Peter Tatchell: You Ask The Questions

Why don't you stand for Mayor of London rather than trying in vain to become Britain's first Green MP? VALERIE SOARES, Oxford

The Greens already have an excellent mayoral candidate, Sian Berry.

Why are you standing in East Oxford when that could lead to a Labour loss and increase the risk of a Tory government? MERRYN WILLIAMS, by email

The Labour MP for Oxford East, Andrew Smith, supported the Iraq war, foundation hospitals, student top-up fees, ID cards, nuclear power and restrictions on civil liberties. He deserves to lose. The Tories don't stand a chance in Oxford East.

Isn't the fight for gay rights pretty much won these days? ANDY EVERARD, by email

Same-sex marriage is still banned. Would you accept a law banning black people from getting married?

As a human rights campaigner, how can you justify 'outing' gays who don't want to be outed? PENNY MCINTYRE, London

I have only outed hypocrites who condemn gays in public while having gay affairs in private.

Do you think it is immoral of homosexual men and women to remain in the closet? LINDSAY SILVERMAN, Edinburgh

Apart from hypocrites, people should be left to come out in their own time. But staying permanently in the closet reinforces the idea that it is shameful to be gay.

How do you square the typical gay assertion that sexuality is a private matter, with moves to out people, e.g. Brian Coleman's recent comments about Edward Heath? Doesn't such behaviour suggest double standards? N GARDENER, Moscow

I believe in honesty. Since there is nothing wrong with being gay, I see nothing wrong with mentioning the sexuality of a deceased person.

Are gay men too promiscuous? SARAH VICKERS, Manchester

No more than young straight men. Live and let live.

You have tried to arrest Robert Mugabe. Should the international community invade Zimbabwe to put an end to his brutal repression? KATY ELLIS, by email

The people of Zimbabwe are not urging invasion. Armed intervention would smack of neo-colonialism and strengthen Mugabe's position by allowing him to play the nationalist card.

Do you think Mugabe is a repressed homosexual? COLIN RILEY, Brighton

Just because Mugabe is a bit effeminate and very homophobic doesn't necessarily mean he is gay. But research by the US psychologist Henry Adams has demonstrated that most homophobes are repressed, self-loathing queers. Draw your own conclusions.

You keep being accused of racism by the likes of the Socialist Workers' Party because you criticise Islamic fundamentalists. What do you say to them? KAYLA LAMB, by email

Islam is an idea not a race. Therefore it is not racist to oppose Islamist fundamentalism. The way much of the far left has aligned itself with right-wing Islamists is one of the biggest political turnarounds since Oswald Mosley switched from socialism to fascism.

Is it your fault that Bermondsey has not had a Labour MP for 25 years? BEN LEIGH, by email

I was subjected to unprecedented tabloid smears and fabrications. The anti-Labour parties waged the dirtiest, most violent election campaign of the past 100 years. Since my defeat, other Labour candidates have stood in Bermondsey. They didn't win either.

Many congratulations on your fight against homophobia in reggae music. When will you be tackling the Catholic Church? TOM OLDHAM, by email

I already have - over the Vatican's advocacy of legal discrimination against gay people, and its opposition to condoms.

The Catholic Church does good work on adoption. It would be a pity if this stopped because of the new gay adoption laws. Why are you forcing the issue? SEAN MATTHEWS, London

Catholic adoption agencies already allow single gay people to adopt children, so why won't they allow same-sex couples?

Is pink the new green? Or green the new pink? Or are they both the new black? ERIC SYNOTT, Manchester

Green is the new red. The Green Party occupies the progressive space once occupied by Labour.

I am gay but I think gays who want marriage are just mimicking straight people rather than trying to change attitudes. Would you agree? F MILNER, by email

Wedlock is a flawed institution. I don't believe in it, but I defend the right of others to make that choice.

Are you going to drop your assertion that the age of consent should be reduced to 14 years of age for all? MEGAN RADCLYFFE, London N7

The average age of the first sexual experience is 14. I am not saying this is desirable but it is wrong that these young people are criminalised. An age of consent of 14 would reduce criminalisation and facilitate earlier, better sex education. The best way to protect young people against abusers is to give them the skills and confidence to say no. Lots of European countries have an age of consent of 14. It has not led to increased abuse.

What planet-saving measures do you take? SIMON ELDRIDGE, by email

I don't own a car. I cycle nearly everywhere. I don't eat meat. My rubbish is recycled. I put on a pullover instead of turning up the central heating, and switch off the hot water when I am away. My flat is insulated, and has energy-saving light bulbs and appliances.

Do you think Tony Blair has been a good Prime Minister? PETER HUNT, Exeter

Blair's achievements are overshadowed by his failures on Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine, Darfur, Congo and Zimbabwe. He has presided over the biggest erosion of civil liberties in peacetime, created a cruel asylum system, and has pushed crazy schemes like ID cards, renewal of Trident and expanded nuclear power. Although Blair repealed most anti-gay laws, his government still supports the ban on same-sex marriage and refuses to crack down on reggae singers and Muslim extremists who incite the murder of gay people.

You criticised Sacha Baron Cohen for not giving Muslims the same "doing over" as Jews and Christians in the Borat film. Would it not have been incendiary to do so? AHMAD IQBAL, by email

I wasn't saying that Cohen should have ridiculed Muslims. I was criticising him for his selectivity. We should defend free speech but also think about its consequences.

Where do you stand on reform for Britain's jails? FARAH DAMJI, by email

Prison abuses are widespread, especially against black and Muslim inmates. They have no effective redress. The Prison Ombudsman should be abolished. I would give HM Chief Inspector of Prisons statutory powers to close unfit prisons and to dismiss staff and governors.

When not ruining church services and upsetting foreign despots, how do you have fun? KEN WATT, Manchester

Dance music, mountain hiking, sex, movies and, occasionally, surfing.

All your life you have been seeking to draw attention to yourself with your radical campaigning. Do you think anyone takes you seriously anymore? JG HARRISON, Perth

According to many Zimbabweans, my attempts to arrest President Mugabe helped raise awareness about his human rights abuses.

Why do you still live in a modest council flat? Surely you can afford something better? MAKI AMANO, London

I have been campaigning for human rights for 24 years, 80 hours a week. All unpaid. I do an extra 20 hours a week paid work. I live on £8,000 a year. Compared to most people on this planet I am well-off, but I would love a bigger flat, an office and three paid staff so I don't have to work evenings and weekends.

Are you happy? PAM NEILSON, by email

My campaign successes give me immense happiness. But there is a downside - long hours, not much of a social life, lots of hate mail and death threats.

The New Statesman named you one of its 'Heroes of Our Time'. Who are your own heroes and heroines? GORDON FILDES, by email

Mahatma Gandhi, Sylvia Pankhurst, Martin Luther King.

More info on Peter Tatchell's human rights campaigns: www.petertatchell.net