Results 1-19 of 19 for gay speaker:Harry Cohen

Oral Answers to Questions — Prime Minister: Rape (Defences) (15 Oct 2008) has video

Harry Cohen: .... In 1994, Robert Burnett, a prison officer from Newcastle upon Tyne, was found not guilty of attempted rape after the court accepted that he was sleepwalking at the time. In 2006, Terry Hind, a gay race trainer—I am not sure what that is—committed a sexual assault on another man in Scotland when sleepwalking and the jury gave the verdict of "not proven", which is part of the...

Public Bill Committee: Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill: Clause 64 (22 Nov 2007)

Harry Cohen: ...much larger number of people than intended. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, currently engage in non-abusive consenting sexual activity in the UK. It appears likely to particularly affect the lesbian, gay and bisexual community.” Deborah Hyde goes on to say: “The proposal will hamper efforts by responsible organisations to educate people about safe and consensual...

Oral Answers to Questions — Culture, Media and Sport: Tourism and Leisure Industries (16 Mar 1998)

Mr Harry Cohen: What estimate he has made of the benefit to the tourism and leisure industries of promotions targeted at gay people. [32900]

Oral Answers to Questions — Culture, Media and Sport: Tourism and Leisure Industries (16 Mar 1998)

Mr Harry Cohen: Is there a new attitude in Government circles towards gay and lesbian visitors to these shores, which respects the legitimacy and importance of such tourism? The United Kingdom caters for a diversity of interests and life styles. Will the Minister confirm that the pink pound is welcome here? London is an attractive place to visit. A gay and lesbian film festival is currently being held, but...

New Schedule: Sexual conduct to prejudice of good order and discipline (9 May 1996)

Mr Harry Cohen: ...Cave, now aged 75. He was quoted in The Guardian yesterday, and I shall just read a little bit of the article: Cave recalls that neither the top brass nor fellow soldiers showed any concern about gay enlistees. 'There were none of the witch hunts that we have nowadays … Homosexual soldiers were more or less accepted. The visible gays were mostly drag performers in concert teams....

Orders of the Day — City of Westminster Bill [Lords] (20 Mar 1996)

Mr Harry Cohen: ...is not sufficient to deal with them? I am not saying that there is no problem, but that evidence should have been produced by the Bill's promoter. When it wrote to me initially in October 1994, the Gay Business Association said: At present, if the local authority are of the opinion that premises require a licence then they can prosecute the premises for trading without the benefit of a...

Orders of the Day — City of Westminster Bill [Lords] (20 Mar 1996)

Mr Harry Cohen: ...their top shelves might be deemed to be pornographic. Under these powers, they could be closed and they would have to stay closed until an appeal was heard. There could be discrimination against gay cafés and bars. That brings me to the fourth and final point in relation to sex shops. The Gay Business Association wrote to me expressing concern that the legislation could be used in a...

Orders of the Day — Asylum and Immigration Bill: 'Dependants (22 Feb 1996)

Mr Harry Cohen: ...referred to it, including my hon. Friend the Member for Stratford-on-Avon (Mr. Howarth). My amendment refers to the persecution of a particular social group on the grounds of sexual orientation. Gays and lesbians are regarded as a particular social group, and that should be taken into account in the Bill. Persecution because of membership of that particular social group should be a reason...

Orders of the Day — Asylum and Immigration Bill: 'Dependants (22 Feb 1996)

Mr Harry Cohen: ..., and so the special category for homosexuals is not currently accepted in law. It should be. Through my amendment, I hope that the Home Office will accept that. There are countries that persecute gays and lesbians, who might be seeking refugee status in this country to protect themselves from the harsh penalties that they might face there. Those countries include countries that are on the...

Orders of the Day — Sexual Offences Bill: Abolition of Presumption of Sexual Incapacity (30 Apr 1993)

Mr Harry Cohen: .... Member for Harlow owes the House an explanation. The words must be considered in the context of sexual intercourse—penetration. The assumption must be that heterosexual sex is natural, and gay sex—homosexual sex—is unnatural.

Orders of the Day — Sexual Offences Bill: Abolition of Presumption of Sexual Incapacity (30 Apr 1993)

Mr Harry Cohen: The hon. Gentleman shakes his head, but he owes the House an explanation. The clause applies only to sexual intercourse. It is insulting to the millions of homosexuals who practise gay sex to have that practice described as "unnatural". Millions of people around the world will find it insulting because "natural" and "unnatural" are the wrong terms to use; they are much too wide. When I...

Orders of the Day — Sexual Offences Bill: Abolition of Presumption of Sexual Incapacity (30 Apr 1993)

Mr Harry Cohen: They regard things as "natural" or "unnatural". I am talking about the terms, not whether they practise gay sex more, although that is perhaps what the hon. Lady thought. It is part of their political approach to use the terms "natural" and "unnatural", but such use is inappropriate. Such usage allows a generous leap to be made: from talking about unnatural practices, which presumably means...

Prayers: Policing (London) (18 Oct 1991)

Mr Harry Cohen: ...police officers working both with the community and against crime. However, much more needs to be done in relation to community policing and the police working with ethnic, minority, women's, youth and gay organisations in the community. When the police work with the public, they gain their confidence and crime is cleared up as the public begin to report more and more of their suspicions....

Armed Forces (Discipline) (17 Jun 1991)

Mr Harry Cohen: ...of the disciplinary order. Earlier this year I asked a number of parliamentary questions about homosexuality in the armed forces. The answers I received revealed that, last year, 76 lesbian and gay members of the armed forces were dismissed as a result of their homosexuality or homosexual behaviour. That is the largest number of dismissals since 1987 and reversed the trend of the past two...

Armed Forces (Discipline) (17 Jun 1991)

Mr Harry Cohen: ..., which wastes the money spent on them and disrupts military efficiency. It also said that that attitude makes it much more difficult to ensure that effective AIDS prevention education is given to gay members of the forces. I have made a similar point in previous debates on disciplinary orders. The hon. and gallant Member for Wimbledon (Dr. Goodson-Wickes), who served in the Gulf, said...

Armed Forces (Discipline) (17 Jun 1991)

Mr Harry Cohen: ...an independent review to examine military regulations on homosexuality in the armed forces and to draw on the experience and policies of our NATO allies. Nearly half our NATO allies permit lesbian and gay membership of their armed forces. The Ministry of Defence is behind the rest of Europe, and is dragging its feet.

Orders of the Day — Criminal Justice Bill: Restrictions on Imposing Custodial Sentences (20 Feb 1991)

Mr Harry Cohen: ...and we must be concerned that homosexuality could be on the way to being recriminalised. Peter Tatchell, of the organisation Outrage, said: This legislation intensifies the criminalisation of gay sexuality. It reverses the liberalising trend of the last three decades. Clause 25 takes us back to the pre-Wolfenden days when homosexuality was seen as a threat and menace which had to be...

Policing in London (13 Jul 1990)

Mr Harry Cohen: ...for Jewish victims. I hope that that will be considered. My hon. Friends the Members 'for Newham, North-West (Mr. Banks) and for Islington, North (Mr. Corbyn) spoke about the problems faced by gay men and women. The entrapment in 1989 which my hon. Friend the Member for Newham, North-West condemned cost about £10 million. We must question whether that was a worthwhile use of...

Orders of the Day — Armed Forces Bill (21 Nov 1985)

Mr Harry Cohen: ...in the armed forces has been raised in the debate. I want to draw to the attention of the House and the Minister an article in today's City Limits magazine. The headline is: Did Army cover up gay suicide? The article says: An ex-corporal in the British Army has alleged that a senior officer in Northern Ireland killed himself after being named as a homosexual. Corporal John Fanning claims...