Elton John and his partner David Furnish.
　　Elton John has paid tribute to gay rights campaigners and urged others around the world to "stand up and speak out" against homophobia.
　　The British singer, who tied the knot with long-term partner David Furnish in a civil partnership ceremony in 2005, said people must stand up for the human rights of homosexuals.
　　"In December 2005, I was legally bound to the man I love," he wrote in the New Statesman magazine. "It's my legal right and my human right. And I wanted everyone to know, I wanted to shout about it.
　　"In some countries, my voice would have been drowned out. Maybe even stamped out.
　　"Men and women are persecuted and attacked every day all over the world, just because of who they love."
　　The singer, who celebrates his 60th birthday on Sunday, paid tribute to William Hernandez, a gay rights campaigner.
　　Amnesty International says Hernandez and others in his organization Entre Amigos (Between Friends) have received death threats for their work.
　　"People like William are a lot braver than me. When the bigots shout abuse, they shout back," the singer wrote.
　　"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."

中文链接：
    日前，埃尔顿•约翰对同性恋权益保护者深表敬意，并呼吁世界各地的人们“站起来，对反同性恋偏见说不”。
　　2005年，这位英国歌手与交往了很久的男友大卫•弗尼什在一个民事伴侣关系仪式中喜结连理。他说，人们应该维护同性恋者的人权。
　　他在《新政治家》杂志中写道，“2005年12月，我和我爱的男人结为法定伴侣。这是我的法律权利，也是我的人权。我希望每个人都能认识到这一点，我要大声疾呼。”
　　“但在有些国家，我的声音可能会被淹没，甚至会被扑灭。”
　　“世界各地每天都有很多男性和女性受到迫害和攻击，而原因仅仅是因为他们爱了‘不该爱的人’。”
　　将于本周日庆祝六十大寿的埃尔顿•约翰对同性恋权益保护者威廉•赫南德斯深表敬意。
　　据国际特赦组织称，赫南德斯和他所创建的“同志组织”中的其他盟友们还因此受到过死亡的威胁。
　　约翰在杂志中写道，“像威廉那样的人们要比我勇敢的多。当顽固偏见者们唧歪乱叫，他们则毫不犹豫的予以还击。”
　　“无论偏见者们在我们身边，还是在别处，我们都应该站起来，积极争取我们的基本人权。”