OutRage! is a direct action campaigning group in the United Kingdom which was formed to fight for the rights of lesbian, gay and bisexual people. It is a radical group which has frequently been criticised for being extremist; members have been arrested on some OutRage! actions. For a time in the mid-1990s, some OutRage! actions were perceived as being a version of outing, where gay activists assert the private homosexuality of public figures as part of a political campaign. A lesbian is a woman who is romantically and sexually attracted only to other women. ... GAY can mean: Gay, a term referring to homosexual men or women The IATA code for Gaya Airport Category: ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... // While outing often refers to an outdoor excursion, in the late twentieth century, the term acquired an additional meaning, taking someone out of the closet, that is, publicising that someone is secretly homosexual. ...

Formation

The group was formed at a meeting on May 10, 1990, called after the murder of gay actor Michael Boothe (which occurred on the previous April 30). Many of those involved in calling this meeting had been members of the Organisation for Lesbian and Gay Action (OLGA) which had itself arisen out of the campaign against Section 28. There were four principal founders: Simon Watney, Keith Alcorn, Chris Woods and Peter Tatchell. Between 40 and 60 people attended the first meeting, including many who had been active in the Gay Liberation Front and other campaigns. May 10 is the 130th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (131st in leap years). ... 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... April 30 is the 120th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (121st in leap years), with 245 days remaining. ... Sir Ian McKellen with Michael Cashman at the 1988 Gay Rights March on Manchester in protest of Section 28. ... Peter Gary Tatchell (born 25 January 1952) is a British human rights activist, famous internationally for his attempts to perform a citizens arrest on Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe. ... Gay Liberation Front Poster, New York 1970 Gay Liberation Front (GLF) was the name of a number of Gay Liberation groups, the first of which was formed in New York City in 1969, immediately after the Stonewall riots. ...

A second meeting, this time in public, was held on May 24. Alcorn came up with the name and Tatchell wrote the first draft of what became the Statement of Aims. Mike Burgess and Steve Stannard were elected joint treasurer as the first officers. The first OutRage! action was on June 7 at the site of a further murder of a gay man, and attracted some media attention. OLGA offered the group office space at its base at the London Lesbian and Gay Centre, and regular fundraising was set up with the group selling T-shirts with its logo. One of the defining images of OutRage! actions was taken in September 1990 when the group organised a "Kiss-in" at Piccadilly Circus to protest against arrests of gay men for kissing in public. One member, identified as an actor called Richard, climbed up and kissed the statue of Eros. May 24 is the 144th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (145th in leap years). ... (Another Michael Burgess is a coroner investigating the death of Diana, Princess of Wales) Michael Clifton Burgess, M.D. (born December 23, 1950) is a physician and politician from the state of Texas, currently representing the states 26th Congressional district (map) in the United States House of Representatives. ... June 7 is the 158th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (159th in leap years), with 207 days remaining. ... EWWWW HOMO SCUM!!! ... 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Map of the West End and Piccadilly Circus, Piccadilly Circus is a famous traffic intersection and public space of Londons West End in the City of Westminster. ...

From January 1991 the group established a series of "affinity, focus and caucus groups", which took on specific aspects of the group's remit. They were given intentionally obscene and insulting names: the Policing Intelligence Group (PIG), the Whores of Babylon (tacking religious homophobia), Perverts Undermining State ScrutinY (PUSSY - tackling censorship), QUeers Asserting the Right to Ride Every Line Safely (QUARRELS - on safety on London Underground), Expanding THe Non-Indigenous Contingent (ETHNIC), and Lesbians Answer Back In Anger (LABIA). To go along with these names, the financial team adopted the name QUeer Accountants Never Go Out (QUANGO). 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The London Underground is an all-electric railway system that covers much of Greater London and some neighbouring areas. ...

Outing controversy

The issue of outing, which had already begun in the USA, split the group in 1991. There was no consensus and so the group agreed to have no policy. Those who favoured the tactic (principally Shane Broomhall and Patrick McCann) then established their own group outside OutRage called "Faggots Rooting Out Closeted Sexuality" (FROCS) which was committed to outing. They printed and distributed posters claiming Jason Donovan was gay before contacting the Sunday Times with plans for a wider campaign. Peter Tatchell agreed to act as public speaker for the group. The outing plan was widely denounced by the press, before the group admitted it had been a ruse to get newspapers which had themselves outed lesbians and gay men to denounce the practice. // While outing often refers to an outdoor excursion, in the late twentieth century, the term acquired an additional meaning, taking someone out of the closet, that is, publicising that someone is secretly homosexual. ... Donovan on the cover of the Especially For You single with Kylie Minogue Jason Sean Donovan (born June 1, 1968) is an Australian actor and singer, with world-wide record sales of over 30 million copies (singles, albums, compilation inclusions, etc. ... The Sunday Times is a Sunday broadsheet newspaper distributed in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News International which is in turn owned by News Corporation. ... Peter Gary Tatchell (born 25 January 1952) is a British human rights activist, famous internationally for his attempts to perform a citizens arrest on Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe. ...

In 1992 the group suffered from entrism from far left political parties who wished to annex OutRage! as a front organisation. The most serious was by the Lesbian and Gay Campaign Against Racism and Fascism (LGCARF). The creation of the focus groups added to the vulnerability for a takeover and on June 25 the group took a decision to abolish all the groups. This decision was accepted by most but not by LABIA, and many of its members left, eventually to form the Lesbian Avengers. 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... Entryism (or entrism or enterism) is a political tactic by which a smaller organisation joins a (usually hostile) larger organisation in an attempt to either gain recruits, influence or both. ... June 25 is the 176th day of the year (177th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 189 days remaining. ...

The 1993 Actions

The then Chief Rabbi Immanuel Jakobovits reacted to the 1993 discovery by Dean Hamer of possible genetic connections to homosexuality by saying it offered the opportunity for genetic engineering to eliminate homosexuality. OutRage! held an action outside a synagogue in London which was believed to be generally liberal, where it handed out leaflets comparing Jakobovits' remarks to those of Adolf Hitler. This action brought accusations that the group was being anti-Semitic. Nine members of OutRage! were arrested in November 1993 in the offices of Benetton UK, where they had been organising a protest against the company's advertising. The nine were charged with various public order offences but were eventually acquitted. Immanuel Jakobovits, Baron Jakobovits, KBE (8 February 1921–31 October 1999) was the Orthodox Judaism Chief Rabbi of Great Britain and the Commonwealth from 1967 to 1991. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... Dr. Dean Hamer Dr Dean Hamer is a geneticist, who, as of 2005 is the director of the Gene Structure and Regulation Unit at the U.S. National Cancer Institute (part of the National Institutes of Health). ... Hitler redirects here. ... The Eternal Jew: 1937 German poster. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... Benetton Group S.p. ...

Age of consent

See also: Chris Morris

1994 saw the issue of gay rights become more prominent in British politics as the House of Commons debated whether to equalise the age of consent for gay sex, then 21, with that for heterosexual sex at 16. OutRage! had organised a series of actions over the issue in previous years and it was prominent in the crowd outside Parliament on the night of the vote, where it had called for a peaceful presence. When news came through that equality had been rejected there was a near riot. Many in the crowd shouted the names of two Conservative Cabinet ministers who were widely rumoured to be gay. Chris Morris Chris Morris was the teenage gay activist responsible for equalising the homosexual age of consent in the United Kingdom, aided by the campaigning organisation Stonewall. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

After the vote OutRage! managed to invade the Labour Party National Executive Committee meeting where it protested about the 35 Labour MPs who had voted against equality. More light-heartedly (but technically rendering them liable for the death penalty for treason), the group petitioned the Danish embassy for an invasion so that the UK could have Denmark's more liberal legislation. The Labour Party has been, since its founding in the early 20th century, the principal political party of the left in the United Kingdom. ...

Later the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000 equalised the age of consent for all sexual acts at 16 (17 in Northern Ireland). The Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom. ...

Church of England

In autumn 1994 OutRage! began to concentrate on religious homophobia. It was revealed in the press that the new Bishop of Durham Michael Turnbull had a conviction for a gay sex offence, and OutRage! disrupted his ordination ceremony. There were other Bishops known or suspected to be gay in private, and OutRage! held a demonstration outside Church House naming ten Bishops and urging them to "Tell the truth!". Although the ten bishops were not named in the British Press, their names were published in the Australian gay newspaper the Melbourne Star Observer, and have since been published on the internet. At the same time, Peter Tatchell began a dialogue with the Bishop of London, David Hope, who had not been named as the group thought he was possibly persuadable to come out voluntarily. Press stories speculating about the personal sexuality of Bishops led Dr Hope to fear the worst and he called a press conference in February 1995 at which he denounced OutRage! for putting him under pressure, while admitting that his sexuality was "a grey area". Arms of the Bishop of Durham The Bishop of Durham is the officer of the Church of England responsible for the diocese of Durham, one of the oldest in the country. ... Michael Turnbull (b. ... Arms of the Bishop of London The Bishop of London is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of London in the Province of Canterbury. ... The Most Reverend and Right Honourable David Michael Hope (born April 14, 1940) is the current Archbishop of York, in the Church of England, and has held that position since 1995. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In January 1995 OutRage! had sent 20 Members of Parliament known or believed to be gay letters inviting them to come out. On March 20 the Belfast Telegraph carried the story that one of the MPs was from Northern Ireland, widely assumed to be James Kilfedder. That day he died suddenly of a heart attack. The press immediately assumed that the death and the letter were linked and some of the fiercest denunciations of OutRage! were written. March 20 is the 79th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (80th in leap years). ... The Belfast Telegraph is a daily evening newspaper published in Belfast, Northern Ireland by Independent News and Media. ... Motto:  (Latin for Who will separate us?)[1] Anthem: UK: God Save the Queen Regional: (de facto) Londonderry Air Capital Belfast Largest city Belfast Official language(s) English (de facto), Ulster Scots, Irish3, Northern Ireland Sign Language, Irish Sign Language Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister of... Sir James Alexander Kilfedder (July 16, 1928–March 20, 1995) was a Northern Ireland unionist politician. ...

Eternity Puzzle

In 1999, OutRage! protested the involvement of American toy company Ertl with conservative polititician Christopher Monckton, re-publishing comments he made in 1987 in The American Spectator [1]. Monckton had published a puzzle with Ertl called Eternity with a cash prize offered for its solution. OutRage! noted the usually liberal politics of Ertl clashed with their involvement with Monckton in a 1999 press release. Due to pressure from OutRage!, Ertl stated they would stop promotion of the puzzle with Monckton. However, there are plans for a second Eternity puzzle to be released in 2007. 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Christopher Walter Monckton, 3rd Viscount Monckton of Brenchley (born 14 February 1952) is a former British journalist. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The American Spectator magazine. ... The eternity puzzle was a geometric puzzle with a million-pound prize, created by Christopher Monckton, who put up half the money himself, the other half being put up by underwriters in the London insurance market. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ...

Dancehall

OutRage! have also made complaints against what they allege to be the anti-gay lyrics of certain dancehall stars such as Buju Banton and Sizzla, and based on their own translations of Rastafari oriented Jamaican Creole. Sizzla had to cancel concert dates due to the protests of OutRage! [2] It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with ragga. ... Inna heights album cover, Original Release Date: November 25, 1997 Buju Banton (born Mark Anthony Myrie 1973) is a Jamaican dancehall, ragga, and reggae singer. ... Sizzla Kalonji is the stage name of Miguel Orlando Collins (born 17 April 1976), a Jamaican reggae musician. ... Jamaican Creole, also known to foreigners as Patois/(Patwa) or simply Jamaican, is an English/African-based language --not to be confused with Jamaican English nor with the Rastafarian use of English-- used primarily on the island of Jamaica. ...

Good Gay/Bad Gay

The high-profile and often controversial methods used by OutRage! activists over the years has often brought mixed support from both the straight and gay communities; most notably from the more conservative wing of the gay community and those affiliated to the government, such as Stonewall who favour lawsuits over grass-roots activism to achieve their aims. Journalists in the British gay press have labelled groups like OutRage! and their allies the Gay and Lesbian Humanists, the Queer Youth Alliance, Chris Morris and Peter Tatchell as "Bad Gay" (owing to their "take no prisoners" approach) and the desk campaigners such as Stonewall as "Good Gay". Support for both approaches to gay rights activism is strong in the gay community, but OutRage!'s particular brand of tongue-in-cheek satirical bigot bombing tends to grab newspaper headlines. You may be looking for: Stonewall riots, a series of gay rights riots held around the Stonewall Inn. ... The Queer Youth Alliance (Q.Y.A.) is a national non-profit making organisation that is run by and for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered (LGBT) Young People and is based in the United Kingdom. ... Chris Morris Chris Morris was the teenage gay activist responsible for equalising the homosexual age of consent in the United Kingdom, aided by the campaigning organisation Stonewall. ... Peter Gary Tatchell (born 25 January 1952) is a British human rights activist, famous internationally for his attempts to perform a citizens arrest on Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe. ... 1988 Sir Ian McKellen and Michael Cashman of Stonewall. ...

Current Status

As of November 2006, OutRage! now appears not to have its own website. www.outrage.org.uk is cited here as the website of the group, but this address now redirects to the personal website of Peter Tatchell [3]. However Tatchell's personal website contains press releases which list OutRage! as an active group.

African LGBTI human rights defenders have issued a press release urging the public against participation in campaigns concerning African LGBTI issues led by Peter Tatchell and OutRage! Signatories from eighteen campaigning organizations in ten African states describe OutRage! as "reckless, non-factual and inflammatory". Addressing Tatchell and OutRage! directly, the African camapigners warn "Stay out of African LGBTI issues. You have proven that you have no respect for conveying the truth. You have betrayed our trust over and over again. This is neo-colonialism and it has no place in our struggle or in Africa"

Further reading

• Lucas, Ian. Outrage!: An Oral History. Continuum / Cassell Academic. London, 1998.
• Henry, David Joseph. "Queerest of Conspiracies", London, Atlantic Print, 2005.

External links

• Peter Tatchell web site
• International Day Against Homophobia UK Website
• Gay and Lesbian Humanists web site
• The Queer Youth Alliance web site

• August 5th 1999: Ertl aftermath