The Pink Triangle Trust has been promoting Humanism and LGBT Rights for over 30 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 is:
• A member of Humanists International
• A member of the Cutting Edge Consortium
• A member of the Alliance for a Secular Europe
• A member of the Secular Policy Institute (SPI), a think tank organisation of thought leaders, writers, scholars and speakers with a shared mission to influence public opinion and promote a secular society. We believe governmental decisions and public policies should be based on available science and reason, and free of religion or religious preferences.
• A member of the International Association of Atheists.
The PTT has provided funding for:
• The Uganda Humanist Schools Trust (UK)
• The Nigerian Humanist Movement
• Galop (London’s leading anti-LGBT hate crime charity)
• Rainbows Across Borders (a supportive and caring group for LGBT people who are seeking refuge from oppressive and brutal regimes)
• HELU (Humanist Empowerment of Livelihoods in Uganda)
• The Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain.
• Critical Thinking in Nigeria.
The Pink Triangle Trust has the following trustees:
• Stephen Harvie (Chair)
Stephen Harvie has actively campaigned on Human Rights, Animal Welfare, HIV/Aids and LGBT+ causes for many years. He is a militant atheist, a Humanist, and cat aficionado with a passion for literature, Lesney Matchbox toys, and men in rubber. Originally from Scotland, he lives in London.
• Diesel Balaam (Treasurer)
• Stuart Draycott.
• Nigel Jones is a healthcare professional working in the UK. He has been a member of GALHA (Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association) since the late 80s and, from 2012, LGBT Humanists UK.
The primary aims of Nigel’s Trusteeship are:
1) Promote humanism and secularism. Laws should be based on common sense, ethics and reason rather than on religious scripture. Religious laws relating to “blasphemy”, “apostasy” etc have no place in the 21st Century
• Dean Braithwaite
2) Promote human rights—especially the right to live openly as a homosexual. This is a fundamental right, which is still not possible in many parts of the world (illegal in 81 countries).
3) To fight discrimination on the grounds of sexuality/ non-belief. Gays and atheists in a large part of the world are too often discriminated against and even face capital punishment. This must be stopped.
• Hugo Estrella (Secretary)
Hugo Estrella is a journalist and a professor in the field of Conflict Management and Human Rights. Lifelong Peace/Human Rights/Secularism activist. Founder of the Argentine Secular Humanist Association. Former transnational Director at the Center for Inquiry. Visiting Scholar Pisa University (Italy). Member of the Interdisciplinary Center of Jewish Studies (Pisa). Golden Charter of Humanism (Sarajevo, B&H). He became a proud member of Pink Triangle Trust in 2022.
• John Marshall is a former gay journalist and was the founding editor of Gay Times in the 1980s.
He later worked in public libraries but is now retired and running a local history group.
The Pink Triangle Trust also has a number of prominent international patrons:
Elizabeth O’Casey
Head of Delegation to the UN Human Rights Council International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU). She specialises in advocacy and policy development/ analysis within the area of human rights and equality – particularly with reference to freedom of thought and expression, LGBT rights, reproductive health rights and gender equality. she has experience of campaigning at the UN, EU and UK level.
Yemisi Ilesanmi
Author of Freedom to love all: Homosexuality is not Un-African, which is available for purchase on Amazon. she is a highly experienced advocate, trade unionist and administrator. She possesses a genuine interest in helping people, an extensive political awareness and a keen sense of justice. She is assertive when handling challenging situations. She has excellent communication, negotiation and listening skills.
Sonja Eggerickx
Is a Belgian secular humanist who was president of Humanists International (formerly the International Humanist and Ethical Union), a position she held for nine years until stepping down in 2015. In 2016 she was awarded the Distinguished Services to Humanism Award 2016 for her work in secular education. Following the Charlie Hebdo shooting, Eggerickx, worked to promote a campaign against blasphemy laws.
Tom Flynn
Is the Executive Director of the Council for Secular Humanism, and editor of its journal Free Inquiry. He is also director of the Robert Green Ingersoll Birthplace Museum and the Freethought Trail. Much of Flynn’s work addresses church-state issues. He edited The New Encyclopedia of Unbelief, a comprehensive reference work on the history, beliefs, and thinking of men and women who live without religion.
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. is a Nigerian human rights advocate and humanist. He has specialised in campaigning against and documenting the impacts of child witchcraft accusations. Igwe’s human rights advocacy has brought him into conflict with high-profile witchcraft believers
Hope Knútsson
Is Chair and a founder of the Icelandic Ethical Humanist Association. It is closely tied with the Norwegian Human-Etisk Forbund (HEF) and is a member of the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU).
Sophie in ‘t Veld
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. In 2011 she was awarded the Irwin Prize for Secularist of the Year at a ceremony hosted by the National Secular Society.
Louis-Georges Tin
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.
Sue Cox
Co-founder of Survivors Voice Europe.In October, 2014, a special Human Rights Champion award was handed to Sue for her work in helping survivors of Catholic Church abuse.
Maryam Namazie
Human rights activist, commentator, broadcaster and spokesperson for the One Law for All Campaign against Sharia Law in Britain. She founded the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain in June 2007 “to break the taboo that comes with renouncing Islam”,
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 Bioethicsand Developing World Bioethics. He is also co-author of the recently published 50 Great Myths about Atheism,
Michael Cashman
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.
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.
Our principal Aims
The PTT’s principal aims, as set out in its Deed of Trust, are to promote the principles and practice of Humanism to the public, and particularly to lesbians and gay men, and to advance the education of the public, and particularly of Humanists, about all aspects of homosexuality.
Humanism is essentially a system of thought that rejects religious beliefs and centres on humans and their values, capacities, and worth.
The PTT may also assist individuals to obtain remedies under the law where they have suffered unlawful discrimination on account of their homosexuality or their absence of religious belief.
In 1990 the PTT started publishing a quarterly magazine, the Gay and Lesbian Humanist, which featured national and international news, feature articles and reviews. Regular contributors included journalists in the UK and abroad writing for the lesbian/gay and humanist press. The magazine was widely distributed to gay, lesbian and Humanist organisations and stocked by gay and alternative bookshops in the UK.
In 2012 the PTT launched an online magazine, The Pink Humanist, but ceased publishing it when our new blog was created in the spring of 2019.
In 1996 the PTT started arranging secular ceremonies of love and commitment for gay and lesbian couples as the alternative to Christian “blessings” arranged – usually clandestinely – by gay clergy. The PTT ceremonies were called “affirmations”. They were widely advertised, mainly in Gay Times and were soon in great demand.
A nationwide network of Humanist celebrants was established from Aberdeen in the North to the Channel Islands in the South and some donated part of their fee to the Trust. When London Mayor Ken Livingstone allowed ceremonies for gay and lesbian couples to be held at City Hall, the PTT was listed as providing them – and many of them were conducted by Denis Cobell, then President of the National Secular Society.
The provision of these ceremonies continued until the Civil Partnership legislation was introduced by the Labour Government in 2004 and it became possible for secular ceremonies to be held after registration at Registry Offices up and down the country.
For many years the PTT provided substantial indirect funding for the Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association (GALHA) when its magazine was issued free to GALHA members. It also funded the printing cost of the GALHA newsletter which was later published in place of the magazine.
It has provided funding for other LGBT and Humanist projects such as LGBT History Month, a convention of the Nigerian Humanist Movement and the Uganda Humanist Schools Trust (UK).
The Pink Triangle Trust 