141 Facts About Peter Tatchell

Peter Gary Tatchell was born on 25 January 1952 and is an Australian-born British human rights campaigner, best known for his work with LGBT social movements.

Peter Tatchell was then denounced by party leader Michael Foot for ostensibly supporting extra-Parliamentary action against the Thatcher government.

Peter Tatchell has worked on various campaigns, such as Stop Murder Music against music lyrics allegedly inciting violence against LGBT people and writes and broadcasts on various human rights and social justice issues.

Peter Tatchell attempted a citizen's arrest of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe in 1999 and again in 2001.

Peter Tatchell has taken part in over 30 debates at the Oxford Union, encompassing a wide range of issues such as patriotism, Thatcherism and university safe spaces.

Peter Tatchell's father was a lathe operator and his mother worked in a biscuit factory.

Peter Tatchell's parents divorced when he was four and his mother remarried soon afterwards.

Peter Tatchell started work as a sign-writer and window-dresser in department stores.

Peter Tatchell became interested in outdoor adventurous activities such as surfing and mountain climbing.

Peter Tatchell was elected secretary of the school's Student Representative Council.

Peter Tatchell wrote that the trajectory of the bullet through the warder's body made it unlikely that Ryan could have fired the fatal shot, casting doubt on the conviction.

In 1968, Peter Tatchell began campaigning against the American and Australian involvement in the Vietnam War, in his view a war of aggression in support of a "brutal and corrupt dictatorship" responsible for torture and executions.

Peter Tatchell had opened up about being gay in 1969, and in London became a leading member of the Gay Liberation Front until its 1974 collapse.

Peter Tatchell's lecture was subject to various disruptions; it ended in his denunciation as a "troublemaker" by a member of the audience.

Peter Tatchell intended to carry a placard advocating gay rights at the closing rally of the festival.

Yet, in defiance of the collective decision, Peter Tatchell carried the placard anyway and was then beaten.

Peter Tatchell later claimed that this was the first time gay liberation politics were publicly disseminated and discussed in a communist country, although he noted that, in terms of decriminalisation and the age of consent, gay men had greater rights in East Germany at the time than much of the West.

Peter Tatchell collaborated with public artist Martin Firrell to mark the 50th anniversary of the GLF in 2020.

Peter Tatchell popularised the phrase "sexual apartheid" to describe the separate laws that long existed for gays and heterosexuals.

In 1978, Peter Tatchell joined the Labour Party and moved to a council flat in Bermondsey, south-east London.

At the Bermondsey Constituency Labour Party's AGM in February 1980, the left group won control and Peter Tatchell was elected Secretary.

Foot denounced Peter Tatchell, stating that he would not be endorsed as a candidate and a vote at the Labour Party National Executive Committee denied Peter Tatchell's endorsement.

However, the Bermondsey Labour Party continued to support him and it was eventually agreed that when the selection was rerun, Peter Tatchell would be eligible, and he duly won.

When Mellish resigned from Parliament and triggered a by-election, Peter Tatchell's candidacy was endorsed, and the ensuing campaign was regarded as one of the most homophobic in modern British history.

Peter Tatchell was assaulted in the street, had his flat attacked, and had a death threat and a live bullet put through his letterbox in the night.

Peter Tatchell argued that Britain's military was primarily organised on a strategy of basing troops abroad rather than defending Britain itself from outside attacks, which he claimed was a legacy of the British Empire.

Peter Tatchell praised the Second World War-era British Home Guard as an example of a "citizens' army", as well as the armed forces of Sweden, Switzerland and Yugoslavia as positive examples for the UK military to emulate.

Peter Tatchell quoted with approval Enoch Powell's argument that the threat from the Soviet Union to Britain was greatly exaggerated.

In February 2000, Peter Tatchell resigned from Labour, citing the treatment of Ken Livingstone during the nomination of a candidate for Mayor of London, and of similar cases in the Scottish and Welsh elections, as evidence that the party "no longer has any mechanism for democratic involvement and transformation".

Peter Tatchell fought unsuccessfully for a seat on the London Assembly as an Independent candidate within the Green Left grouping, in support of Livingstone.

On 16 December 2009, he withdrew as a candidate claiming brain damage he says was caused by a bus accident as well as damage inflicted by Mugabe's bodyguards when Peter Tatchell attempted to arrest him in 2001 in Brussels, and by neo-Nazis in Moscow.

Peter Tatchell opposes nuclear power; instead he advocates concentrated solar power.

Peter Tatchell urged links between trade unions and the Greens.

Peter Tatchell opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and the subsequent occupation of Iraqi territory by Coalition forces.

Peter Tatchell advocated military and financial aid to opponents of the Saddam government, suggesting that anti-Saddam organisations be given "tanks, helicopter gun-ships, fighter planes, heavy artillery and anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles".

Peter Tatchell has written that on 12 March 2003 he ambushed Tony Blair's motorcade in an anti-Iraq war protest.

Peter Tatchell added that in terms of the political struggle within Britain : "I remain committed to the Gandhian principle of non-violence".

In 2003, Peter Tatchell said he supported giving "massive material aid" to Iraqi opposition groups, including the "Shi'ite Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq", to bring down Saddam.

Peter Tatchell claimed that SCIRI, the leading force in Baghdad's ruling coalition, wanted to establish an Iranian-style religious dictatorship, with a goal of clerical fascism, and had engaged in "terrorisation of gay Iraqis", as well as terrorising Sunni Muslims, left-wingers, unveiled women and people who listen to western pop music or wear jeans or shorts.

In September 2014, Peter Tatchell advocated arming the Kurdistan Workers' Party to fight against ISIS, and argued that the US and EU had been wrong to designate it as a terrorist organisation.

Peter Tatchell said that the initial draft that he signed contained the sentence "Some of us have disagreements with the views expressed [by feminist critics of trans people]", and that he was "not happy" that this was cut out of the final letter.

Cowling said that Peter Tatchell supported speakers who are "openly transphobic and incite violence" against transgender people, and that Peter Tatchell had used "racist language".

Peter Tatchell has campaigned for many civil rights issues, including protests against repression, racism, homophobia, censorship and the death penalty.

Peter Tatchell was beaten unconscious by Robert Mugabe's bodyguards in Brussels and far-right protestors in Moscow left him with permanently blurred vision in his right eye.

Peter Tatchell suffers memory loss, concentration issues and problems with balance and coordination as a result.

Peter Tatchell took part in many gay rights campaigns over issues such as Section 28.

Peter Tatchell was the group's go-between with the press, forwarding their news statements to his media contacts.

Peter Tatchell failed in his attempt to summon Carey as a witness and was convicted.

Peter Tatchell stated that the action and leaflet would "alienate Jews who are sympathetic to gay rights".

Peter Tatchell has said that a number of Afro-Caribbean artists produce music that glorifies murder of homosexual men, and incites violence against homosexuals.

Peter Tatchell argued that British laws against incitement to violence were not being enforced on foreign artists performing in the UK.

Peter Tatchell organised protests outside the concerts of singers, mainly Jamaican dancehall and ragga artists, who he says glorify violence toward lesbians and gay men, including murder.

Peter Tatchell's campaign began in 1992 when Buju Banton's song "Boom bye-bye" was released.

Peter Tatchell has picketed the MOBO Awards ceremony to protest at their inviting performers of what he terms "murder music".

Peter Tatchell argues that murder is not legal in Jamaica, and glorification of murder is not a legitimate form of Afro-Caribbean culture.

Peter Tatchell defended himself by noting that the campaign was at the behest of the Jamaican gay rights group J-Flag, and the UK-based Black Gay Men's Advisory Group, with which he works closely.

Peter Tatchell pointed to what he described as his life's work campaigning against racism and apartheid, and stated that his campaigns against "murder music" and state-sanctioned homophobic violence in Jamaica were endorsed by many black gay rights activists and by many straight human rights activists in Jamaica.

In 2006, Peter Tatchell opposed the appointment of Ruth Kelly as Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government as Kelly had not supported equal treatment of lesbians and gay men in any parliamentary votes.

Peter Tatchell said "her appointment suggests the government does not take lesbian and gay rights seriously", adding "Tony Blair would never appoint someone to a race-equality post who had a lukewarm record of opposing racism".

In 1997, Peter Tatchell wrote a letter to The Guardian defending an academic book about "boy-love" against what he has said was "censorship".

Peter Tatchell later said that the letter was edited, and that he "was not endorsing their viewpoint but merely stating that they had a different perspective from the mainstream opinion".

In 2011, Peter Tatchell wrote an obituary in The Independent for Scottish gay rights activist Ian Dunn.

Peter Tatchell later said that he had not known about Dunn's connections with the Paedophile Information Exchange until "many years after", and denounced PIE as "disgusting".

In July 2021, Hayley Dixon, Melanie Newman and Julie Bindel said in the Daily Telegraph that a positive review of the pro-paedophilia book Betrayal of Youth, attributed to Peter Tatchell, had appeared in the June 1987 edition of the Communist Party of Great Britain newsletter.

Peter Tatchell said he hadn't read the book at the time and that a colleague wrote the review for him.

Peter Tatchell apologised for the review and said it did not reflect his views.

Peter Tatchell had contributed a chapter to the same book, which he later said he had been "conned" into submitting.

Peter Tatchell has pledged his support for opposite-sex couples to be allowed to have civil partnerships, stating that some opposite-sex couples dislike the "sexist, homophobic history of [the institution of] marriage", and allowing them into civil partnerships "is simply a matter of equality".

Peter Tatchell's government is maintaining legal discrimination against straight partners.

Peter Tatchell has said that Australian cities should be renamed with their original Aboriginal place names.

Peter Tatchell said this would be a fitting tribute to Australia's Aboriginal heritage, which he said has been discarded and disrespected for too long.

Peter Tatchell has written a number of articles in The Guardian on the issue.

Peter Tatchell reiterated his long-standing view that Iran is an "Islamo-fascist state".

Peter Tatchell said that information from Iranian exile groups with contacts inside Iran was that the teenagers were at a secret gay party before they were arrested.

Peter Tatchell urged the IGLYO and the Israeli Gay Youth movement to protest the occupation of Palestine just as LGBT activists had protested against South African apartheid previously.

Peter Tatchell was taken away by police but was not charged.

Peter Tatchell has written articles condemning the Russian anti-LGBT propaganda law.

In 2014, Peter Tatchell protested Valery Gergiev's support for Vladimir Putin.

Peter Tatchell protested the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi over the gay rights stance of Russia, comparing the event to the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.

Peter Tatchell was arrested at the Moscow Pride parade in 2011 amid a spate of anti-LGBT violence by neo-Nazis.

Nikolay Alexeyev, one of the organizers of the Moscow gay pride parade, joined Peter Tatchell in protesting the visit.

The attempt of Mr Peter Tatchell to focus attention on the role of the grand Mufti in Moscow, in the face of numerous attacks on gay rights in Eastern Europe, which overwhelmingly come from right-wing Christian and secular currents, is a clear example of an Islamophobic campaign.

In May 2006, Peter Tatchell attended the first Moscow Pride Festival.

Peter Tatchell appears in the documentary Moscow Pride '06 featuring this event.

In May 2007, Peter Tatchell returned to Moscow to support Moscow Pride and to voice his opposition to a ban on the march, staying at the flat of an American diplomat.

Peter Tatchell was punched in the face and nearly knocked unconscious, while other demonstrators were beaten, kicked and assaulted.

Peter Tatchell was among 32 campaigners arrested when they shouted slogans and unfurled banners.

Peter Tatchell has been involved in anti-apartheid activism since the late 1960s, when he was a teenager.

Peter Tatchell assisted in drafting model clauses for what became Section Nine.

Peter Tatchell participated in the mass Vietnam Moratorium protests in Melbourne in 1970.

Peter Tatchell even sent medical kits to the black nationalists, who were otherwise unable to get the right to vote or other equal rights from the white government at the time.

Mugabe told him that allegations of human rights abuses were grossly exaggerated; he reportedly spat out his tea when Peter Tatchell told him that he was gay.

Peter Tatchell researched the Gukurahundi attacks in Matabeleland in the 1980s, when the Zimbabwean Fifth Brigade attacked supporters of the Zimbabwe African Peoples Union.

Peter Tatchell said that Mugabe had broken international human rights law during the attack, which is estimated to have involved the massacre of around 20,000 civilians.

Peter Tatchell opened the car door and apprehended Mugabe; he then called the police.

On 5 March 2001, when Mugabe visited Brussels, Peter Tatchell again attempted a citizen's arrest.

Later that day, Peter Tatchell was briefly knocked unconscious by Mugabe's bodyguards and was left with permanent damage to his right eye.

Peter Tatchell's actions were praised by Zimbabwean activists and many of the newspapers that had previously denounced him.

Peter Tatchell ultimately failed in his attempt to secure an international arrest warrant against Mugabe on torture charges.

In late 2003, Peter Tatchell acted as a press spokesman for the launch of the Zimbabwe Freedom Movement, which claimed to be a clandestine group within Zimbabwe committed to overthrowing the Mugabe government by force.

Peter Tatchell is an active supporter of animal rights, saying "human rights and animal rights are two aspects of the same struggle against injustice", and that he advocates for a "claim to be spared suffering and offered inalienable rights" for both humans and animals.

Peter Tatchell campaigned on the issue of the constitutional status of Cornwall.

Over 1,500 comments were made, and while some comments were supportive, Peter Tatchell found himself "shocked and disgusted" by the anti-Cornish sentiment shown by many commenters.

For over 20 years, Peter Tatchell has written and campaigned about environmental problems including global warming and resource depletion, pointing out that they often have a disproportionately negative impact on developing countries.

Peter Tatchell championed energy conservation and renewable energy; in particular tidal, wave and concentrated solar power.

In 2006, during the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy, Peter Tatchell spoke at a 25 March 2006 rally called the Freedom of Expression Rally.

In 2015, because of his stance on free speech, Peter Tatchell signed an open letter denouncing no-platforming policies in some universities.

Peter Tatchell has said that although he "totally disagreed" with anti-trans activists, he supported their right to free speech and felt it was better to debate them than silence them.

However, in 2018, Peter Tatchell voiced his support for Mark Meechan's conviction under section 127 of the Communications Act 2003 for posting a "grossly offensive" video on YouTube.

Peter Tatchell has said he is committed to "multiculturalism and the right to be different".

Peter Tatchell said that moral and cultural relativism should not be used as an excuse for "collusion with the violation of human rights when it comes to issues like women's rights and incitements to homophobic violence".

Peter Tatchell said multiculturalism shouldn't be used to institutionalise discrimination, giving as an example the state funding of religious schools, which he said "factionalises pupils along religious lines".

Peter Tatchell said that fear of being branded racist or religiously intolerant should not allow dictators and human rights abusers to avoid criticism for their actions.

Peter Tatchell criticised the Catholic Church and Pope Benedict XVI, whom he described as "the ideological inheritor of Nazi homophobia".

Channel 4 indicated in June 2010 that Peter Tatchell would be the presenter of a documentary film examining "the current Pope's teachings throughout the world".

Peter Tatchell asserted that the documentary "will not be an anti-Catholic programme".

In 2017, Peter Tatchell praised the Church of England's new "Valuing all God's Children" scheme for schools, which seeks to stop homophobic and transphobic bullying.

Peter Tatchell has been critical of Islamic extremism and the use of religion to justify discrimination, though he has said he supports the rights of Muslims and freedom of expression.

Peter Tatchell has been critical of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims' definition of Islamophobia, which he said is "well-intended but worrisome".

Peter Tatchell said he prefers the term "anti-Muslim hatred", since it "focuses on the prejudice against Muslim people that undermines their well-being and life chances" rather than on defending Islam as an ideology.

Peter Tatchell said that the APPG's definition, based on Muslimness, is a vague and subjective term, that it could be used to persecute Muslims themselves, and that it could become "a de facto threat to free speech and liberal values".

Peter Tatchell said the definition didn't account for religious sectarianism from Christians and Jews.

Peter Tatchell has described Sharia, the traditional Islamic religious law, as "a clerical form of fascism".

Peter Tatchell was the keynote speaker at a 2005 protest at the Canadian High Commission, opposing proposals to extend Ontario's arbitration law to cover Sharia.

In 2017, Peter Tatchell wrote to the organisers of Pride in London to defend the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain.

Peter Tatchell described the Qur'an as "rather mild in its condemnation of homosexuality".

Peter Tatchell noted that the MCB had joined forces with the "rightwing Christian Institute" to oppose every gay law reform from 1997 to 2006.

In 2006, Peter Tatchell wrote an opinion column in The Guardian arguing that Muslims deliberately conflate offence with violence, in an effort to suppress Muslim reformers in Britain.

Peter Tatchell argued that Islamist groups like Hizb ut-Tahrir in Britain see "any criticism of Islam is an insult and that all such insults are unacceptable" in order to suppress the "free exchange of ideas".

Two years after condemning Peter Tatchell, Livingstone stated he "probably shouldn't" have called Peter Tatchell an "Islamophobe".

Desi Xpress staff expressed regret to Peter Tatchell and gave him a right of reply, while Yosef apologised and retracted his article, claiming the "slap in the face" remark was a "figure of speech" and the remark about Australia was not racist.

Peter Tatchell has written numerous articles in newspapers and magazines related to his various campaigns.

Peter Tatchell was highly critical of the media coverage of the Admiral Duncan pub bombing, claiming than the homophobic attitudes of news outlets had helped fuel the attack, and that the press concerned themselves almost exclusively with the one heterosexual victim, rather than the two other deaths and the dozens of maimed patrons, saying that:.

In 1987 Peter Tatchell appeared on the second programme of the first series of After Dark, a discussion on press ethics with, among others, Tony Blackburn, Victoria Gillick, Johnny Edgecombe and a Private Eye journalist.

Peter Tatchell contributes to The Jeremy Vine Show on BBC Radio 2.

Peter Tatchell was named Campaigner of the Year in The Observer Ethical Awards, London Citizen of Sanctuary Award, Shaheed Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti Award, Evening Standard 1000 Most Influential Londoners, Liberal Voice of the Year and a Blue Plaque in recognition of his more than 40 years of human rights campaigning.

Alongside Misha B, Jody Cundy, Peter Tatchell Norfolk and others he was a patron for 2013 National Diversity Awards.

In January 2014, Peter Tatchell was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws by De Montfort University.

The Peter Tatchell Papers are held at the London School of Economics in the Hall Carpenter Archive.

The Peter Tatchell Foundation is a non-profit, nonpartisan organisation based in the United Kingdom which "seeks to promote and protect the human rights of individuals, communities and nations, in the UK and internationally, in accordance with established national and international human rights law" and its stated aims and objectives are "to raise awareness, understanding, protection and implementation of human rights, in the UK and worldwide".

Peter Tatchell started the Foundation as a company in 2011, which gained charitable status in 2018.