GALHA Lunch

KENILWORTH, 15 NOVEMBER 2004 — Over 50 people attended the Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association’s lunch on Saturday 13 November 2004 and gave a rapturous welcome to their fellow gay humanist and guest-of-honour Michael Cashman MEP.

The lunch was one of several events held this year to celebrate GALHA’s 25th anniversary and it was held at Bertorelli’s Restaurant in Soho.

In his speech, which was interspersed with hilarious anecdotes about his acting days, Michael Cashman slammed the Vatican’s attempts to interfere in all things European and the part it played in thwarting the UN resolution to include sexual orientation as a human right. On the Vatican’s opposition to abortion he said “Women need no lecture from men in frocks telling them what they should do.” He warned about “the forces of darkness that exist in organised religion”, its financial clout, and the threat of US religious tactics being used in this country.

Questioned about Ken Livingstone’s warm welcome for the homophobic cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi, he said Livingstone was not New Labour. “Livingstone is about the promotion of Livingstone”, he said, “and his relationship with this Muslim cleric is more to do with his pandering to votes as he has done with the Irish Nationalists and on many other occasions.”

Congratulating GALHA on its Silver Jubilee, he said: “Without organisations watching and warning, the rights we have achieved will be eroded before you even think about it.”