Religious Left

Pink News UK The tenth anniversary of the establishment of a leading Muslim lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans support organisation will be celebrated with a conference in London next month. Imaan is the largest network for Muslim LGBT people outside the USA. Delegates from the Middle East, Africa, Europe and the UK will be joined by representatives of the Metropolitan Police, Stonewall, the Terence Higgins Trust, UK Black Pride at the fourth LGBT Muslim Conference in London from Friday 17 October to Sunday 19 October. The conference is open to all Muslim lesbians, gays, bisexuals and trans people, their family, friends, and supporters. full article

By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk A registrar will face her employer, Islington Council in an employment tribunal this week as she demands the right not to marry gay couples. Lilian Ladele, a civil registrar in Islington, north London has been told that she could lose her job unless she agrees to perform civil partnership ceremonies for gay couples full article

Weddings have been suspended at a 300-year-old church in north London in protest at "unjust" religious marriage rights of same-sex couples. Newington Green Unitarian Church will only conduct a ceremonial blessing for both heterosexual and gay couples who have legally wed in a civil ceremony. The church's minister, Andrew Pakula, said the church's committee voted unanimously in favour of the decision. The church in Islington suspended full wedding ceremonies from 30 March. It said it would continue to bar full weddings until the law was amended. Mr Pakula said: "When we realised the extent of the injustice in the existing civil partnership law which completely prohibits any connection between religion and civil partnerships, we decided it just wasn't something we could take part in. Mr Pakula added: "Historically churches have been major perpetrators of injustice for gay and lesbian people and as a church that welcomes people of all sexual orientation, a...