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Hetal Dave, a 170-centimeter, 23-year-old Brahmin Marwari seems far from the image of an obese sumo wrestler but she is strong, well-built and extremely focused.

In between push-up rounds at Oval Maidan she explains that sumo wrestling is not just about weight.

"It's a game of concentration and every fraction of a second matters," says Dave.

With no professional sumo ring to practice in, a quiet corner of the Oval is her daily haunt, where she hones her skills as a pro wrestler.

"It's strange sometimes to practice here, as people stop, stand and just stare," she says. 

Dave's interest in sumo stems from judo, which she's been practicing since the age of six when her father enrolled her in classes.

She became known in Mumbai's martial arts scene and started standing in as a mock partner for male sumo wrestlers.

 

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The male body – said to date back to between 2900-2500BC – was discovered buried in a way normally reserved only for women of the Corded Ware culture in the Copper Age.

The skeleton was found in a Prague suburb in the Czech Republic with its head pointing eastwards and surrounded by domestic jugs, rituals only previously seen in female graves.

"From history and ethnology, we know that people from this period took funeral rites very seriously so it is highly unlikely that this positioning was a mistake," said lead archaeologist Kamila Remisova Vesinova.

"Far more likely is that he was a man with a different sexual orientation, homosexual or transsexual," she added.

According to Corded Ware culture which began in the late Stone Age and culminated in the Bronze Age, men were traditionally buried lying on their right side with their heads pointing towards the west, and women on their left sides with their heads pointing towards the east. Both sexes would be put into a crouching position.

Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/8433527/First-homosexual-caveman-found.html

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The Convention

186 countries, including the UK, have become state parties to CEDAW. These parties have an obligation to respect, protect and fulfil women’s human rights. Discrimination against women is defined as “any distinction, exclusion or restriction made on the basis of sex which has the effect or purpose of impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment or exercise by women, irrespective of their marital status, on a basis of equality of men and women, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field.”

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A gay couple have won their discrimination claim against the owners of a hotel in a landmark judgment today in the Bristol County Court in a case which was funded and led by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

The judge's ruling in one of the first legal cases taken under the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2007 means that people in civil partnerships will have greater protection from discrimination.

Civil partners Martyn Hall and Steve Preddy sued the owners of the Chymorvah Private Hotel in Cornwall on the grounds they were not allowed to share a double room because they were a gay couple.

The hotel owners, Peter and Hazel Bull, are devout Christians who do not allow couples who are not married to share double rooms because they do not believe in sex before marriage.

Mr and Mrs Bull maintained that their refusal to accommodate civil partners in a double room was not to do with sexual orientation but 'everything to do with sex'. The owners said the restriction applied equally to heterosexual couples who are not married.

Judge Rutherford ruled that the hotel had directly discriminated against the couple on the ground of their sexual orientation and awarded them compensation of £1,800 each.

In the ruling the judge said the right of the defendants to manifest their religion is not absolute and 'can be limited to protect the rights and freedoms of the claimants'. He described the Sexual Orientation Regulations as a 'necessary and proportionate intervention by the state to protect the rights of others'.

The judge also quashed the idea, suggested in some newspaper reports prior to the case and during the course of the hearing, that Mr Preddy and Mr Hall only booked the hotel at the instigation of the Stonewall organisation.

John Wadham, Group Director, Legal, at the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said:

“The right of an individual to practice their religion and live out their beliefs is one of the most fundamental rights a person can have, but so is the right not to be turned away by a hotel just because you are gay.

“The law works both ways. Hotel owners would similarly not be able to turn away people whose religious beliefs they disagreed with.

“When Mr and Mrs Bull chose to open their home as a hotel their private home became a commercial enterprise.  This decision means that community standards, not private ones, must be upheld.”

Mr Preddy and Mr Hall said they were extremely pleased with the outcome of the case:

"When we booked this hotel we just wanted to do something that thousands of other couples do every weekend - take a relaxing weekend break away.

"We checked that the hotel would allow us to bring our dog, but it didn't even cross our minds that in 2008 we would have to check whether we would be welcome ourselves.

“We're really pleased that the judge has confirmed what we already know - that in these circumstances our civil partnership has the same status in law as a marriage between a man and a woman, and that regardless of each person's religious beliefs, no one is above the law."

 

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Young artists express their views in major art awards
16 June 2010

The final 100 shortlist in the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s Young Brits at Art awards paints a telling picture of what young people think ‘a world without prejudice’ would look like. Unity, freedom and body image dominate the shortlisted artworks of the 11 to 19 year olds.

Freedom of expression is a common theme; freedom to choose one’s own religion, freedom to express one’s sexuality but most importantly, freedom to be who you are. Essentially the budding young artists see a world without prejudice as a world where people are bound by their similarities and celebrated for their differences.

The shortlist was whittled down from a record 1,700 youngsters who entered the award, which challenged them to ‘imagine a world without prejudice’.

Entrants were given the opportunity to express their ideas on prejudice and equality using various art media including but not limited to digital animation, sculpture, film and more traditional forms such as print and oil painting.

Neil Kinghan, Director General of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said;

“Young people too often get a bad press. We sometimes forget the great array of talent in our schools and youth clubs and the contribution which the vast majority of young people make towards making our society more tolerant. Young Brits at Art gives them an opportunity to have those talents recognised; and if we happen to unearth the next Oliver Payne it would be a fantastic bonus.”

Ten overall winners will be selected from the shortlist of 100 and revealed at an awards ceremony on 22 June. A judging panel, consisting of several prominent arts figures and equality champions, will select the winners with all 100 shortlisted pieces displayed at the awards ceremony at the Southbank Centre.

For the ten winners, a month of being an exhibited artist is in store. The Saatchi Gallery, one of the most celebrated art venues in the country, will exhibit the ten winning artworks for the whole of July.

Neil Kinghan added; “The shortlisted artworks deal with prejudice in an imaginative and thought-provoking way. For the winners to have their artwork exhibited at the Saatchi Gallery is a special recognition of their talent. It is an indication that Young Brits at Art not only highlights an important issue to the next generation but is also a major youth art award designed to find real and credible young talent.

“The art world can all too often seem like a 'closed shop' and this is an opportunity for the great artists of tomorrow to have their talents recognised today.”

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The Equality and Human Rights Commission today welcomed the passing of the Equality Bill, which received Royal Assent today. It contains a series of measures for tackling inequalities which the Commission considers will help Britain to become a fairer society.

Some of the specific measures in the bill, which the Commission has supported, include:

Making the law easier to understand and implement by simplifying 116 pieces of equality legislation into a single Act for individuals, public authorities and private organisations.
Giving people the right not to be treated less favourably by public authorities because of their age, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or transgender status; as well as their disability, gender, or race which were already covered.*
Extending anti-age discrimination rules to include goods, facilities and services, thereby stopping people being unfairly refused insurance or medical treatments based on what age they are, for example.
Trevor Phillips, chair of the Commission said:

“Simplifying legislation and extending protection to a wide range of groups that face discrimination will help Britain become a fairer society, improve public services, and help business perform well.

“The Commission’s role now is to make sure the legislation works in practice, by explaining what it means, how it should work, and ultimately, using our powers to help right any wrongs.

“We’re already working on Codes and Guidance that set out what the new legislation does for employers, public services and the people of Britain.”
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Lesbian Gay Bisexual Trans History Month takes place every year in February. It celebrates the lives and achievements of the LGBT community. We are committed to celebrate its diversity and that of the society as a whole. We encourage everyone to see diversity and cultural pluralism as the positive forces that they are and endeavour to reflect this in all we do.

http://www.lgbthistorymonth.org.uk/ More

Equality Human Rights Commission offers immunity in return for voluntary Gender Pay Audits
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The Government has outlined policy proposals which will give parents more choice and flexibility in how they use maternity and paternity leave. More

Interwoven socio economic inequality is the real route of social disadvantage National Equality Panel research reveals.

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