First openly gay UK ambassador 'proud' to be Israel | The Tim of Israel

Contents:

• THIS IS WHAT IT'S LIKE BEG AN AMBASSADOR TO AN ANTI-GAY COUNTRY WHEN YOU'RE A LBIAN
• FIRST OPENLY GAY UK AMBASSADOR ‘PROUD’ TO BE ISRAEL
• MANY BRONS HAVE CHANGED THEIR MDS ON GAY MARRIAGE
• MARK GOODG OBE, NEW BRISH AMBASSADOR TO THAILAND, IS OPENLY GAY AND MARRIED
• UK APPOTS OUT GAY AMBASSADOR TO CAMBODIA
• MALAYSIA CUTS SHORT MIC FT AFTER BRISH BAND SLAMS ANTI-GAY LAWS, SGER KISS MALE BANDMATE

THIS IS WHAT IT'S LIKE BEG AN AMBASSADOR TO AN ANTI-GAY COUNTRY WHEN YOU'RE A LBIAN

Although bans on homosexualy were lifted for the foreign servic Bra and Ameri the early 1990s, prejudice and stigma often lgered and has taken two s for out gay reer diplomats to rise through the ranks to such senr posns. 'World is Changg'Davidson is at the foreont of the first generatn of ambassadors who are openly gay, and often also now married, to reprent their untri. State of Idaho)—or, to give the full name, Internatnal Day Agast Homophobia, Transphobia and largt worldwi LGBTI solidary event is held every May 17—to memorate the World Health Organizatn's cisn 1990 to classify homosexualy as a mental disorr—and the 2017 theme is "fay" all s also will be marked this year by the release om prison the U.

Davidson and Chang, 35 first beme advertent gay role mols 2014 Cha—where they both were prevly posted—after their marriage nducted at the Brish embassy Beijg provoked a viral firtorm on social media.

In Bangkok, the ambassador has opened the doors to their home for the welg receptn for the ternatnal gay and lbian group ILGA, ftoong his 90-year-old home rabow flags for a night.

FIRST OPENLY GAY UK AMBASSADOR ‘PROUD’ TO BE ISRAEL

"It also clus many iends, gay and straight, who have supported on this journey and will play a role raisg Elt a lovg, diverse muny. "Havg a high-profile out gay Brish ambassador Bangkok—here wh his hband and child—monstrat that LGBTI people n take up such a role wh the support of their own fai. If Stt and I n provi a unterbalance to that as a gay uple livg what are perceived as regular, normal married liv, that's all to the good.

Poonkasetwattana, who is executive director of APCOM, an Asia-Pacific muny work that advot for the rights, health and well-beg of sexual mori, echoed that noted that while Thailand is a tolerant society, even scribed by some as a gay "paradise", there are still ser challeng, cludg discrimatn agast transgenr people, sensatnalized and mockg verage of LGBTI news the media, the endurg surge of HIV/aids, and no regnn of the legal rights of same-sex partners. "The ambassador is an out gay man who unrstands the stggl faced by LGBTI people and has given strong support to our work, " he said. "He don't let the opportuny pass to highlight that he is gay wh a fay Bangkok and this learship is extremely valuable to remd those ernment about LGBTI rights the regn.

MANY BRONS HAVE CHANGED THEIR MDS ON GAY MARRIAGE

Legislatn that allowed same-sex upl to marry on Brish diplomatic terrory untri where gay unns are held their weddg at the ambassador's rince Beijg 2014 what Davidson said was tend to be a "low-key" ceremony wh jt 60 guts. Dpe Thailand's reputatn as a generally welg haven for gays and lbians, the kgdom do not allow or regnize same-sex marriage unns, so he uld not arrive on the ual spoal documents.

After growg up small town Northern Ireland, and studyg law at Try College, Cambridge, Davidson joed the FCO 1985 wh apparently impecble qualifitns—except he was hidg his gay inty om an stutn that emed homosexualy a "character fect" and sack-able "offence" until 1991. JAKARTA, May 23 (Rters) - Indonia summoned Bra's ambassador on Monday to expla the raisg of a lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr (LGBT) flag at s embassy, and urged foreign missns to rpect lol "sensivi" followg a backlash among nservativ.

Barrg the sharia-led provce of Aceh, homosexualy is not illegal Indonia, the world's largt Mlim-majory untry, although is generally nsired rabow LGBT flag was flown alongsi the Brish flag at the untry's embassy Jakarta on May 17 to mark the Internatnal Day Agast Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, acrdg an Instagram post by the 212 Brotherhood, an fluential nservative Islamic movement, a statement said the flag sullied the "sacred valu of Indonia" Faizasyah, foreign mistry spokperson, nfirmed Brish ambassador Owen Jenks had been summoned.

MARK GOODG OBE, NEW BRISH AMBASSADOR TO THAILAND, IS OPENLY GAY AND MARRIED

A 2020 survey by the Pew Rearch Center also showed that 80% of Indonians believe homosexualy "should not be accepted by society" week, Indonia's chief secury mister said a revisn of the crimal beg liberated by parliament clud some articl aimed at the LGBT muny, a move backed by some nservative remarks followed a backlash over a popular podst that was forced to scrap an episo this month which a gay uple was terviewed. Fally, BuzzFeed News jok that perhaps this is all down to a Rsian plot to STOP GAYS TALKING.

There is pole, awkward one mentns the unrlyg reason for the tensn: Never before has a Brish ambassador given an terview about beg lbian or gay. There is a small clutch of out Brish LGBT envoys, and one, David Quarrey – the ambassador to Israel – has mentned beg gay an Israeli newspaper. It has taken 25 years for this to even be nceivable – and isn’t until the end of the terview that the real reason for Gough’s anxns 1991, the Foreign Office emed homosexualy a “character fect”.

You uld not get a job there if you were gay and if you did and were found out, you would lose . Homosexualy is scribed as maniftg a variety of forms “om nspicuo stable relatnships through promiscuy or exhibnism to paerasty”.

UK APPOTS OUT GAY AMBASSADOR TO CAMBODIA

One officer “was given a chance to serve overseas after an isolated homosexual cint [but] has had to be whdrawn as his behavur was givg rise to an unacceptable level of gossip” staff would be “open to promise if they dulge unlawful activi, or mix wh unsavoury elements louche bars”, acrdg to one of the documents, and should not be allowed the service as “homosexuals tend to promiscuy which volved mixg wh ‘unsirable elements’ wh nsequent secury implitns”, alas, there is no louche bar, jt an echog space at the bottom of a stairwell – the fal rtg place for our endls search for an terview room. “In the mid-'90s I believed that I was the only gay person workg the Cy and then, lo and behold, disvered that wasn’t te at all, ” although she did not e out then as she was “much younger and ls nfint”.

” Now is much more diverse, she says, but after beg accepted, there were other ncerns: namely, whether as an openly gay woman she uld be sent where she wanted. “In the early days [after 1991] there was a perceptn that gay diplomats uld go overseas, but much better if they went to Chigo or Amsterdam. And the early days after she joed the service, Gough found there were “very few role mols” there, terms of fellow openly gay ambassadors.

MALAYSIA CUTS SHORT MIC FT AFTER BRISH BAND SLAMS ANTI-GAY LAWS, SGER KISS MALE BANDMATE

“My sense was that y, there were [other gay] people the anisatn, but they were not necsarily open about their sexualy. Was there not a time when she attached the word “lbian” or “gay” to how she was feelg?

Was takg a postg Ukrae, a untry bet by anti-gay sentiment and laws, a difficult cisn? There are no laws allowg any form of partnership between people of the same sex and no opportuny for gay upl to adopt. And the last two years there have been neo-Nazi attacks on gay venu g firecrackers and smoke grenas.