Birth of the BBC. Its first Director-General John Reith has a reputation for strict morals but his personal diaries, held by BBC Archives, reveal he had at least one passionate, romantic and his biographer believes sexual relationship with a man when in his twenties. In , sex between men is illegal. She is the first woman to be made a Dame for her achievements in music and is honoured by the BBC for her 75th birthday. Ethel Smyth enjoys many passionate affairs with women. The most celebrated gay man in living memory.
As a result, the weekend service for Vanessa Collier was abruptly moved across the street from a church in the Denver suburb of Lakewood to a smaller chapel at a funeral home, her loved ones said. Collier, 33, died last month from a gunshot wound in the city of Thornton, north of Denver. Police spokesman Matt Barnes said the death is being investigated as a possible suicide. In their posts, Collier's family and friends said that Ray Chavez, pastor of New Hope Ministries, forced the cancellation of the service last weekend at his church 15 minutes before it was set to start. Chavez could not immediately be reached for comment, and the Denver Post and other local media also reported that they could not reach him. Editing by Sharon Bernstein and Ken Wills.
On a balmy February night in , a small group of about 50 gay men and lesbians gathered in a church hall in Balmain. It was the first ever open public meeting of homosexuals held in Australia. Australian society in the late s was hostile to homosexuals or, at least, its institutions were. The medical profession regarded lesbians and gay men as sick, and some even tried to change their orientation in horrific ways, often with legal sanction. Standing up and attempting to counter the negative images and stereotypes about homosexuals was a very brave act indeed.
The WBC has been involved in actions against gay people since , when it sought a crackdown on homosexual activity at Gage Park near its headquarters. In addition to conducting anti-gay protests at military funerals, the organization pickets celebrity funerals and public events. Protests have also been held against Jews, Mormons , and Catholics.