Alan Cumming hosts UN LGBT gala

Scottish actor and activist Alan Cumming says he’s pleased to be hosting the first LGBT gala ever held at the United Nations, but he also finds it a bit silly that it’s taken so long.

“Well I think it’s sort of like a little chink in the armour of bigotry on a worldwide level because it is symbolic that this is happening in this institution and also kind of ridiculous at the same time that this is the first time anything like this has happened at the U.N.,” Cumming told The Associated Press.

Monday night’s gala sponsored by Outright Action International marks something of a turning point at the U.N. which only last August held the first Security Council meeting spotlighting violence and discrimination against lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people.

The gala honours Indonesian gay rights activist Yuli Rustinawati and her organization, Arus Pelangi, just as her government is considering a law which defines threats to national security so broadly that LGBT and human rights defenders could be considered criminals.

Hearing about the proposed law, Cumming scoffed: “I mean if the state needs to be threatened with the idea of equality then good. I hope those homosexuals do threaten the state. I mean if they threaten with equality, it’s not so bad.”