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Sir Elton John has detailed the homophobic abuse he has suffered at the hands of "bigots" the world over and called for others to speak out against it.
In an article on the eve of his 60th birthday published in the New Statesman, Sir Elton called on others to "shout down" the abuse faced by many across the world and drew attention to the case of William Hernandez, a gay rights activist from El Salvador who has placed his life in jeopardy by campaigning against his government's attempts to prevent gay marriage.
Sir Elton, who entered a civil partnership with his long-time partner David Furnish in December 2005, said he wanted others to be able to profess their sexuality as he had done.
"I was legally bound to the man I love," he writes. "It's my legal right and my human right. And I wanted everyone to know. In some countries, my voice would have been drowned out. Maybe even stamped out. In some European countries the bigots have a loud voice. Pride marches are banned in some east European cities. Men and women are persecuted and attacked every day all over the world, just because of who they love and who they make love to."
Sir Elton, whose birthday is this weekend, is concerned by the case of Hernandez, who was threatened at gunpoint and had his offices raided last year after his organisation, Asociacion Entre Amigos, campaigned against moves to amend the constitution to formally prevent gay marriage.
Hernandez was awarded the Felipa de Souza prize in 2000 by the International Lesbian and Gay Human Rights Commission for his significant contribution toward securing the human rights and freedoms of sexual minorities in El Salvador.
"I want to shine a spotlight on William Hernandez and the many, many individuals who stand up for human rights around the world, at great risk to their personal safety," Sir Elton writes.
"People like William are a lot braver than me. When the bigots shout abuse, they shout back. My voice has served me pretty well over the years; I hope maybe it can do him some good too. But we need more voices. Whether the bigot is in our local pub or a thousand miles away, we should all stand up and speak out for these basic human rights."
The singer called in his article for people to join Amnesty International's campaign to ensure the safety of Hernandez, and others like him.
Sir Elton's column was part of Amnesty International's It Could Have Been Me campaign, in which high-profile UK figures highlight the organisation's cases.
- INDEPENDENT
