Two years later, Livingstone stated that he " probably shouldn't " have called Tatchell an " Islamophobe ", but defended his actions at the time by saying " in politics you engage with people which you have profound disagreements with ...", giving then-Mayor of Moscow Yury Luzhkov's support of London for the 2012 Olympics as vital to the bid's success in spite of Luzhkov's regular bans of Moscow Pride.

Naseem, however, stated that the Islamic Party was now little more than a thinktank, and furthermore, disagreed with the statements on the Islamic Party website which Tatchell pointed to, stating his views on homosexuality as follows: " These things are a matter of personal choice ... I am not concerned with what people do in their bedrooms.

A magazine article he had written about direct action was used by a Social Democrat MP to embarrass Labour Party leader Michael Foot who impetuously denounced Tatchell and stated that he would not be endorsed, but the party was forced to accept him when Mellish resigned from the House of Commons, triggering a by-election widely regarded as one of the dirtiest in history.

" Gay rights campaigner, Peter Tatchell, stated that " Brian Souter ’ s support for Section 28 is the moral equivalent of the business-funded campaign to maintain racial segregation in the Deep South of the USA in the 1950s.

" Tatchell stated that Souter's campaign was " hateful " and that it is clear that Souter was using his vast fortune to try to keep a cruel and " bigoted law " intact.

" Tatchell stated, " There can be no normal relations with an abnormal regime ".

Tatchell took part in many gay rights campaigning over issues such as Section 28.

Tatchell also appears as one of the protagonists of the documentary Moscow Pride ' 06 which features this event.

Channel 4 indicated in June 2010 that Tatchell would be the presenter of a documentary film examining " the current Pope's teachings throughout the world ".

Following her death, gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell declared that she had " poisoned society with prejudice and intolerance " and that " future historians will rank her alongside the defenders of apartheid.

" Gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell called for any damages paid out from the libel case to be donated to gay charities, claiming Williams ' legal actions had created the impression that it is " bad to be gay.

The selection was something of a surprise, as Arthur Latham ( defeated in 1979 at Paddington by 106 votes, and former Chairman of the Tribune Group ) was expected to be selected ( Tatchell defeated him by 37 to 30 ).

Unexpectedly, Foot denounced Tatchell, stating that he would not be endorsed as a candidate.

It was eventually agreed that when the selection was rerun, Tatchell would be eligible, and he duly won.

member, Tatchell is sometimes taken to be the leader of the group, though he has never claimed this title, saying he is one among equals.

In late 2003 Tatchell acted as a press spokesman for the launch of the Zimbabwe Freedom Movement, which claimed to be a clandestine group within Zimbabwe committed to overthrowing the government of Robert Mugabe by force.

The civic action support group Sokwanele urged Tatchell to check his sources with the group, speculating that it may be an invention of supporters of the Zimbabwe government in order to justify violent action against its opponents.

Tatchell commented publicly that " legal action has created the impression he thinks it is shameful to be gay ".

Tatchell argued there should be no separate systems of arbitration for any religion.

Tatchell wrote in the Guardian that certain Muslim leaders, whom Tatchell describes as appearing " to be representative of the majority of British Muslim opinion ", of having " intolerance " to gay people.

" Tatchell responded saying Livingstone's remarks are " dishonest, despicable nonsense ", adding " The Grand Mufti was not singled out ", he further said the Mayor had brought his " office into disrepute " and " has revealed himself to be a person without principles, honesty or integrity.

It argued that homosexuality needed treatment, was not to be tolerated and that homosexuals should be put to death for a " public display of lewdness ", a policy that was condemned by Peter Tatchell.

Goodwin's own constituency party in Bermondsey had been taken over by the left, including Peter Tatchell who was soon to be selected to succeed Robert Mellish as the MP.

The left wing of the Labour Party, defending the right of Bermondsey to select a candidate of its own choosing, managed to obtain agreement that Tatchell would be eligible for selection, and Tatchell was duly selected again in January 1983.

( Although I wasn't there on the day that they were worn and had I been, mine would have read ' I wouldn't want to be kissed by Peter Tatchell ').

In November 1999, as Africa minister he entertained Robert Mugabe in London who told him “ I know you are not one of them, Peter ; you are one of us ,” But the following day, following an attempt by Gay Rights campaigner Peter Tatchell to carry out a ' citizen's arrest ' on Mugabe, Mugabe accused Hain of being Tatchell's " wife ".

In 1968 Tatchell began campaigning against the United States's and Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War, which he believed was a war of aggression in support of a " brutal and corrupt dictatorship in Saigon which was notorious for the torture and execution of political opponents ".

Tatchell complained that " her appointment suggests the government does not take lesbian and gay rights seriously ", adding " Tony Blair would never appoint someone to a race-equality post who had a lukewarm record of opposing racism ".

Tatchell ascribed his selection as Labour candidate as due to the support of the " older, ' born and bred ' working class ; the younger professional and intellectual members swung behind Latham ".

Tatchell has been heavily critical of the Catholic Church and Pope Benedict XVI, whom he has described as " the ideological inheritor of Nazi homophobia ".

When the MCB boycotted Holocaust Memorial Day, partly because it included a commemoration of the gay victims of Nazism, Tatchell wrote that " the only thing that is consistent about the MCB is its opposition to the human rights of lesbians and gay men ".

Following the hanging of two teenage boys, Mahmoud Asgari and Ayaz Marhoni by Iranian authorities, Tatchell reiterated his long-standing view that the Islamic Republic of Iran is an " Islamo-fascist state ".

Speaking to the Guardian following the release of the Borat film in the UK, Tatchell criticised Sacha Baron Cohen for his double standards and ‘ self-censorship ', saying " he regards Christians and Jews as fair game, he never gives Muslims the same doing over ".

In February 2010, Women Against Fundamentalism defended Tatchell against allegations of Islamophobia and endorsed his right to challenge all religious fundamentalism: " WAF supports the right of Peter Tatchell and numerous other gay activists to oppose the legitimisation of fundamentalists and other right wing forces on university campuses, by the Left and by the government in its Preventing Violent Extremism strategy and numerous other programmes and platforms ".

His next column identified Peter Tatchell, British National Party leader Nick Griffin and Omar Bakri Mohammed of Al-Muhajiroun as the top three " hate filled bigots ", saying that Tatchell needed " a good slap in the face " and his " queer campaign army " should " pack their bent bags and head back to Australia ".

Tatchell denounced a " naked appeal to homophobia and xenophobia " echoing " the racist, xenophobic language of the BNP ", and Yosef apologised, claiming the " slap in the face " remark was a " figure of speech ".

Tatchell is also an active supporter of animal rights campaigns, saying " human rights and animal rights are two aspects of the same struggle against injustice ".

In November 2005, Respect's second largest single financial donor, Dr Mohammad Naseem, was accused in an article by Peter Tatchell of being homophobic due to his senior position in the Islamic Party of Britain, which he claimed advocated the " banning of gay organisations " and the " execution of homosexuals ".

Some of the other by-election candidates joined in: John O ' Grady ( Southwark Council leader, who was promoted as the ' Real Bermondsey ' Labour candidacy by the previous MP, Bob Mellish ) was filmed touring the constituency on the back of a horse and cart, singing a song which referred to Tatchell " wearing his trousers back to front ".

When being interviewed on TV at the by-election count, Sutch related to Tatchell how horrified he was at the treatment Tatchell had received, but added that " what I did not tell him was that he had been so bad a candidate that he had largely brought it on himself ".

Male Liberal canvassers were seen wearing badges reading " I've been kissed by Peter Tatchell ".