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Prestigious Mike Rhodes Award 2001 |
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Compiled by GayToday
He was presented with the award at a ceremony at the October Gallery in London on Tuesday, November 20, 2001. "This Award is very special to me. It is my first ever award from the lesbian and gay community, and it is an award that commemorates my dear friend Mike Rhodes. We campaigned together in the Gay Liberation Front during the early 1970s." "I want to express my sincere thanks to everyone who has helped my campaigns. None of my achievements would have been possible without their kindness and support". "Mugabe's thugs have threatened to kill me, and the Australian government has banned me from returning to the country of my birth. But I am still defiant, and this award will help finance my continuing work for universal human rights". "When I spoke at the British Fertility Society's annual conference in Belfast in April, I was the first openly gay person to address this meeting of embryologists, gynaecologists, fertility experts and reproductive scientists. It was the first time they had discussed lesbian and gay parenting rights. As a result of my lobbying, the conference voted by more than two to one in favour of providing donor insemination and surrogacy services to same-sex couples".
"I've been battling for queer human rights for 32 years. I intend to keep battling for another 32 years - or longer - until there is social justice and human rights for lesbian and gay people everywhere", said Tatchell. |
British activist Peter Tatchell