The Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association (GALHA) has welcomed the support of Liberal Democrat MP Dr Evan Harris. Dr Harris is MP for Oxford West and Abingdon and was guest of honour at GALHA’s 20th anniversary dinner held in December 1999. He joins another MP – former Labour Sports Minister Tony Banks – on GALHA’s panel of vice-presidents which also includes art historian Sir Michael Levey, scientist Professor Sir Hermann Bondi, jazz singer George Melly and agony aunt Claire Rayner.
A member of the Liberal Democrats’ health team, Dr Harris is well known for his staunch support for lesbian and gay rights. As a medical doctor, he steered a wide-ranging and radical policy opposing discrimination on the ground of sexual orientation through the British Medical Association. He has promoted radical ideas about sex education in the House of Commons and was a speaker at last year’s Mardi Gras Festival. He has worked in Oxford as a trained HIV/AIDS counsellor. Welcoming Dr Harris’s support, GALHA secretary George Broadhead said: “We are delighted to have the backing of such an up-and-coming MP who is not only concerned about lesbian and gay rights but also in tune with our rational Humanist outlook.”