Openly gay Mayor of Lambeth Mark Bent has passed away - Attu

Contents:

• LONDON GAY MUNY SHOCK OVER SUDN ATH OF MAYOR OF LAMBETH
• OPENLY GAY MAYOR OF LAMBETH MARK BENT HAS PASSED AWAY
• MAYOR OF LAMBETH CELEBRAT GAY TIM TANGO
• GAY MAYOR OF HYATTSVILLE, MARYLAND, FOUND DEAD

LONDON GAY MUNY SHOCK OVER SUDN ATH OF MAYOR OF LAMBETH

The London gay muny is shock followg the announcement that Lambeth Mayor Mark Bent died sudnly om a spected heart attack on Tuday morng, aged 43. In November, he took part a walk through Vxhall to reclaim the area after an anti-gay hate crime attack had taken place.

The openly gay uncillor was also a member of the Labour Campaign for Lbian and Gay Rights. Last year, he took part the 2013 London Gay Pri Para wearg his mayoral chas.

The openly gay Mayor of Lambeth passed away om a spected heart attack yterday morng (Feb 4), aged jt 43.

OPENLY GAY MAYOR OF LAMBETH MARK BENT HAS PASSED AWAY

Mr Bent had been Mayor of Lambeth sce March 2013, and took part the LGBT prott Vxhall last November, after a homophobic attack had taken place. The much-loved Councillor was also a member of the Labour Campaign for Lbian and Gay Rights. Delays meant this was the first sce 2008 and there had been speculatn tensns uld n high, wh the risk even of divisn or the acturg of the munn that reprents more than 80 ln people the nference was voted to a gamut of issu, the jeopardy surround a predictable qutn which, neverthels, many nservative church said they saw as fundamental: homosexualy and same-sex fact, the reason the nference didn't take place 2018 was bee was felt the munn was not ready to fd a way forward on the issue.

For years, this muny has wrtled wh , and now jt a handful of the 46 church the munn nduct or bls same-sex marriag, and only a small mory allow gay clergy. The archbishops of Nigeria, Rwanda and Uganda boytted this Lambeth Conference over the issue, prottg that any "regnn of homosexual relatns" was biblil if the ambn had been to hold thgs together among those who did attend, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Jt Welby, appears to have found the formula for now. PragmatismIt was set out a pivotal speech which, on the one hand, he reaffirmed a rolutn passed by the Lambeth Conference 1998 which said same sex marriage was wrong and "homosexual practic" are patible wh scripture.

Toksvig love appealBut one of the two posns he validated se people who happen to be gay as fundamentally unequal. She said the signals he sent, reaffirmg the Church's long-held posn that gay marriage was wrong, and that same-sex relatnships fied scripture, put liv at risk. She ced the fact that young gay and transgenr people were already much more likely to ntemplate suici.

MAYOR OF LAMBETH CELEBRAT GAY TIM TANGO

A nsultatn procs is due to report later this year, but gay rights advot wh the Church are not nfint will lead to source, PA MediaImage ptn, Jt Welby led the openg service of the nferenceGiven the untri which Anglinism is growg, is nservative views that are growg globally.

GAY MAYOR OF HYATTSVILLE, MARYLAND, FOUND DEAD

But if gay marriage is allowed the Church here, uld well stra relatns. Some nservative Ain bishops at the nference suggted that if the Church of England allowed gay marriage would leave them, and not English bishops, as the te Anglins.

Existential threatMany other bishops at the nference bristle at the fact there has been so much foc the media and outsi world on the issue of pot to the fellowship and llaboratn on issu like poverty and nflict that has been fostered durg the nference, and give those as important exampl of why is ccial to keep the munn is Jt Welby himself who talked about the issue of same-sex marriage as beg a potential existential threat to the church - some untri if church challenge the hard le historil posn on , others if they do not make archbishop may well have been talkg about his own Church the latter tegory, as one of those that need to reform if is to stay relevant and avoid beg subject to may feel that he has ma a signifint promise by sayg natnal church choosg to nduct same-sex marriag will not be sanctned, but here at home, even jt by entertag and reaffirmg a posn that allows gay people to be viewed unequally, as he did at this nference, he risks dog precisely what he says should be on this story. Retag his sense of humour through the termable unt he scribed as “the agony and the ex-TD” long time nstuency lleague and rival Gay Mchell of Fe Gael scribed Brise after his ath as a pleasant and charmg man who loved his native cyThe oute had huge polil signifince at the time as the failure of Byrne to be elected put an end to the prospects of a rabow aln volvg Democratic Left, Labour and Fe Gael.