Love Music Hate Homophobia
By Vicki Baars, NUS LGBT Officer (Open Place) – guest article
» download the full SBL NUS Conference 2011 newsletter
The rise of the fascist British National Party is a threat to all oppressed communities in the UK, and LGBT people are no exception.
Nick Griffin, leader of the BNP, may gloat that he has made his party more “gay friendly”, but this is nonsense: he has used BBC platforms to state that he finds gay couples “creepy”, and the BNP’s former director of publicity stated that “AIDS is a friendly disease because blacks and gays have it”. This quote perfectly highlights the importance of uniting the LGBT and Black communities in opposing fascism.
The NUS LGBT Campaign has been leading the way in mobilising lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans students in opposing the electoral gains of the BNP and the racist and Islamophobic rampages of the English Defence League in our towns and cities.
Launched by NUS LGBT alongside Unite Against Fascism in 2009, the Love Music Hate Homophobia campaign draws on the successes of Love Music Hate Racism. LMHH gigs have been held up and down the country in students’ unions, gay bars and NUS LGBT events. Thousands of pounds have been raised by LGBT students to pay for anti-fascist materials and campaigns, all aimed at the LGBT community.
A range of campaign materials, including LMHH T-shirts, are available to order on the NUS Connect website. Make sure you get involved in the campaign!
