Rugby stars Gareth Thomas and Ben Cohen
and tennis great Billie Jean King were among the celebrities
attending UK Prime Minister David Cameron's Gay Pride reception, UK
gay weekly Pink Paper reported.
Cameron opened his annual Downing
Street reception with a joke about actor Sir Ian McKellen, who is
openly gay.
“It's great to have this reception
here today,” Cameron said. “Sir Ian McKellen is here tonight, I
think, and we had the Queen and Prince Phillip here for lunch
yesterday. Who can say they've had two of Britain's most prominent
queens over in 48 hours?”
The leader of the Conservative Party
told attendees that there was more that the government could do for
LGBT rights in England but kept clear of endorsing marriage for gay
and lesbian couples.
In a nod to Thomas, who is openly gay,
and Cohen, who is openly straight and heads a foundation to combat
homophobia in sports, Cameron said the government should be doing
“far more” to encourage professional athletes to come out gay.
And he addressed the problem of gay teens being bullied, calling it
a priority.