Waheed Alli, Baron Alli
Encyclopedia
Waheed Alli, Baron Alli (born 16 November 1964) is a British
multimillionaire media entrepreneur and politician. He was co-founder and managing director of Planet 24
, a TV production company, and managing director at Carlton Television Productions. He is currently chairman of ASOS.com
, and a director of Silvergate Media, which purchased many of the media rights previously held by Chorion Ltd
, where Alli was former chairman. He is a Labour
peer
and is one of very few openly gay Muslim
politicians in the world.
, though both of his parents are from the Caribbean
; (see Indo-Caribbean
). His mother, a nurse, is from Trinidad
, and his estranged father, a mechanic, is from British Guiana
(now Guyana
). He was named one of the 20 most important Asians in British media in 2005. At the same time, he maintains ties with his Caribbean roots, both with other British-Guyanese politicians such as Valerie Amos and Trevor Phillips
, and with President Bharrat Jagdeo
. He is one of a group of highly successful Guyanese people in Britain (Michael White
of The Guardian
refers to them as the "Guyanese mafia"), which includes Raj Persaud
, Herman Ouseley and David Dabydeen
, Cynthia Pine, Keith Waithe and Rudolph Dunbar
.
Alli grew up in humble surroundings, attended Stanley Technical College
in South Norwood
, London
, and left school at 16 with nine O-levels.
’s stable of publications. He then went to the City
for a second career in investment banking
, through which he became wealthy. In the mid-1980s he met Charlie Parsons
, who was to become his business partner and boyfriend.
Alli’s third career, and the first in which he achieved public prominence, was in the television industry. He and Parsons set up 24 Hour Productions, which produced The Word
, "the most talked about television programme in Britain". In 1992 they merged with Bob Geldof
’s Planet Pictures to form Planet 24
. Such was its success that it became one of the largest TV production companies in the country, and the main independent supplier to Channel 4
. It was responsible for genre-breaking programmes such as Big Breakfast and Survivor
. Carlton Television
bought Planet 24 in March 1999 for £15 million, with Alli and Parsons prudently retaining the rights to the lucrative Survivor format. Waheed Alli became a Carlton board director before stepping down a year later.
In April 2003 Alli took over as chairman of the media rights
company Chorion Ltd
, which owns rights to Enid Blyton
and Agatha Christie
, and has offices beyond the UK in New York, Sydney, and Tokyo. He is chairman of AIM
-listed ASOS.com
and a director of Olga Television, entertainer Paul O'Grady
's production company
. He owns part of Shine Limited
, a media production company he co-founded in March 2001 with Elisabeth Murdoch
, daughter of media-magnate Rupert Murdoch
. In August 2011, he stepped down from the chairmanship of Chorion and sold half his stake in ASOS.com in order to start a new company called Silvergate Media.
He was part of a failed £100m bid backed by private equity
firm 3i
to buy Virgin Radio
from SMG plc
in 2005. In March 2007 he was appointed as SMG's non-executive director.
at the persuasion of his neighbour Emily Thornberry
, to whom he remains close. He is also close to Anji Hunter
, Director of Government Relations in Tony Blair
's first government. Prime Minister
Blair used him for years as a means to help him reach out to a younger generation (aka "yoof culture
"), and as such he is considered one of "Tony’s cronies". He was made a life peer
as Baron Alli, of Norbury
in the London Borough of Croydon
, in 1998 at the age of 34, becoming the youngest and the first openly gay peer in Parliament
. He sits on the Labour benches in the House of Lords
. The BBC
summarised his appointment as "the antithesis of the stereotypical ‘establishment
’ peer - young, Asian and from the world of media and entertainment".
Alli has used his political position to argue for gay rights. He spearheaded the campaign to repeal Section 28
. He advocated lowering the age of consent
for homosexuals from 18 to 16, equal to heterosexuals; this eventually became law as the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000
. It was during a heated exchange with conservative opponents, led by Baroness Young
, that he informed his fellow peers that he was gay. In April 1999, he said in a speech, "I have never been confused about my sexuality. I have been confused about the way I am treated as a result of it. The only confusion lies in the prejudice shown, some of it tonight [i.e. in the House], and much of it enshrined in the law."
He acted as Tony Blair's representative in the House of Lords in the passage of the Civil Partnership Act 2004
, giving same-sex couples in the United Kingdom the ability to enter into civil partnerships with equal rights and responsibilities to marriage
. In 2009, he spearheaded an effort to repeal clauses in the Civil Partnerships Act which prohibited religious institutions from conducting the ceremonies on their premises. This campaign culminated in a bipartisan amendment, which became part of the Equality Act 2010. He is one of very few openly gay Muslim
figures in public life anywhere in the world, along with Pav Akhtar
, also a Labour politician based in London.
He influenced the draft Communications Bill in 2003.
He labelled the awarding of a knighthood to Salman Rushdie as a "controversial decision" that might harm community relations.
of De Montfort University
in Leicester
. He is also the President of the Croydon
Youth Development Trust. He is a patron of Skillset
, the Sector Skills Council supporting skills and training within the creative media industries.
In Autumn 2008 he won a Stonewall Award
for the category of political figure. In 2002 he became a patron of The Albert Kennedy Trust
, stating "Being a teenager isn’t easy and it’s particularly difficult for vulnerable and socially excluded
members of our community. The Albert Kennedy Trust offers young gay men, lesbians and bisexuals
a unique and targeted service. My first task as Patron will be to support plans to extend these services across the UK, to help the increasing number of young people contacting the Trust." He was a keynote speaker at the International Conference on LGBT Human Rights
, part of the 2006 World Outgames
, which led to the Declaration of Montreal
. Alli is a patron of Oxford Pride, the annual Pride event in Oxfordshire
, and of Pride London
.
A portrait of him is held by the National Portrait Gallery, as is standard for members of the peerage
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
multimillionaire media entrepreneur and politician. He was co-founder and managing director of Planet 24
Planet 24
Planet 24 was a television production company. It produced The Big Breakfast and The Word had an animation division Impossible TV. Bob Geldof and Tony Boland founded Planet Pictures which merged with 24 Hour Productions headed by Charlie Parsons and Waheed, later Lord Alli...
, a TV production company, and managing director at Carlton Television Productions. He is currently chairman of ASOS.com
ASOS.com
ASOS.com is the UK's largest online-only fashion and beauty store. Primarily aimed at 16-34 year old men and women, it offers over 35,000 own-label and branded fashion goods. Sales for the financial year ending 31 March 2011 were £339.7 million....
, and a director of Silvergate Media, which purchased many of the media rights previously held by Chorion Ltd
Chorion (company)
Chorion Limited is a major international media production company with offices in London, New York and Sydney. The company produces TV shows and feature films, and is best known for the heritage properties included in its portfolio. These include children's characters such as Paddington Bear, Peter...
, where Alli was former chairman. He is a Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
peer
Life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
and is one of very few openly gay Muslim
Homosexuality and Islam
LGBT topics and Islam are influenced by both the cultural-legal history of the nations with a large Muslim population, along with how specific passages in the Qur'an and statements attributed to the prophet Muhammad are interpreted. The mainstream interpretation of Qur'anic verses and hadith...
politicians in the world.
Biography
In British political terms he is considered AsianBritish Asian
British Asian is a term used to describe British citizens who descended from mainly South Asia, also known as South Asians in the United Kingdom...
, though both of his parents are from the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
; (see Indo-Caribbean
Indo-Caribbean
Indo-Caribbean people or Indo-Caribbeans are Caribbean people with roots in India or the Indian subcontinent. They are mostly descendants of the original indentured workers brought by the British, the Dutch and the French during colonial times...
). His mother, a nurse, is from Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
, and his estranged father, a mechanic, is from British Guiana
British Guiana
British Guiana was the name of the British colony on the northern coast of South America, now the independent nation of Guyana.The area was originally settled by the Dutch at the start of the 17th century as the colonies of Essequibo, Demerara, and Berbice...
(now Guyana
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
). He was named one of the 20 most important Asians in British media in 2005. At the same time, he maintains ties with his Caribbean roots, both with other British-Guyanese politicians such as Valerie Amos and Trevor Phillips
Trevor Phillips
Trevor Phillips OBE chairs the Equality and Human Rights Commission and is a former television executive and presenter...
, and with President Bharrat Jagdeo
Bharrat Jagdeo
Bharrat Jagdeo is a Guyanese politician who has been President of Guyana since 11 August 1999. Prior to his presidency he was Minister of Finance and became President after Janet Jagan resigned for health reasons; subsequently he won two elections, in 2001 and 2006.Jagdeo was born in Unity Village...
. He is one of a group of highly successful Guyanese people in Britain (Michael White
Michael White (journalist)
Michael White is an associate editor and former political editor of The Guardian.-Early life:White was raised in Wadebridge, Cornwall...
of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
refers to them as the "Guyanese mafia"), which includes Raj Persaud
Raj Persaud
Rajendra Persaud , also known as Raj Persaud , born 13 May 1963, Reading, Berkshire is an English consultant psychiatrist, broadcaster, and author of popular books about psychiatry....
, Herman Ouseley and David Dabydeen
David Dabydeen
David Dabydeen is a Guyanese-born critic, writer and novelist.Dabydeen was born in Berbice, Guyana, his birth registered at New Amsterdam Registrar of Births as David Horace Clarence Harilal Sookram...
, Cynthia Pine, Keith Waithe and Rudolph Dunbar
Rudolph Dunbar
Rudolph Dunbar was a Guyanese conductor, clarinetist, and composer.Dunbar was born in Nabaclis, British Guiana. He studied at the Institute of Musical Art . While in New York he was also involved with the Harlem jazz scene...
.
Alli grew up in humble surroundings, attended Stanley Technical College
Harris Academy South Norwood
Harris Academy South Norwood is a city academy in South Norwood, London for students of both sexes aged 11–18. The school was designated as a Business and Enterprise College by the Department for Education and Skills when it was formerly called Stanley Technical High School. The re-development of...
in South Norwood
South Norwood
South Norwood is an urban town and in south London, England, in the London Borough of Croydon. It is a suburban development 7.8 miles south-east of Charing Cross. South Norwood is an electoral with a resident population in 2001 of just over 14,000...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and left school at 16 with nine O-levels.
Business career
He started work as a junior researcher for a finance magazine and worked his way up in the media business within Robert MaxwellRobert Maxwell
Ian Robert Maxwell MC was a Czechoslovakian-born British media proprietor and former Member of Parliament , who rose from poverty to build an extensive publishing empire...
’s stable of publications. He then went to the City
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
for a second career in investment banking
Investment banking
An investment bank is a financial institution that assists individuals, corporations and governments in raising capital by underwriting and/or acting as the client's agent in the issuance of securities...
, through which he became wealthy. In the mid-1980s he met Charlie Parsons
Charlie Parsons
Charlie Parsons is a British television producer who created a number of notable television shows including Survivor. He also created The Big Breakfast and The Word....
, who was to become his business partner and boyfriend.
Alli’s third career, and the first in which he achieved public prominence, was in the television industry. He and Parsons set up 24 Hour Productions, which produced The Word
The Word (TV series)
The Word was a 1990s Channel 4 television programme in the United Kingdom.-Format:Its presenters included Mancunian radio presenter Terry Christian, comedian Mark Lamarr, Dani Behr, Katie Puckrik, Jasmine Dotiwala, Alan Connor, Amanda de Cadenet and "Huffty"...
, "the most talked about television programme in Britain". In 1992 they merged with Bob Geldof
Bob Geldof
Robert Frederick Zenon "Bob" Geldof, KBE is an Irish singer, songwriter, author, occasional actor and political activist. He rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Irish rock band The Boomtown Rats in the late 1970s and early 1980s alongside the punk rock movement. The band had hits with his...
’s Planet Pictures to form Planet 24
Planet 24
Planet 24 was a television production company. It produced The Big Breakfast and The Word had an animation division Impossible TV. Bob Geldof and Tony Boland founded Planet Pictures which merged with 24 Hour Productions headed by Charlie Parsons and Waheed, later Lord Alli...
. Such was its success that it became one of the largest TV production companies in the country, and the main independent supplier to Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
. It was responsible for genre-breaking programmes such as Big Breakfast and Survivor
Survivor (TV series)
Survivor is a reality television game show format produced in many countries throughout the world. In the show, contestants are isolated in the wilderness and compete for cash and other prizes. The show uses a system of progressive elimination, allowing the contestants to vote off other tribe...
. Carlton Television
Carlton Television
Carlton Television was the ITV franchise holder for London and the surrounding counties including the cities of Solihull and Coventry of the West Midlands, south Suffolk, middle and east Hampshire, Oxfordshire, south Bedfordshire, south Northamptonshire, parts of Herefordshire & Worcestershire,...
bought Planet 24 in March 1999 for £15 million, with Alli and Parsons prudently retaining the rights to the lucrative Survivor format. Waheed Alli became a Carlton board director before stepping down a year later.
In April 2003 Alli took over as chairman of the media rights
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
company Chorion Ltd
Chorion (company)
Chorion Limited is a major international media production company with offices in London, New York and Sydney. The company produces TV shows and feature films, and is best known for the heritage properties included in its portfolio. These include children's characters such as Paddington Bear, Peter...
, which owns rights to Enid Blyton
Enid Blyton
Enid Blyton was an English children's writer also known as Mary Pollock.Noted for numerous series of books based on recurring characters and designed for different age groups,her books have enjoyed huge success in many parts of the world, and have sold over 600 million copies.One of Blyton's most...
and Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Christie DBE was a British crime writer of novels, short stories, and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but she is best remembered for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections , and her successful West End plays.According to...
, and has offices beyond the UK in New York, Sydney, and Tokyo. He is chairman of AIM
Alternative Investment Market
AIM is a sub-market of the London Stock Exchange, allowing smaller companies to float shares with a more flexible regulatory system than is applicable to the main market....
-listed ASOS.com
ASOS.com
ASOS.com is the UK's largest online-only fashion and beauty store. Primarily aimed at 16-34 year old men and women, it offers over 35,000 own-label and branded fashion goods. Sales for the financial year ending 31 March 2011 were £339.7 million....
and a director of Olga Television, entertainer Paul O'Grady
Paul O'Grady
Paul James Michael O'Grady MBE is an English comedian, television presenter, actor, writer and radio DJ. He is best known for presenting the daytime chat television series, The Paul O'Grady Show and, more recently, Paul O'Grady Live, as well as his drag queen comedic alter ego, Lily Savage, as...
's production company
Production company
A production company provides the physical basis for works in the realms of the performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, and video.- Tasks and functions :...
. He owns part of Shine Limited
Shine Limited
Shine Limited is a British media production company with offices in London and Manchester....
, a media production company he co-founded in March 2001 with Elisabeth Murdoch
Elisabeth Murdoch (businesswoman)
Elisabeth Murdoch is an executive in the British television industry and a daughter of international media mogul Rupert Murdoch...
, daughter of media-magnate Rupert Murdoch
Rupert Murdoch
Keith Rupert Murdoch, AC, KSG is an Australian-American business magnate. He is the founder and Chairman and CEO of , the world's second-largest media conglomerate....
. In August 2011, he stepped down from the chairmanship of Chorion and sold half his stake in ASOS.com in order to start a new company called Silvergate Media.
He was part of a failed £100m bid backed by private equity
Private equity
Private equity, in finance, is an asset class consisting of equity securities in operating companies that are not publicly traded on a stock exchange....
firm 3i
3i
3i Group plc is a multinational private equity and venture capital company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It has offices in 13 countries across Asia, Europe and the Americas and had total assets under management of £12.7 billion as at 31 March 2011...
to buy Virgin Radio
Virgin Radio
Absolute Radio is one of the UK's three Independent National Radio stations. The station rebranded to its current name at 7.45am on 29 September 2008.The station is based in London and plays popular rock music...
from SMG plc
SMG plc
STV Group plc is a Scottish media company. It is a constituent of the FTSE Fledgling Index. Originally formed as Scottish Television, it changed its name to Scottish Media Group in 1996 when it acquired Caledonian Publishing, owners of Glasgow-based newspapers The Herald and Evening Times...
in 2005. In March 2007 he was appointed as SMG's non-executive director.
Politics
Alli joined the Labour PartyLabour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
at the persuasion of his neighbour Emily Thornberry
Emily Thornberry
Emily Anne Thornberry is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Islington South and Finsbury since 2005.-Before Parliament:...
, to whom he remains close. He is also close to Anji Hunter
Anji Hunter
Angela Margaret Jane Hunter works in public relations.Hunter was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaya where her father was a rubber plantation manager, and educated at the prestigious St Leonards School in St Andrews, Scotland....
, Director of Government Relations in Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
's first government. Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
Blair used him for years as a means to help him reach out to a younger generation (aka "yoof culture
Youth subculture
A youth subculture is a youth-based subculture with distinct styles, behaviors, and interests. Youth subcultures offer participants an identity outside of that ascribed by social institutions such as family, work, home and school...
"), and as such he is considered one of "Tony’s cronies". He was made a life peer
Life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
as Baron Alli, of Norbury
Norbury
Norbury is a town in the London Borough of Croydon, also crossing the London Borough of Merton. It shares the postcode London SW16 with nearby Streatham. Norbury is south of Charing Cross.-History:...
in the London Borough of Croydon
London Borough of Croydon
The London Borough of Croydon is a London borough in South London, England and is part of Outer London. It covers an area of and is the largest London borough by population. It is the southernmost borough of London. At its centre is the historic town of Croydon from which the borough takes its name...
, in 1998 at the age of 34, becoming the youngest and the first openly gay peer in Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
. He sits on the Labour benches in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
. The BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
summarised his appointment as "the antithesis of the stereotypical ‘establishment
The Establishment
The Establishment is a term used to refer to a visible dominant group or elite that holds power or authority in a nation. The term suggests a closed social group which selects its own members...
’ peer - young, Asian and from the world of media and entertainment".
Alli has used his political position to argue for gay rights. He spearheaded the campaign to repeal Section 28
Section 28
Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988 caused the controversial addition of Section 2A to the Local Government Act 1986 , enacted on 24 May 1988 and repealed on 21 June 2000 in Scotland, and on 18 November 2003 in the rest of Great Britain by section 122 of the Local Government Act 2003...
. He advocated lowering the age of consent
Age of consent
While the phrase age of consent typically does not appear in legal statutes, when used in relation to sexual activity, the age of consent is the minimum age at which a person is considered to be legally competent to consent to sexual acts. The European Union calls it the legal age for sexual...
for homosexuals from 18 to 16, equal to heterosexuals; this eventually became law as the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000
Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000
The Sexual Offences Act 2000 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It changed the age of consent for male homosexual sexual activities from 18 to that for heterosexual and lesbian sexual activities at 16, or 17 in Northern Ireland...
. It was during a heated exchange with conservative opponents, led by Baroness Young
Janet Young, Baroness Young
Janet Mary Baker Young, Baroness Young PC , was a British Conservative politician. She served as the first ever female Leader of the House of Lords from 1981 to 1983, first as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and from 1982 as Lord Privy Seal...
, that he informed his fellow peers that he was gay. In April 1999, he said in a speech, "I have never been confused about my sexuality. I have been confused about the way I am treated as a result of it. The only confusion lies in the prejudice shown, some of it tonight [i.e. in the House], and much of it enshrined in the law."
He acted as Tony Blair's representative in the House of Lords in the passage of the Civil Partnership Act 2004
Civil Partnership Act 2004
The Civil Partnership Act 2004 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The Bill for this Act was introduced by the Labour government and supported by the Conservative and Liberal Democrat opposition. The Act grants civil partnerships in the United Kingdom with rights and...
, giving same-sex couples in the United Kingdom the ability to enter into civil partnerships with equal rights and responsibilities to marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
. In 2009, he spearheaded an effort to repeal clauses in the Civil Partnerships Act which prohibited religious institutions from conducting the ceremonies on their premises. This campaign culminated in a bipartisan amendment, which became part of the Equality Act 2010. He is one of very few openly gay Muslim
Homosexuality and Islam
LGBT topics and Islam are influenced by both the cultural-legal history of the nations with a large Muslim population, along with how specific passages in the Qur'an and statements attributed to the prophet Muhammad are interpreted. The mainstream interpretation of Qur'anic verses and hadith...
figures in public life anywhere in the world, along with Pav Akhtar
Pav Akhtar
Pav Akhtar is a British Labour Party activist. Among his many and varied jobs he used to work for the trade union UNISON and was councillor for Stockwell in the London Borough of Lambeth. Along with Waheed Alli, Baron Alli, he is one of very few out gay Muslim politicians in the world.Akhtar...
, also a Labour politician based in London.
He influenced the draft Communications Bill in 2003.
He labelled the awarding of a knighthood to Salman Rushdie as a "controversial decision" that might harm community relations.
Other information
Alli's work has been focused around gay rights, youth and education. He is the ChancellorChancellor (education)
A chancellor or vice-chancellor is the chief executive of a university. Other titles are sometimes used, such as president or rector....
of De Montfort University
De Montfort University
De Montfort University is a public research and teaching university situated in the medieval Old Town of Leicester, England, adjacent to the River Soar and the Leicester Castle Gardens...
in Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
. He is also the President of the Croydon
Croydon
Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
Youth Development Trust. He is a patron of Skillset
Skillset
Skillset is the Sector Skills Council which supports skills and training for people and businesses to ensure the UK creative media industries competitive and productive.-History:It was founded 1992 and is jointly funded by industry and government...
, the Sector Skills Council supporting skills and training within the creative media industries.
In Autumn 2008 he won a Stonewall Award
Stonewall Awards
The Stonewall Awards is an annual event to celebrate people who have had a positive impact on the lives of British LGBT people. The event was first held in 2006 at the Royal Academy of Arts and from 2007 were held at the Victoria and Albert Museum.-2006:...
for the category of political figure. In 2002 he became a patron of The Albert Kennedy Trust
The Albert Kennedy Trust
The Albert Kennedy Trust is a voluntary organisation based in England, created in 1989 to serve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual young people who are homeless, living in a hostile environment or in housing crisis...
, stating "Being a teenager isn’t easy and it’s particularly difficult for vulnerable and socially excluded
Social exclusion
Social exclusion is a concept used in many parts of the world to characterise contemporary forms of social disadvantage. Dr. Lynn Todman, director of the Institute on Social Exclusion at the Adler School of Professional Psychology, suggests that social exclusion refers to processes in which...
members of our community. The Albert Kennedy Trust offers young gay men, lesbians and bisexuals
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
a unique and targeted service. My first task as Patron will be to support plans to extend these services across the UK, to help the increasing number of young people contacting the Trust." He was a keynote speaker at the International Conference on LGBT Human Rights
LGBT social movements
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender social movements share inter-related goals of social acceptance of sexual and gender minorities. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their allies have a long history of campaigning for what is generally called LGBT rights, also called gay...
, part of the 2006 World Outgames
2006 World Outgames
The 1st World Outgames took place in Montreal, Quebec, Canada from July 26, 2006 to August 5, 2006. The international conference was held from July 26 to the 29. The sporting events were held from July 29 to August 5.-History:...
, which led to the Declaration of Montreal
Declaration of Montreal
The Declaration of Montreal on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Human Rights is a document adopted in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on July 29, 2006, by the International Conference on LGBT Human Rights which formed part of the first World Outgames. The Declaration outlines a number of rights...
. Alli is a patron of Oxford Pride, the annual Pride event in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, and of Pride London
Pride London
Pride London is the name of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender registered charity which arranges LGBT events in London, most notably the annual gay pride parade which is held in June/July. The most recent Pride London was on 2 July 2011. The 2010 event was attended by 1 million people,...
.
A portrait of him is held by the National Portrait Gallery, as is standard for members of the peerage
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
.
External links
- Announcement of his introduction at the House of Lords House of Lords minutes of proceedings, 21 July 1998
- http://oxfordpride.org.uk
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1047062.stm BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
profile, 29 November 2000. - http://www.asiansinmedia.org/top20/2005/1.php Asians in Media profile, 2005.
- http://www.caribvoice.org/Profiles/peers.html. Caribbean Voice profile, October 2001.
- http://www.knittingcircle.org.uk/waheedalli. Knitting Circle profile, with press cuttings
- http://www.akt.org.uk/patrons.htm The Albert Kennedy Trust