David Joseph Henry

David Joseph Henry is a writer, Human Rights activist and parliamentary candidate from Manchester, England.

Biography

In 1997, he and other members of YouthSpeak projected a laser beam onto Big Ben, demanding "16 for everyone". It was a protest at the then unequal age of consent for gay men. He has since been associated with grass routes direct action group OutRage! In 1999 he co-founded the Queer Youth Network.^[1]

He writes a regular column in London's QX magazine and has been a contributor to The Pink Paper, OutNorthWest and The Independent. His first book "Queerest of Conspiracies" was published in 2005^{[citation needed]} which is described as a "fresh look at the state of the gay nation"^{[by whom?]} where he categorised the gay community into both 'Good Gay and Bad Gay'. David has been outspoken in the media and petitioned the government on the issue of civil partnerships and has argued that "they create a two-tier system of inequality".^{[citation needed]}

In June 2009 he attempted to perform a Citizen's arrest on Salford MP Hazel Blears at a constituency party meeting in Swinton.^[2]

He was selected to contest the Salford and Eccles seat at the 2010 General Election,^[3] beating presumptive nominee ^[4] Merseyside TUC leader Alec McFadden by a majority vote after responding to Martin Bell's call for a "Community Champion" during a public meeting in Eccles.^[5][6][7] He received 730 votes and Hazel Blears received 16,655.^{[citation needed]} Despite the distribution of votes, David's campaign generated notable media interest^[8][9]. He was shadowed by a film crew and was the focus of the 30-minute documentary film "The Candidate" which premièred on Channel M. Described as an "intimate and amusing portrait"^[10]. It has since been shown at a number of film festivals and has received acclaim after being nominated for the Royal Television Society Awards, Exposures 2001 and the Salford International Film Festival^[11][12].

References

1. ^ "History of the Gay Youth Movement". Queer Youth Network. March 2009. http://www.queeryouth.org.uk/community/index.php?act=Issues&CODE=83&ISSUE=Timeline. 
2. ^ "Blears faces wrath of party activists". The Independent. 2009-06-19. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/blears-faces-wrath-of-party-activists-ndash-but-holds-on-to-her-job-1708978.html. 
3. ^ "Anti-Hazel Blears campaigners choose candidate". BBC News. February 5, 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/8499888.stm. 
4. ^ "Expenses anger prompts anti-Blears campaign". Channel 4 News. February 4, 2010. http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/politics/domestic_politics/expenses+anger+prompts+antiblears+campaign/3526362. 
5. ^ "Salford Youth Council Champ To Stand Against Hazel". Salford Star. February 5, 2010. http://www.salfordstar.com/article.asp?id=468. 
6. ^ "Gay rights activist to challenge Hazel Blears". PinkNews.co.uk. February 10, 2010. http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2010/02/10/gay-rights-activist-to-challenge-hazel-blears/. 
7. ^ "Candidate chosen to fight for Hazel Blears' Salford seat". Manchester Evening News. February 5, 2010. http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1191779_candidate_chosen_to_fight_for_hazel_blears_salford_seat. 
8. ^ "Red Pepper meets a radical candidate: "everything a career politician is not"". Red Pepper. April 5, 2010. http://www.redpepper.org.uk/Everything-a-career-politician-is/. 
9. ^ "BBC interview David Henry on Salford Precinct". SalfordOnline. March 3, 2010. http://www.salfordonline.com/localnews_page/18741-bbc_interview_david_henry_on_salford_precinct.html. 
10. ^ Salford International Film Festival 2010, http://www.salfordfilmfestival.org.uk/catalogue.asp?process=5&id=1018 
11. ^ http://shootingpeople.org/watch/film.php?film_id=92433
12. ^ http://manchestermule.com/article/preview-exposures-film-festival

See also

• List of articles related to youth rights

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