The Pink Triangle Trust

The Pink Triangle Trust has been promoting
Humanism and LGBT Rights for over 22 years

THE Pink Triangle Trust is a charitable trust (Registered Charity No. 1015629) set up in 1992 to advance the education of the public, and particularly of lesbians and gay men, in the principles and practice of humanism, and to advance the education of the public, and particularly of humanists, about all aspects of homosexuality.

It may also assist individuals to obtain remedies under the law where they have suffered unlawful discrimination on account of their homosexuality or their Humanism.

The Pink Triangle Trust has a number
of prominent international patrons

They are (top row from left) Elizabeth O’Casey, Head of Delegation to the UN Human Rights Council International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU); Yemisi Ilesanmi, author of Freedom to love all: Homosexuality is not Un-African, which is available for purchase on Amazon; Sonja Eggerickx (former President of the International Humanist & Ethical Union; (second row, from left) Tom Flynn, Executive Director of the US Council for Secular Humanism and editor of Free Inquiry; Leo Igwe, Nigerian Humanist activist, former Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Humanist Movement and winner of the UK National Secular Society’s 2013 “Secularist of the Year” Award; Hope Knútsson. President of Sidmennt, the Icelandic Ethical Humanist Association; (bottom row, from left) James Ledward, Editor of the Brighton-based magazine GScene); Maryam Namazie, Human rights activist, commentator, broadcaster and spokesperson for the One Law for All Campaign against Sharia Law in Britain, Udo Schüklenk, Professor of Philosophy at Queen’s University, Canada, where he holds the Ontario Research Chair in Bioethics. A renowned bioethicist, he is joint editor-in-chef of the international journals Bioethics and Developing World Bioethics. He is also co-author of the recently published 50 Great Myths about Atheism; and former EastEnders actor, Michael Cashman. Cashman is a former MEP.

Cashman received his Commander of the British Empire (CBE) medal from the Prince of Wales during an Investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace on May 10, 2013 in London (PhotoWPA Pool/Getty Images Europe).

In August 2014, Cashman was elevated to the House of Lords. He said:

It’s a huge opportunity to speak out about the things that I’m passionate about: equality, human rights, inhumanity, and international development.

This is a significant gain for the Trust. Apart from Peter Tatchell, Cashman is probably the best known LGBT activist in the UK and the rest of Europe. He is a founder of Stonewall, an Honorary Associate of the National Secular Society, and former President of the European Parliament’s Intergroup on LGBT issues.

In September, 2014, they then leader of the Labour party Ed Miliband announced that Lord Cashman of Limehouse had been appointed the party’s special envoy on LGBTI rights.

Yemisi Illiesanmi, in this interview, describes herself as ‘a passionate human rights activist, trade unionist, poet, and advocate for equal rights, social justice and poverty alleviation. I hold a Master of Law degree in Gender, Sexuality and Human Rights. I write and speak on a range of issues including workers rights, gender and sexuality issues’.

In July, 2014, Sue Cox, co-founder of Survivors Voice Europe, an organisation that focuses on empowerment of survivors of Catholic clergy abuse, agreed to be a patron of The Pink Triangle Trust.

In October, 2014, a special Human Rights Champion award was handed to Sue for her work in helping survivors of Catholic Church abuse.

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In July 2015, Sophie in ‘t Veld became the newest patron of the Pink Triangle Trust.

In ‘t Veld has been a Member of the European Parliament for D66, the Dutch social-liberal party, since 2004.

Currently, she is the Vice-Chair of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) and a member of the Civil Liberties, Justice & Home Affairs Committee, of which she is the ALDE spokesperson and she is a substitute member of the Economic and Monetary Affairs and Women’s Rights and Gender Equality Committee.

In ‘t Veld founded and currently co-chairs the European Parliament Platform for Secularism in Politics, she is co-Chair of the European Parliament Working Group on Reproductive Health, HIV/AIDS and Development and she is Vice-President of the LGBTI Intergroup.

In 2011 she was awarded the Irwin Prize for Secularist of the Year at a ceremony hosted by the National Secular Society.

PTT Secretary George Broadhead said:

We are delighted to have the support of such a staunch secularist and defender of LGBTI rights. Another of our esteemed patrons, Lord Michael Cashman, CBE, stood down as an MEP last year. He was President of European Parliament’s Intergroup on LGBTI issues and it is great that we now have the Vice-President of this group in his stead.

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Help for Humanist Empowerment of Livelihoods in Uganda (HELU)

In the autumn of 2015, the Pink Triangle Trust provided funding for the Ugandan Humanist organisation HELU to build a classroom.

Here HELU’s Publicity Secretary AYELLA COLLINS  describes the organisation, its aims and activities.

Humanist Empowerment of Livelihoods in Uganda (HELU) is a programme established in 2009. Its first project was to empower vulnerable girls, including rape victims and child mothers. The programme operates in Gulu, a district in Northern Uganda.

Gulu experienced war between government forces and a rebel group called the Lord’s Resistance Army for two decades, and since 2007 Gulu has been a post-conflict zone.

Post-conflict zone status birthed an idea to start up a humanist organisation in 2009. This was made possible through funding from a Norwegian humanist group.

The Empowering Vulnerable Girls project serves to teach girls skills that include tailoring, hairdressing, baking and confectionery, basic farming, training in business management and income-generating activities.

A vocational training centre and a demonstration farm are in place to provide training and alternative shelters for those denied rights to own land. It also provides temporary shelter for any LGBTI discrimination victims and for those accused of witchcraft. Most of the beneficiaries have children. To keep the kids busy while the mothers attended classes a pre-school was established.

In January 2015 an American charity KidsHeartKids provided funding for two classrooms. A third classroom in now being constructed. We also undertake the following activities:

• Human rights and advocacy training. 

• Training/workshops on humanism. 

• Training for business management and income-generating activities. 

• Basic farming.

 • Counselling and guidance and corporate social responsibilities.

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French gay activist Louis-Georges Tin is the Pink Triangle Trust’s newest patron

The Pink Triangle Trust (PTT) has warmly welcomed the French gay activist Louis-Georges Tin who became a patron of the Trust in June 2016.

Louis-Georges Tin is a professor of literature at the University of Orléans.

In 2005, he launched the International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO), now celebrated in more than 130 countries. IDAHO has since been renamed IDAHOT

IDAHOT is supported by the humanist organisation Hivos.

In 2008, in conjunction with the French and the Dutch governments, he brought a resolution for a universal decriminalisation of homosexuality before the General Assembly of the United Nations.

In 2011, he became the President of the French National Black Coalition.

In 2016, he persuaded French President Francois Hollande to start a policy on slavery reparation. He also launched the European Reparation Commission.

Tin has published several books including the Dictionary of Homophobia. He has received a number of awards for achievements in the area of human rights.

Tin joins twelve other PTT patrons which include Lord Cashman CBE and Sophie in‘t Veld MEP.

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The Pink Humanist magazine

The PTT publishes a quarterly online magazine, The Pink Humanist. You can download a pdf version of the latest issue, as well as past editions, by clicking on this link.

The 16-page publication contains well-researched news and features covering various aspects of gay life across the globe.

It focuses mainly on the problems posed to LGBT communities by religion, and identifies individuals and groups that are springing up all over the world to fight discrimination.

Launched in 2011, the magazine exists to encourage the spread of humanism, atheism, rationalism and skepticism among LGTB communities and those that support them.