British PM Bans Gay Activist Peter Tatchell From Downing Street Pride Event

The world's most famous gay activist, Peter Tatchell, claims that British Prime Minister Gordon Brown barred him from a gay Pride celebration at 10 Downing Street because of Tatchell's criticisms of the government on LGBT rights issues.

In a statement, Tatchell said: "I have been campaigning for LGBT human rights for 40 years. I was one of the group of people who helped organise Britain's first gay pride parade in 1972″. Calling many of those invited "tame apologists for Labour", Tatchell said the same "selective invitation criteria" was applied when Gordon Brown hosted a Downing Street reception for LGBT campaigners back in March. "An insider tipped me off that my name had been removed from the invite list, at Gordon Brown's personal request. He was apparently still angry that I had heckled him over his government's erosion of civil liberties, when he opened the Taking Liberties exhibition at the British Library late last year," he said.

Prime Minister Brown has turned down an invitation to march in this Saturday's gay Pride event in London, citing "security considerations."