Bathing Set
Megan over on NotMartha.com has shared a comprehensive and surprisingly straightforward “How To” guide for making bath bombs. All you’ll need is baking soda, citric acid, corn starch, mineral salts, fragrance oils, vegetable oil and food colouring. As the author of an alternative bath bombmaking how-to guide  says “Everybody loves bath bombs. It is like taking a bath in champagne, only without the show tunes and chorus boys.” Click here to see how it’s done…

2. Freezer Paper Stencilling
Here’s one I’m planning on employing myself for a few gifts this yuletide. Jessica Jones over on How About Orange… has shared a nifty way to print patterns and illustrations onto t-shirts, dishcloths, bags, pencil cases. Hell, you could print on your granny with this technique. And if your giftee is a latte fiend, check out this fun wee stencil. Click here to see how it’s done…

3. Pillow and Behold: A Cushion for Men
Janet Clare has put together a super tutorial which is intended for the men or IT professionals in your life. But really it is a nice craft idea for anyone who likes a cush’ for their toosh. The tutorial shows you how to make cushions out of suit fabric but any fabric will do. And if you’re brave enough to have a go at embroidering it, there are instructions to guide you through every stitch and snip so personalising it should be a cinch. Click here to see how it’s done…

4. Tree-rific Ornaments
There are all kinds of ideas for making Christmas tree decorations. So rather than choose just one, here’s a list of some of the best how-to guides for funky tree appendages:

• Paper Lanterns from The Creative Place. Also, to save time and effort, download the nifty template for this lantern from Whisker Graphics.
• Pick from this menu of felt ornaments from How About Orange.
• Paper baubles again from How About Orange. And here’s how to make a plushier felt alternative. I reckon you could also use foam or other fabrics too.
• A cute half-eaten gingerbread man from Elsie Marley.

5. For the Stealthy Imbibler
Aud1073ch over at How2dostuff has shared this handy how-to guide for turning a regular hardback book into a discreet stashbox. It’s particularly handy for hiding one’s favourite tipple. The primary components are a hardback book, and a hip-flask. A bible could prove to be the universally popular option for the recipient who is an impassioned devotee or for the hardened heathen. Personally, I’ll be taking a scalpel to the Times Atlas of the World to conceal a litre of Bombay Sapphire. Click here to see how it’s done…

There are tonnes of other ingenious ideas out there and if you come across a particularly good one or if you have handy recommendations for any of the above options, please stick them in the comments below.

Happy making and doodling!

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“If there’s anybody threatening the sanctity of marriage, it comes from those who have the privilege and the right, and we have abused it for decades.”
- Sen. Diane Savino

This week saw the Civil Partnership Bill finally get some floortime in the Dáil (which was covered by our own click here). However, while TDs were opening the debate on recognition of same-sex couples last Thursday, December 3rd, many New Yorkers were still feeling the sting of the previous day’s hugely disappointing defeat of a bill for marriage equality in the New York state Senate. There are a few reasons why this defeat is particularly disheartening and frustrating:

1. New York state recognises same-sex marriage from other states but does not recognise those performed within its own borders.
2. The bill was defeated by a margin of 14 votes (38 against – 24 for) and one senator in particular (Hiram Monserrat) who voted against the bill had been endorsed during his election by the Lesbian and Gay Democratic Club of Queens.
3. It is difficult to fathom how those who who voted against the measure were not swayed after hearing Democratic Senator for Statten Island, Diane Savino, expound in plain and relatable terms, the reasons why recognition of same-sex marriage is an undeniable duty of the government. Funny, moving, and logically bang-on. Watch it below:
   

This latest disappointment from New York comes just 28 days after the devastating outcome of Maine’s Proposition 1, a Proposition 8-style measure which overturned the state’s existing marriage equality law. But don’t let the triumphant zealots fool you, the campaign for marriage equality is not going to disappear in the wake of these disappointments and will continue to gather momentum. On the same day as Maine vote, voters on the other side of the country in the state of Washington approved Referendum 71, a measure which expands domestic partner protections to grant same-sex couples the same rights and responsibilities afforded to married couples. The outcome of that referendum will be historically noted as a critical and all-too-rare vindication of civil rights by plebiscite vote. Positive confirmation that the US is on-track for recognition of same-sex couples can also be seen in late November’s passage of the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act—a legislative move which provides equal family benefits to federal employees with same-sex partners.

In the near future, Houston, Texas (yes, Texas!) may be electing its first lesbian Mayor. Sitting City Controller, Annise Parker, holds a slight lead in pre-poll percentages in the Mayoral election for Houston which will take place next Saturday, December 12th. Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States and is not the liberal oasis of nearby Austin, which makes Parker’s performance thus far and her possible election all-the-more momentous.

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Hmm, my first impression was that rather than be pleasantly surprised by the peppermint pong, potential lovers are probably going to think you have athlete’s foot in your fuzzy mimosa. Further investigation on the website revealed that this mint is more Tic-tacky than Fisherman’s Friend. Its primary ingredient is sugar, on which yeast infections thrive. Also, a cursory perusal of the website would lead you to believe that something ‘fishy’ is going on. For instance, the story behind the product’s origins is pretty fanciful and probably fabricated:

On a first time trip into the heart of India, I fell instantly for a soft spoken, aristocratic man…his skin the color of caramel.

Jen Phillips over on MotherJones.com smelled a herring as well and after doing some further research found that the manufacturers of Linger, a company called Admints, make tins of promotional mints which are usually handed out at trade shows. So the only difference between Linger mints and a corporate enticer? The price tag, of course. A tin of Linger mints will set you back $7.99. And that’s not including the expense of a few courses of Canesten.

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“In a democratic state, all institutions should be open to all people.”
- Tom Freeman and Katherine Doyle

Recent weeks have seen a myriad of challenges to UK civil partnership legislation on the basis that the existing legislative arrangement infringes rights to privacy, freedom of religion and non-discrimination. Here’s an overview of some of the legal and political disputes currently at the centre of heated debate on the other side of the Irish Sea.

UK Says No to Straight ‘Gay Marriage’

On Tuesday last week (November 24th) Tom Freeman and Katherine Doyle (left), an opposite-sex couple, had their hopes of becoming the first straight couple to form a civil partnership in Britain dashed when their application was rejected by their local registry office. In a letter notifying them of their ineligibility to apply for a civil partnership, Islington registry office plainly quashed their aspiration: ”Part one of the Civil Partnership Act 2004 states that a civil partnership is a relationship between two people of the same sex and therefore we would not be able to take notice of your proposed civil partnership.”

The couple from Holloway, London filed their application as a challenge to the segregative systems of legal recognition of couples in the UK based on their sexual orientation, e.g. same-sex couples are banned from marrying and opposite-sex couples are banned from entering a civil partnership. The disappointed couple will be launching a legal challenge to the refusal before the British courts and thereafter, if necessary, before the European Court of Human Rights. The couple’s human rights under Articles 8, 12 and 14—namely, the rights to privacy in family life, marriage and non-discimination—of the European Convention of Human Rights (which became a charter of legally binding human rights in the UK by virtue of the Human Rights Act 1998) are arguably being infringed unduly. Peter Tatchell and UK LGBT group OutRage are backing the couple.

The most vehement resistance to equality among couples unsurprisingly comes from religious objectors. In the UK, the chief adversary is the Church of England. Adrian Tippetts writing for The Guardian earlier this week  synopsised the inherent hypocrisy in the Church’s position:

“It is ironic that the greatest obstacle in the fight for marriage comes from religious quarters, especially the Church of England, which owes its existence to Henry VIII’s serial womanising.”

Religious Objection: Freedom of Conscience or Freedom to Discriminate?

Opposition to legal recognition and, Lord forbid, social acceptance of same-sex relationships is still alive, kicking and screaming in the UK. Recently, the London Borough of Islington was again at the centre of contentious debate over civil partnerships. In this instance, Lillian Ladele (left), a Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages at London Borough of Islington challenged her employer before the Employment Appeal Tribunal for unfair treatment in circumstances where her employer expected her to carry out civil partnership ceremonies which she objected to on the basis that they were “contrary to God’s law”. Last December, the tribunal found that Islington council had been entitled to regard her conduct as “unacceptable discrimination”. Ladele has since appealed that decision to the Court of Appeal. Naeema Choudry, partner in London-based and internationally-operating law firm Eversheds commented on the December decision of the EAT:

“The Employment Appeal Tribunal stressed that employers should not be forced to compromise their commitment to equal opportunities to accommodate the wishes of an individual employee, even where those wishes are based on a strong religious conviction.”

The case may sound like a farcical misuse of human rights instruments to secure a “right to discriminate” as an extension of the freedom of religious conscience but the case is being taken very seriously and could potentially go before the UK Supreme Court. The decision of the Court of Appeal will have far-reaching applications no matter which way it decides. Of course, if it finds in Ladele’s favour, it will have extremely harmful ramifications, e.g. to the right of all people to be afforded the public services they are entitled to without fear of reproach or hostility. A decision from the Court of Appeal is expected before the end of the year.

Religious Institutions: Let Love in!

UK Civil Partnership legislation is at the centre of a third challenge which comes from UK-based LGB lobby group, Stonewall, which recently launched a campaign (November 18th) to repeal part of the Civil Partnership Act 2005 because—as a matter of law and not religious prerogative—civil partnerships are automatically precluded from being held in religious buildings. Stonewall are seeking to secure an amendment overturning the compulsory exclusion in the Equality Bill which will soon be navigating its way through the Houses of Parliament. The amendment would allow ministers to be given the option of presiding over ceremonies and effectively remove the inherently secular nature of civil partnerships.

Civil partnerships are the compromise to both sides of the civil marriage debate (principally LGBT rights campaigners and orthodox religions) and based upon the foregoing, neither side is satisfied with this middle-of-the-road remedy. But can homosexuality and religion ever see eye-to-eye? Common wisdom is doubtful but in light of the ecumenical statement made by Liverpool’s Catholic Archbishop Patrick Kelly and Anglican Bishop James Jones in response to recent homophobic violence in that community, there is hope. In unequivocal language, the bishops placed the lives of gay people squarely on the same footing as religious and ethnic groups:

“[I]t is wrong for anyone in the community of which we are all part to be victimised, or threatened with victimisation, on account of their race, creed, colour or sexual orientation.”

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1. Civil Partnership Photography want you!

John Gormley, Leader of the Green Party, with Kieran Rose, chairman of Gay Lesbian Equality Network, at the publication of the Civil Partnership Bill in July this year. Government coalition partners, The Green Party, still favour equality for same-sex couples through civil marriage.

After months of waiting and years of toiling by the LGBT community, the day is finally drawing nearer for the Civil Partnership Bill to be debated and amended, rejected or approved in the Dáil and the Seanad. It is now due to be introduced in early December [also]. It is bound to be one of the most contentious debates held in the Oireachtas this year and is going to be a helluva lot more interesting than NAMA.

You can read the Bill, follow its progress through the Houses of the Oireachtas and read debates and amendments relating to it on the Oireachtas website. Alternatively, if you aren’t interested in trawling through 118 pages of legalese, you can peruse the more accessible and succinct 25-page explanatory document which has been circulated to members of the Oireachtas. Thanks to blogger Maman Poulet, it can be viewed here.

It’ll be interesting to see what TDs and Senators make of the Bill. Some opposers will be towing the “It’s an abomination! Won’t somebody think of the children?!” line of “reason”. Ironically, others will criticise the bill for not recognising the needs of children, and also other issues, e.g. taxation. Conversely, those speaking in favour of the Bill will hopefully be pressed to expound upon their reasons for supporting a Bill that creates second-class status and restricted legal recognition for same-sex couples. Of course, as the bill is being debated, it can also be amended which means additional rights and responsibilities can be included or existing ones expected to be conferred can be deleted. In Summer 2008, UN Human Rights Committee expressed concern that the Civil Partnership Bill does not address existing inequality in the Irish taxation and social welfare systems. The Committee recommended that the Government “ensure that its legislation is not discriminatory of non-traditional forms of partnership, including taxation and welfare benefits” (via Rights Monitor). This may give impetus to amendments to redress these areas at least.

If you want to see the debate live as the Bill is laid before the Dáil by the Minister for (in)Justice, you can either observe from the Dáil gallery by contacting Leinster House in advance (Be warned though: just because the TDs may be making heckling or supportive noises doesn’t mean you can join in. Silence is strictly demanded of visitors to the gallery) and registering your name to attend, or watch it online here.

LGBT Noise will also be holding a demonstration against the Bill to convey the community’s dissatisfaction with second-class status. The details of the demonstration shall be announced once the Bill’s scheduling has been confirmed. Keep an eye on LGBT Noise’s website for more information and details of the event as they emerge.

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1. Civil Partnership Photography want you!

For more information on the conference programme, click here. Those who book in advance are entitled to a discounted fee of €10 (Regular cost to attend is €15).

The conference runs from 1pm until 5pm so it’s a neatly packaged afternoon activity.

Links for the Conference:

- Conference Site
- Page on Facebook

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Stencil I penned for my pumpkin

Pick your design: There are some great ideas shared by pumpkin-thusiasts. If you fancy carving your mug or that of a sleb then check out Gerald Gore’s tips here.

For those with an inventive streak, check out some of the designs on ExtremePumpkins.com.

Tools: You’ll need:
- An ice-cream scoop or large spoon
- Craft-knife, scalpel or sharp knife
- Tracing paper or stencil printed on paper
- Tape – masking tape is preferable but sticky-tape is okay too
- Ruler
- Toothpicks
Depending on how you’re going to transfer the design onto the pumpkin:
- Thumb-tack, push-pin or sewing pin,
- Pen or sharp pencil
or
- ‘B’ pencil, e.g. 2B

To prepare the pumpkin for carving: Carving your pumpkin is pretty straightforward, but before giving the pumpkin shell a makeover, you’ll have to scoop out the pulp and seeds. First, you’ll have to cut a lid out of the shell. You can cut a circular, star-shaped or irregular-shaped lid. Make sure it’s big enough to get our hand comfortably inside for scooping out the inside, and also for putting a candle inside it later on.

For scooping out the inside, here’s where an ice-cream scoop comes in handy. Use the scoop to transfer the seeds and pulp into a bowl. Be sure to clear the stringy pulp from walls of the pumpkin on the inside. Cover the bowl of pulp and seeds in cling film and set it aside. Also, if the pumpkin wall is thicker than 1″ / 2.5cm, keep scooping the wall where you plan to carve your design until there it is approximately 1″ thick. Don’t carve it too thin or else the outer wall could come apart when you try to carve your design later.

Tracing your design: To transfer the pumpkin design onto the pumpkin, tape the stencil onto the pumpkin face and cradle the pumpkin in your lap for stability. There are a few ways to realise your design. Some folks opt for tracing or sketching onto the pumpkin with a felt-nibbed pen. If this is your favoured approach, be sure that the pen won’t rub off because you’ll lose the design and probably have indelible ink on your hands and face. If you use a permanent or whiteboard marker, you will need nail polish remover to remove any leftover ink after you’ve carved. I recommend using a soft, black pencil. A HB is okay but a bit hard-to-read so I recommend a 2B or higher-numbered B pencil. The cleanest and most precise way of transferring a stencil and the method which ideal for a complex or detailed design, is by using a push-pin, thumb-tack or sewing pin to map the design from the stencil onto the pumpkin. To do this just insert the pin along the lines of the design through the paper and into the pumpkin surface every 0.5cm.

When you’re finished with the pin, take off the paper stencil and use a pen to join the dots to recreate the design.

Carving your Pumpkin: Using a knife, craft knife or scalpel, carve into the pumpkin, cut along the lines you have just mapped with the pins and joined with the pen.

If you accidentally cut out a piece you didn’t mean to, you can reattach it by using toothpicks to tack it back onto the main pumpkin.

When you’ve finished cutting, you can rub petroleum jelly on the cut areas so that the design lasts longer.

Now, take off the lid and pop in a night light and urge everyone around you to check out your mad craft skillz!

And here's one I made earlier featuring Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas

Be an ethical Pumpkineer: That mushy orange stuff with the pips that you scraped off the walls and scooped out earlier can be used for all sorts of recipes from pies to soups. And it’s tasty and nutritious too so there’s no need to just chuck it in the bosca bruscar. For some ideas, check out what’s possible with pumpkin on RTÉ, BBC and Epicurious.com. Even the seeds can be eaten!

If you don’t fancy carving your pumpkin, you can use pens, flowers, craft paper or anything else at your disposal to decorate your pumpkin. Check out some of some ideas over on Better Homes & Garden’s Hallowe’en site.

If you’ve fashioned your own pumpkin masterpiece, please feel free to post a link to an image in the comments below, or tell us about it in the comments and be sure to include any handy tips you may have stumbled across.

Happy Hallowe’en, y’all!

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Unfortunately, due to the negligence and ignorance of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), the issue of gender has never been properly addressed. As mirrored in sociey; why consider gender, sure we’ve all got either pink or blue booties? Only sometimes we have both/none.

Caster returned to Johannesberg to a heroine’s welcome from jubilant South Africans, as well she should. However, this was news. The media seemed to have no idea how to cover Caster’s story. They usually have a closed-minded “is she a goodie or a baddie” attitude when it comes to reporting. Caster looked like she could’ve been a baddie – a man competing in women’s athletics. When it came to pass that she is not only female but exhibited all of the traits the press love in a woman and a heroine; shy, warm, tough background. What to do? The press looked to South Africa. If they accepted her, it seemed, the press would.

In the weeks since her win, the press have been pretty good to her. Ok, they’ve kept the spotlight on her gender and not her ability but at least they haven’t been as bad as the IAAF.

The South African arm of the body, Athletics South Africa, made her undergo the test before the World Championships without telling her what she would be tested for.  “The worst part was that she thought she was going for doping tests … she was in no way prepared for what happened,” Caster’s ex-coach Wilfred Daniels has said.

In this case, there is no evidence or even suggestion of cheating, however, the international body conducted tests to see what gender Caster is. The results were leaked by The Sydney Daily Telegraph claiming that the tests prove she has no womb or ovaries, but internal male testes which are producing extraordinary amounts of testosterone.

First of all, who has the right to check a person’s gender? Gender is about much, much more than genitalia. Secondly, how dare The Sydney Daily Telegraph leak this information before Caster, herself, had been informed.

She is a person. She may have no womb, no ovaries and a lot of testosterone but she is still a woman. All of these things may hand her a genetic predisposition to excel on the track but we don’t point fingers at Michael Phelps.

Phelps is the perfect swimming machine. His arms span 6 feet 7 inches and are disproportionate to his height of 6 feet 4 inches. His legs are relatively short for a man of his height and offer lower drag, “his size 14 feet provide the effect of flippers; and his hypermobile ankles he can extend beyond the pointe of a ballet dancer, enabling him to whip his feet as if they were fins for maximum thrust through the water,” according to Wikipedia. Is he being tested for fish genes? No, he is being lauded as the greatest swimmer who ever graced the water.

Gender is a sensitive issue and Caster a sensitive person. Word is that she has gone into seclusion following all of the brouhaha. It has to have ruined what should have been her greatest moment so far. Before her move into the closed training camps of South Africa, she was on the cover of a national magazine (right). Apparently, this proves she’s a woman. It’s all about make-up, hair and a nice gúna. Welcome to the Victorian age.

There are many worries in all of this: the larger question of gender; how it is “assessed” as percieved and the woman at the centre of it all. She is already becoming dangerously close to a joke in her home. Recently, Teazers lapdancing club had to pay her 20,000 Rand for using her picture in an ad with the tagline “No need for gender testing“.

I just hope that this gender-question doesn’t dog Caster for the rest of her career. In the Olympics she should be introduced as world champion, and only that.

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Yvonne Doyle (played by Ciara O'Callaghan)

So, what’s all this about a blonde chick? Well as you may have gleaned from the above, Yvonne is more likely to give herself chronic gastric problems with such unhealthy man-eating habits than suddenly pull a mistress out of her handbag. Notwithstanding that, within 24 hours of Louie issuing her with short shrift a little over a week ago, Yvonne made an urgent and brief phonecall: “I need you now.” And lo, a few scenes later there was a knock at the door of Yvonne’s apartment. The door opens to reveal an intriguing new character. But viewers would have to wait a while longer for introductions because there was nary a word between them before lips were locked with such fervour that we knew this wasn’t just any old friend from bygone days.

Well, that's not how I greet the Mormons who call to my door

Writers are having fun with Connie and Yvonne. They are gorgeous and tempestuous and wonderfully flirtatious. What makes it touching is that Yvonne can be herself with Connie. She can let slip her ‘I’m a bitch’ mask and relax in the knowledge that Connie loves her warts and all… She is rather hot! This is Yvonne Doyle though; we must not forget that and she is well-known for her man-eating skills so the question is does she love Connie as much as she says and has she really changed? One thing’s for sure: storylines will get steamier and there will be a broken heart or two… male or female? Who knows?

To find out what’s in store for Yvonne and Connie, you can catch the episodes of Fair City from the past few weeks on RTÉ’s Player service and watch new episodes on RTÉ One at 8.00pm every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.

For a profile of Yvonne from the perspective of Ciara O’Callaghan, the actress who portrays Yvonne, click here.

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Most striking about the 2009 shortlist though is the prevalence of female acts who have made the grade. There is a record-making five female solo artists on the shortlist and even those noisy rockers, Glasvegas, have a female drummer. One such solo entrant and flying the flag for Ireland is Lisa Hannigan, who was Damien Rice’s muse on his first two albums and has now struck out on her own with her much-acclaimed folk debut, Sea Sew.

The shortlist of 12 releases is as follows:

• Kasabian – West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum
  Joint favourite-to-win at 5/1 according to William Hill Bookmakers. The most-recognisable act on the list have been busy supporting Oasis on tour. Their laddish rep distracts from their inventive style on this release.
• The Horrors – Primary Colours
  A five-piece from Southend-on-Sea who had previously been dismissed for style-over-substance but after suffering from critical disappointment due to over-hyping of their first album, they have returned with a second album which improves upon its predecessor.
• Friendly Fires – Friendly Fires
  Indie-disco, post-punk, alt-rock, what you want to call it. This unashamedly sophisticated pop release which is fresh and accessible.
• Glasvegas – Glasvegas
  Glaswegian working class heroes who were lumbered with over-hyped expectations prior to this debut release but thankfully still managed to deliver with an album of raw and anthmic episodes of life in one of Glasgow’s most disadvantaged and troubled neighbourhoods.
• La Roux – La Roux
  Most commercially successful act and a bookie’s favourite. 80s styled synth-pop is definitely á la mode and androgynous frontperson, Elly Jackson, and bandmate, Ben Langmeid, have hit the mainstream’s jugular since this album has reached number 2 in the British charts and single, “Bulletproof” soared to number one.
• Florence And The Machine – Lungs
  a.k.a. Florence Welsh. This freshly released debut album which features lush pop, buckets of harp accompaniment and bellowing vocals. Currently, joint favourite-to-win at 5/1 according to William Hill Bookmakers.
• Bat For Lashes – Two Suns
  a.k.a. Natasha Khan, features on the list again with sophomore effort, Two Suns, as she did in 2007 with her debut. This release features pounding and delicate piano, some additional electronic sounds, plenty of ethereal soprano and probably a few unicorns and Medieval princesses as well.
• Lisa Hannigan – Sea Sew
  Singer-songwriter with throaty and breathy vocals and plenty of lush strong melodies. Hannigan also hand-stitched her own album cover. It doesn’t get more folksy than that.
• The Invisible – The Invisible
  Rockers for the art crowd with a distinctly funk/soul thread running through this debut release, which wont appeal to the masses but will garner critical acclaim.
• Led Bib – Sensible Shoes
  The only jazz act on the list. This is their third album which is characterised by euphoric jazz sounds intertwined with rock beats.
• Sweet Billy Pilgrim – Twice Born Men
  Sure to have the most commercial success on the back of their nomination since this trio were unheard of before yesterday’s publication of the shortlist. In fact, one bandmember was at work fitting a toilet seat when he heard the news.
• Speech Debelle – Speech Therapy
  Rap artist lauded for this debut release’s articulate and poetic flows, sweet and innocent cadence, and honest-’til-she-bleeds lyrics.

The winner of this year’s prize will be announced on September 8th and along with a massive commerical bump, will take home £20,000. Be careful betters! The winner is invariably a complete surprise, even to the judges involved in compiling the shortlist.

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