The Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association (GALHA) will be celebrating the 200th Anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin at a special event on the evening of February 13th February at Conway Hall in Central London. The event, which will include the performance of two plays especially written for the occasion, will also celebrate LGBT History Month and GALHA’s 30th Anniversary.

One of the evening’s highlights is expected to be an attempted re-enactment of an explosive debate which took place in 1860 at Oxford University in front of 700 people. This gladiatorial contest between Thomas Henry Huxley ("Darwin’s Bulldog") and the Reverend Samuel Wilberforce ("Soapy Sam") caused "ladies to faint and vicars to commit acts of violence". It also led to the general acceptance of Darwin’s ideas about evolution.

The play’s author Terry Sanderson said that although the audience next week is likely to be more supportive of one side of the debate than the other, "they will be encouraged to cheer and jeer both speakers in equal measure".

A GALHA spokesperson said "In the last week or two we have heard the Pope giving credence to deniers of the Holocaust and those who blame gay rights for causing floods and hurricanes. So partly in response to such irrational and detestable nonsense, we are very proud to be celebrating both LGBT History Month and secular and humanist history in this way.

The Darwin Day special GALHA event consists of 2 plays, a short film and a buffet supper, and takes place in the Library of Conway Hall Humanist Centre, 25 Red Lion Square, Holborn on Friday 13th February from 7pm until 9.30pm. There is an admission charge of £10.

Note to Editors:
GALHA provides a voice for the many non religious in the LGBT community in the United Kingdom and elsewhere and promotes a rational approach to LGBT Rights as human rights. For its 30th Anniversary in 2009 GALHA is holding a series of special public meetings and events including an exhibition of its work in Central London.
www.galha.org