GALHA Mourns Death Of Gay Rights Defender

LONDON, 29 DECEMBER 2007 — The Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association (GALHA) is mourning the death of one of its vice-presidents, gay rights activist Dr James Hemming.

James Hemming was a child psychologist and a strong advocate of sex education in schools. He was a determined campaigner against the infamous Section 28, and in 1987 declared homosexuality to be “morally acceptable as a way of life” in a BBC2 Day to Day programme.

In an attack during that year on what was to become Section 28, he said: “What is necessary for children is that they should have a complete, profound understanding of the full range of human sexuality, without any special bias being put on here and there, or trying to sell one particular line or another. Let them know honestly. If we don’t tell them what the facts are through education, they will pick up distorted and garbled views from the mass media and their friends. That is the choice: whether we give children the information they need to grow up as mature citizens, or whether we deliberately seem to be withholding part of it because it’s ‘wicked’.”

James Hemming was also an opponent of the blasphemy law, which was used to prosecute Gay News over its publication of the poem The Love That Dares To Speak Its Name. In 1978 he was among the signatories to A Statement Against Blasphemy Law published by the Committee Against Blasphemy Law.

Cliff James, secretary of GALHA, said: “We are very sad to lose Dr Hemming, a great humanist and defender of free thought. It is thanks to the courage and sanity of figures like him that unjust laws, such as Section 28, have been overturned. We hope that his words and deeds will continue to be an inspiration against the irrational forces of prejudice.”

Notes for editors:

1. Humanist educationalist, child psychologist and activist Dr James Hemming died peacefully at the age of 98 in Kingston Hospital on 25 December 2007.
2. Dr Hemming was a vice-president of GALHA as well as a vice-president and former president of the British Humanist Association and honorary associate of the Rationalist Press Association.
3. GALHA provides a voice for the many non-religious in the lesbian and gay community in the United Kingdom and elsewhere and promotes a rational humanist approach to homosexuality and to lesbian, gay and bisexual rights as human rights.