When Peter
Tatchell was a 17-year-old growing up in Australia, he started writing letters to the press arguing that homosexuality should be decriminalised.
It was by no means an easy fight for him to take on. Looking back, he admits that he was “terrified” that his efforts to secure rights and freedoms for LGBT+ people would get him into trouble with the law. “I feared a policeman’s knock at the door,” he tells PinkNews. “I was always thinking, will the newspaper hand over my letter and address to the police and will me and my boyfriend get arrested? But I thought to myself, ‘No, we’ve got to fight for our rights.'” In many ways, that story is reflective of Peter Tatchell’s overarching approach to human rights. Throughout his life, he has been horrified and repulsed by the indignities and abuses LGBT+ people have had to face. Many will relate to that feeling – but few actually do something about it. Read the full article.