Elton John
partners with Amnesty International to honor El Salvador
activist

Elton John, who celebrates his 60th birthday Sunday, is helping to launch a campaign with Amnesty International to honor gay rights activist William Hernandez of El Salvador, whose public stance in support of same-sex marriage in the country has put his life in jeopardy.

"I want to shine a spotlight on him," John wrote for the New Statesman newsmagazine in the United Kingdom. "People like William are a lot braver than me."

The pop icon wrote that he is making his call to action because others are unable to. "Men and women are persecuted and attacked every day all over the world," he wrote, "just because of who they love and who they make love to."

John referenced Hernandez's activist group, Entre Amigos ("between friends"), which has received death threats, especially since the group began protesting to amend the constitution to allow gays to marry. The organization's San Salvador offices were broken into and vandalized two days before Hernandez himself was held at gunpoint by an attacker and told that he would be killed before gays won the right to be married in El Salvador. (The Advocate)