Camden LGBT Forum Update

30th March 2012

 

Hello Forum Members!

 

The next Forum meeting will take place on Tuesday 3^rd April, Committee Rm 2, Camden Town Hall, Judd Street from 6.00pm.

 

Camden Council is setting up a new local organisation called, “HealthWatch Camden”, which will be a new local champion for people who use health and adult social care services. It will ensure people’s experiences are used to shape and improve services locally. Camden Council wants to know what you think this organisation should be like and will be holding a focus group during the next Forum meeting. This will be an excellent opportunity to raises issues LGBT people experience with the provision of health care in Camden.

 

If there are any items that Forum members would like raised on the agenda, for example news items featured in the newsletter, ideas, events etc, please email the forum on forum.admin@camdenlgbtforum.org.uk

If you have any information you would like adding to the next newsletter – do let us know.

 

Wishing you all the best,

Lou – Forum Director

Tessa – Forum Administrator

Ashley – Forum Volunteer Coordinator

 

 

CONTENTS                         

 

Local Events and Opportunities

• Opening Doors – SESSIONAL VACANCY
• Equal civil marriage consultation
• Volunteering Opportunity – Forum Ambassadors

 

National Community News

• LGBT support hotline embraces digital media
• Multi-millionaire City analyst wins ‘gay divorce’ appeal but must pay vast settlement
• Man jailed for nine years after homophobic attack in Liverpool
• Christian Voice: Mice infestation at Tesco store is divine retribution for gay pride support
• Mickey Rourke pulls out of Gareth Thomas biopic

 

International Community News and Events

• Queer feminist poet and essayist Adrienne Rich dies aged 82
• First trans twins in China
• Gay victim of neo-Nazi attack dies
• Nepal to host national LGBT games
• Female apes’ volume during gay sex ‘depends on partner’s social status’

 

 

Local Events and Opportunities

 

Opening Doors – SESSIONAL VACANCY

Opening Doors London : Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Sessional Workers for occasional work (generally 0-6hrs per week). Area to be covered: East London boroughs North of the Thames

Hourly rate £15.35 (SO1 scp 29 based on £27,945 pa) or £23.00 if self employed

Age UK Camden is seeking to develop a ‘bank’ of LGBT sessional workers who have been recruited in line with their equal opportunities recruitment policies. These posts are offered on a zero hour casual contract basis. Actual hours will vary with demand for the service, and there is no guarantee of any work. The posts attract an hourly rate as above and accrued annual leave. The role involves assisting with the development of social opportunities and to improve access to services for older lesbian, gay or bisexual and transgender people (50+) in London North of the Thames. Many of the sessions are for women only or men only; some are mixed.

 

With the help of other sessional workers and volunteers you will be responsible for setting up and managing social groups, organising activities speakers and volunteers, arranging venues refreshments and transport for members when necessary.

 

If you are interested in becoming a LGBT bank sessional worker please see the application pack including the full job description and person specification at the following link in Age UK Camden’s website www.ageukcamden.org.uk or email jobs@ageukcamden.org.uk.

The closing date for receipt of completed application forms is 12 noon 2nd April 2012 and interviews will be held on 12th April 2012.  

 

Equal civil marriage consultation

A Government consultation has been launched this month which outlines plans to enable same-sex couples to have a civil marriage ceremony. You can access a copy of the full consultation document on the Home Office website – http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/equal-civil-marriage

 

The Government recognises that there are a wide range of views on this issue and they want to hear from all perspectives. You can send in your views by completing a simple, online survey also available at -  http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/equal-civil-marriage

 

You can follow this on twitter at #equalcivilmarriage.

For any enquiries & more information, please email Holly.Riley@geo.gsi.gov.uk

 

Volunteering Opportunity – Forum Ambassadors

Would you like to spend an evening talking to LGBT people in Camden at your local LGBT venue or LGBT group about the Forum? We need to let as many people as possible know about the support we can offer and how to report hate crime, harassment and discrimination. This crucial role helps get the message out that LGBT people don’t have to put up with hate crime, harassment and discrimination and gives them information about how to make a report (including completely anonymously if wanted) and in confidence to the Forum.

 

This is a sociable role; you get to chat with some great people in Camden about what we are doing, find out what they are doing and how we can help. All volunteers receive an induction and on the job training as well the opportunity to develop other skills.

For more information, please contact the forum on 020 7388 5720 or email volunteering@camdenlgbtforum.org.uk

 

 

National Community News

 

LGBT support hotline embraces digital media

The London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard has expanded its free and confidential support services to include online chat and email communication. After 38 years of providing 24-hour counselling, information or just someone to talk to, LLGS volunteers can be reached for a chat through mobiles and smart phones. Younger people are particularly using the digital media options, since their living situation might not make it possible to carry a phone conversation about their sexuality. One of the 180 volunteers that talk to callers about anything from coming out, to having sex for the first time, to finding the best LGBT venues in and around London can now be reached online via email or for an instant chat online here. Emails are answered within hours and the online chat feature offers a conversational experience between the caller and volunteer similar to a phone conversation.

 

The helpline number has also changed from an 020 number to a 0300 number. The new number is +44(0)300 330 0630. Lines are open from 10am to 11pm every day of the year. To ensure confidentiality, the phone helpline does not have caller display and callers can’t leave a message.

 

Mark Gatiss, patron of LLGS, said: ‘After nearly 40 years of serving the LGBT community, it’s fantastic to see LLGS embracing the 21st century with their new instant messaging and email services.’

 

Multi-millionaire City analyst wins ‘gay divorce’ appeal but must pay vast settlement

A millionaire City analyst has won his appeal against a West End actor in a landmark gay divorce, but was ordered to pay his former partner a £1.4 million settlement. The couple had been together for 11 years, but only survived seven months as civil partners. Equity analyst Peter Lawrence, 47, must pay Don Gallagher, 54, an actor who starred in the Priscilla, Queen of the Desert stage show, over £1.4 million – which is £320,000 less than the settlement insisted upon by a judge last year. Mr Lawrence makes nearly £400,000 a year in his role as a City analyst for JP Morgan, but Mr Gallagher had earned less over his career as a stage and TV actor.

 

Mr Lawrence initially contested the case, in which he was told his former partner was entitled to £1.7 million in the dissolution of the partnership, most of which would come from the value of their central London flat. The couple’s total assets were valued at £4.1 million, including a five-bedroom house near Amberley, West Sussex, and a riverside flat near Borough Market. In the Appeal Court ruling, Lord Justice Thorpe said Mr Gallagher should keep the £900,000 West Sussex house. Mr Lawrence keeps his flat, which is now worth £2.4 million.

 

Despite Mr Gallagher’s relatively low income as an actor compared with that of his former partner, he was, said High Court Judge Mrs Justice Parker, entitled to “enjoy a comfortable standard of living without financial anxiety”. According to The Times, the actor was the home-maker half of the couple, and “helped create and maintain a lovely home in the flat in various ways, soft furnishings, planting on balconies, improvement of layout and fixtures, redecoration.”

 

Man jailed for nine years after homophobic attack in Liverpool

A chef was jailed for nine years this week for an attack on a young man in Liverpool’s gay quarter last autumn. Anthony O’Leary, 41, attacked barman Alan Latham, 22 in an alleyway, stamping repeatedly on his victim’s head. Mr Latham, known to his friends as “meerkat” because of his slight build, was found half-naked and with critical head injuries in Progress Place in Liverpool city centre, behind the Superstar Boudoir nightclub, in the early hours of 14 September last year. He was taken to Walton Neurological Centre, where he was placed on life-support.

 

Prosecutor Theresa Lofthus told Liverpool crown court: “At 3am he [Mr Latham] was seen to leave Superstar Boudoir. He was very unsteady on his feet and appeared to be intoxicated. He walked into Victoria Street and turned into Progress Place. From CCTV [footage] which was recovered inside Progress Place, the victim was seen to remain there until the assault took place.” The footage showed O’Leary walking into the alley after 4am and kicking Mr Latham in the head several times before dragging him around a corner. A witness whose flat overlooks Progress Place said she was woken by the “distinctive and frightening” sound of a man screaming in pain and another man’s voice – O’Leary’s – mimicking the screams and shouting: “Can you feel me now, lad?”

 

Christian Voice: Mice infestation at Tesco store is divine retribution for gay pride support

A Tesco Metro store has been forced to close due to a mice infestation, but according to the extremist Christian Voice organisation, it’s linked to the company’s support for LGBT rights. The leader of Christian Voice, Stephen Green, wrote in his blog: “It doesn’t get any better for Tesco, who have seen their ‘big price drop’ flop, sales and profits drop, the worst performance of the ‘big four’ over Christmas, their share price plummet, their UK operations CEO sacked, their local management in a spin, all since announcing a £30,000 gift to London Gay Pride in November 2011.”

 

He then details a mice infestation at the chain’s Tesco Metro store in London’s Covent Garden which was closed by officials after a an outbreak of mice. Mr Green also reveals that in 2010, a shopper in Birmingham was “horrified to see baby mice fall out of crisp packet she picked off the shelves in Tesco’s Aston store…I’m not sure if they were inside the multipack or if they were just in amongst the packets. But there were a lot of holes in the bag, they’d obviously been at them.” Mr Green ends his blog post saying: “Nothing has gone right for Tesco since they decided to support ‘gay pride’. Their only hope is to repent of that decision and put their trust in God.” He doesn’t detail whether the culprits are in fact church mice.

 

Mickey Rourke pulls out of Gareth Thomas biopic

Mickey Rourke has pulled out of his role as gay Welsh rugby star Gareth Thomas in a new biopic after suffering problems during his stunt training for the film. The 59-year-old actor had reportedly taken a method approach to playing Thomas, even tearing a bicep by arm-wrestling with rugby players while on drunken nights out. Now though, according to Thomas himself, Rourke has handed in his notice and the producers are on the lookout for a replacement.

 

Speaking to the Sun on Sunday, Thomas said: “I was talking to Mickey and basically we’re now talking to other big-name actors who could play the part instead. We had talked about using computer-generated special effects with Mickey but we don’t think that will be as realistic, so it’s time to find someone new.” Tom Hardy is said to be in the running for taking on the role, and at 34, is considerably closer in age to the man he’ll be playing.

 

International Community News and Events

 

Queer feminist poet and essayist Adrienne Rich dies aged 82

The pioneering feminist poet, Adrienne Rich, who consistently challenged the myths of the American dream, has died, aged 82. Rich, who had been in a relationship with the Jamaican-American author Michelle Cliff since 1976, was the recipient of, among others, the Yale Young Poets prize, the National Book Award, and the Dorothea Tanning Award, the latter awarded by the Academy of American Poets. She died on Tuesday at her home in Santa Cruz of complications due to rheumatoid arthritis, according to her son, Peter Conrad, the LA Times reports.

 

The poet was best known as an advocate of women’s rights, which formed the dominant motif of both her prose and poetry, but also engaged with sexual politics and foreign policy, especially in her strong anti-war stance. She was a native of Baltimore, and attended Radcliffe College. Rich was also selected for the National Medal for the Arts in 1997, which she refused. “The radical disparities of wealth and power in America are widening at a devastating rate,” she wrote in a letter addressed to then-President Clinton. “A president cannot meaningfully honor (sic) certain token artists while the people at large are so dishonored (sic).” She also won the 2003 Yale Bollingen Prize for American Poetry, and was applauded by the panel of judges for her “honesty at once ferocious, humane, her deep learning, and her continuous poetic exploration and awareness of multiple selves.”

 

First trans twins in China

Two identical twin sisters have jointly undergone gender reassignment operations to become the first brothers of their kind in China, according to a mainland newspaper. The doctor in charge at the People’s Liberation Army Hospital 411 in Shanghai said cases like the siblings from Yunnan are few and far between even in the world, reported Youth Daily. With a determination that won him the support of other patients, Yao Wen, a pseudonym of the 25-year-old elder brother, told the newspaper at the hospital on Monday (26 March): ‘I’m willing to give everything for a sex change, my university certificate, my current job and all.’ When asked who affected the other in the decision, Wen said that he and Yao Hua had identified themselves as male ever since they were kids.

 

Wen decided to use all his savings, ask for help from their parents – who had accepted it after much shock and disbelief – to let Hua receive the first two phases of operation and keep working himself. Hua is scheduled to finish the last phase in September and Wen, the second phase.

 

Based on records and reports, it was in 2007 that the world last saw two twin siblings both receiving reassignment operations in the United States, according to Zhao Yede, a hospital director and the doctor in charge. ‘It’s the first time that two twin siblings have operations together in the country,’ Zhao said. ‘This is rare even in the entire world.’

 

Gay victim of neo-Nazi attack dies

A Chilean gay man who was beaten and had swastikas drawn on his chest in a suspected neo-Nazi attack has died in hospital. Daniel Zamudio was brutally attacked in Chile’s capital city, Santiago, on 3 March. However, the 24-year-old was pronounced dead on Tuesday evening after fighting for his life in a coma for more than three weeks. ‘The entire team has worked hard and intensely using every necessary resource for his trauma, but regrettably he has died,’ Emilio Villalón, director of the Posta Central Hospital in Santiago, told Cooperativa. We regret this very much because it has generated a very important injustice against the community.’

 

Four men have been arrested in connection with the assault, which left Zamudio with severe head injuries and a broken right leg. Photos released by his family showed the young man with cigarette burns all over his body, Nazi swastikas marked on his chest and part of his ear cut.

 

The brutal assault has led to the country’s Interior Minister Rodrigo Hinzpeter to push through anti-discrimination legislation which is currently being considered by the Chilean congress.

 

Nepal to host national LGBT games

This September, Nepal is set to host the country’s first – and indeed Asia’s first – national games for LGBT persons. Covering a two-week period, the games will showcase LGBT sportspersons competing in games and sports including volleyball, football, athletics, martial arts, tennis and more. The games are being organised by the Blue Diamond Society (BDS), Nepal’s LGBT rights group. Sunil Babu Pant, head of the group and organiser of the games, said: “There will be five teams from each region of the country. And we expect over 200 people to take part.”

 

Mr Pant, who is Nepal’s first openly gay lawmaker, founded BDS in 2001 to protect the rights of LGBT persons in a country where sexual minorities are regularly discriminated against. He added: “We have already booked Dasrath Rangshala, the national stadium, for the event. This will be South Asia’s – and probably Asia’s – first such games for the LGBT community. The aims for organising this event are to mainstream LGBT [persons] into the larger society, promote healthy lifestyles and promote health mentally and spiritually.”

 

In 2007, based on Mr Pant’s petition, the Nepal Supreme Court in a landmark judgement ordered the government to frame equal laws for LGBT citizens. As a result, Nepal will soon become the first country in Asia to give equal rights to its LGBT population, which means citizenship IDs for trans persons and legal recognition for marriage between same-sex couples.

 

US scientific study claims male dolphins are bisexual

Research scientists at the University of Massachusetts have concluded that male dolphins conduct intense social relationships and are found to engage in extensive bisexuality. The researchers studied more than 120 bottlenose dolphins in Shark Bay, Western Australia, and discovered relationships of a considerably more complex nature than previously thought.

 

Co-author of the study, Richard Connor, told Discovery News that the dolphins engaged in extensive bisexuality, combined with periods of exclusive homosexuality. “I work on the male dolphins and their social lives are very intense. It seems there is constant drama. I have often thought, as I watched their complicated alliance relationships, that their social lives would be mentally and physically exhausting, and I’m glad I’m not a dolphin.”

 

Mr Connor’s team also discovered that dolphins pair-up or swim in groups of three in order to herd individual females during mating season. The results ultimately found that most male dolphins are also members of “second order alliances” which contain between four and 14 males. One gang, with seven members, has been swimming together since 1995. Mr Connor said that though the males are “capable of serious aggression,” they rarely fought and were not exceptionally territorial.

 

Camden Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Forum is a registered charity no. 1107855

Camden LGBT Forum Update

February 10th 2012

 

Hello Forum Members!

 

The next Forum meeting will take place on Tuesday 6^th March, Committee Rm 2, Camden Town Hall, Judd Street from 6.00pm.

If there are any items that Forum members would like raised on the agenda, for example news items featured in the newsletter, ideas, events etc, please email the forum on forum.admin@camdenlgbtforum.org.uk. If you have any information you would like adding to the next newsletter – do let us know.

 

Wishing you all the best, Tessa, Lou, Ashley

!!!Stop Press!!!

 

2012 marks the 10th anniversary of the founding of Camden LGBT Forum and there will be events to celebrate this throughout the year. They kick off with what promises, yet again, to be the largest programme of LGBT History Month events during February in the UK.

 

Events this year are exciting and varied, including the Alternative Loudest Whispers exhibition featuring 11 LGBT artists; Sappho in Sainsbury’s at the Petrie Museum; an exhibition of the original, artistically ‘altered’ books by Joe Orton at the Islington Museum; and discussions on homophobic and transphobic bullying at the Wiener Library. We believe there is something interesting and engaging for everyone and we hope to see you all at the Winter Masked Ball!

 

Once again we feature events in Camden and Islington boroughs and would like to take the opportunity to thank both Councils for their support in enabling us to devise this programme and the numerous individuals and organisations designing and running events that make this month such a success.

 

The full programme of events is available for download at: http://camdenlgbtforum.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/LGBTHM2012.pdf

 

PLEASE NOTE: Check the Stop Press page on our website or Facebook pages before you go to an event for notifications of any changes or cancellations: www.camdenlgbtforum.org.uk

http://facebook.com/camdenlgbtforum

CONTENTS                         

 

Local Events and Opportunities

• Coming fortnight – Camden & Islington LGBT History Month events
• LGBT storytelling workshop hosted by Rosie Wilby
• Volunteering Opportunity – Forum Ambassadors

 

National Community News

• Christian hoteliers lose gay room ban appeal
• Future of Brighton Pride uncertain over ‘£200,000 debt’
• Man charged over burn assault at Leicester gay pub
• Lesbians in rural train ‘attack’ after kiss
• Guilty verdict for killer of gay teen Jack Frew

 

International Community News and Events

• Westboro to picket boys’ funeral over gay marriage law
• Northern Cyprus anti-gay law to be challenged
• Dismembered gay man found in Berlin flat was killed for “sexual pleasure”, prosecutors claim
• Ugandan government ‘does not support’ anti-gay bill
• Gay Australians to receive overseas marriage permits this month

 

 

Local Events and Opportunities

 

Coming fortnight – Camden & Islington LGBT History Month events

Tuesday 14th February

6.30-9.00pm

PACE workshops for 18-25 year old women

Would you like to discuss ideas, have fun, make new friends, share experiences or learn new things? These free workshops are open to all 18-25 year old lesbian, bisexual, queer or trans women.

For more information, please email or call Becky:

becky.large@pacehealth.org.uk 0207 715 0374

Venue: Jacksons Lane, 269A Archway Road N6 5AA

 

Wednesday 15th February

8.00-9.00pm

Lesbian Discussion Group: Lesbian Exclusive Spaces

Do we still need spaces that are exclusively Lesbian? Is it acceptable or even necessary to be so exclusive these days? And what about our future direction of travel when space becomes really important? Will we go it alone? This evening’s discussion covers the topics of separatism, and the creation of alternative environments and autonomous movements.

Venue: Gay’s The Word Bookshop, 66 Marchmont Street WC1N 1AB

 

Thursday 16th February

1.00-2.00pm

Alan Turing, a broken heart, and the invention of the computer by Dr Jon Agar, UCL Science and Technology Studies

This lunchtime lecture is being held both to commemorate the centenary of Alan Turing’s birth and to celebrate LGBT History Month. The talk will explore biographer Andrew Hodges’ argument that Turing’s feelings for his friend Christopher Morcom, and the trauma of Morcom’s premature death, were pivotal in the development of Turing’s ideas about the human spirit, the nature of consciousness and, ultimately, the development of the computer. Dr Agar will also showcase UCL research.

For more information, contact Sonal Bharadva by

email: s.bharadva@ucl.ac.uk

Venue: J Z Young Lecture Theatre, UCL, Wilkins Building, Gower Street WC1E 6BT

 

Thursday 16th February

7.00pm-9.00pm

Objects of Love and Desire: Exploring the Things We Carry

Shaun Levin, editor of Chroma: A Queer Literary and Arts Journal, invites you to explore the way objects inform our personal histories. Objects tell stories. Objects are prompts for poems, short fiction, novels, and memoirs. They tell personal stories, family stories, stories about our communities, our faith, and our lovers. Some objects are lost, even if the stories are still remembered, and some objects we carry with us. Some objects we put on our shelves, at our bedsides, or we keep in boxes tucked away. Listen to famous writers telling stories about the objects that changed their lives and have a chance to tell your own story through our Objects of Love and Desire Workshop.

£10 Please book through the Jewish Museum London:

admin@jewishmuseum.org.uk

Venue: Jewish Museum London, Raymond Burton House, 129-131 Albert Street NW1 7NB

 

Friday 17th February

6.30pm

Film: Lawrence of Arabia

Peter O’Toole stars as T.E. Lawrence in David Lean’s classic Oscar-winning epic. The film depicts Lawrence’s experiences in the Arabian Desert during the First World War in the Arab revolt against the Turks. Director: David Lean, 1962, 216 mins, 12

£3, Members/concessions £2

To book tickets, call: 020 7323 8181 or visit the ticket Desk in Great Court

Venue: Stevenson Lecture Theatre, The British Museum, Great Russell Street WC1B 3DG

 

Saturday 18th February

7-10pm

AIDS: A Priest’s Testament

This compelling documentary shot for Channel 4 in the summer of 1987 tells the story of Fr. Bernard Lynch and his ministry to people with AIDS in New York. The Irish born priest and psychotherapist was closely involved with the LGBT community and founded the first pastoral outreach to people with AIDS in the city. He was subsequently drafted onto the Mayor of New York’s Task Force on AIDS. His ministry and his commitment to civil rights for LGBT people led him into conflict with the Catholic Church authorities as well as bringing him into the most harrowing of situations; preparing young people for their untimely deaths. This documentary profiles the man, his ministry and the pressures that brought him close to the edge of his physical and spiritual limits.

Venue: Horse Hospital, Colonnade, Bloomsbury WC1N 1JD

 

Monday 20th February

6.00pm

Transgender Journey by Juliet Jacques

This lecture is given by Juliet Jacques. Responding to conservative and ‘radical’ feminist critiques of transsexualism, she explores recent media myths and stereotypes and explains how she aimed to use those media to deconstruct them. Juliet Jacques regularly blogs for the Guardian (Transgender Journey – the first time that gender reassignment has been documented for a mainstream British publication).

For more information, contact Sonal Bharadva by email: s.bharadva@ucl.ac.uk

Venue: Roberts 508, UCL, Torrington Place WC1E 7JE

 

Tuesday 21st February

7.30pm

TransLondon: Moving beyond cisgenderism in counselling experiences

In societies where genders are assigned, people whose own genders are not accepted by authorities often face numerous pressures and forms of discrimination, especially when they have not had medical interventions or their genders are not fixed or binary. Counselling environments can perpetuate or challenge gender-based discrimination. This evening’s talk is presented by psychologist and community activist Y. Gavriel Ansara followed by a Q&A session.

Venue: Gay’s The Word Bookshop, 66 Marchmont Street WC1N 1AB

 

Tuesday 21st February

6.30-9.00pm

PACE workshops for 18-25 year old women

Would you like to discuss ideas, have fun, make new friends, share experiences or learn new things? These free workshops are open to all 18-25 year old lesbian, bisexual, queer or trans women.

For more information, please email or call Becky: becky.large@pacehealth.org.uk 0207 715 0374

Venue: Jacksons Lane, 269A Archway Road N6 5AA

 

Wednesday 22nd February

8.00-9.00pm

Lesbian Discussion Group: Coming Out

Are you a Lesbian but haven’t told anyone? Do you have feelings for women, or a woman, and need help to understand them? Have you already come out? Is your closet (or wardrobe) door wide open? Or are there things bundled in the back that you don’t want anyone to see? This evening’s discussion covers coming out in all its excitement, boredom, terror and splendour!

Venue: Gay’s The Word Bookshop, 66 Marchmont Street WC1N 1AB

 

Thursday 23rd February

6.30-8.30pm

‘What can those who wish to end homophobic and transphobic bullying in British schools learn from the past?’

Running alongside the exhibition, A is for Adolf: Teaching German Children Nazi

Values (an illustration of the depth and complexity of propaganda targeted at young children under the Nazi regime), this evening features a panel discussion on homophobic and transphobic bullying in schools. A panel of speakers, including acclaimed Stoke Newington teacher Ellie Barnes and Camden LGBT Forum Director Lou Hart, will give a 10 minute talk answering an agreed question prompted by the Chair. This will be followed by half an hour of questions from the audience and a discussion.

Venue: The Wiener Library, 29 Russell Square WC1B 5DP

 

Thursday 23rd February

6.30pm

Opening Doors Women’s Group Film Night: ‘Before Stonewall’

‘Before Stonewall: The Making of a Gay and Lesbian Community’ is a 1984 historical documentary film about the LGBT community prior to the 1969 Stonewall riots. Using filmed recollections and a wealth of archival material, ‘Before Stonewall’ traces the social, political, and cultural development of the gay and lesbian community from the early 20th Century.

Venue: Tavis Meeting Room C. Tavis House, 1-6 Tavistock Square WC1H 9NA

 

LGBT storytelling workshop hosted by Rosie Wilby

Wednesday 22nd February | from 7pm | The Magnolia, 211 Lordship Lane, London SE22 8HA

Award winning comedian Rosie will lead this workshop looking at storytelling techniques and performers. Participants’ own stories will be recorded for a special broadcast and podcast edition of Rosie’s radio show Out In South London and for a special performance of her autobiographical show Rosie’s Pop Diary at Southwark Playhouse in April

Places are free but are limited and need to be booked in advance by emailing rosie@piranha-pr.co.uk . For more info please visit www.rosiewilby.com

 

Volunteering Opportunity – Forum Ambassadors

Would you like to spend an evening talking to LGBT people in Camden at your local LGBT venue or LGBT group about the Forum? We need to let as many people as possible know about the support we can offer and how to report hate crime, harassment and discrimination. This crucial role helps get the message out that LGBT people don’t have to put up with hate crime, harassment and discrimination and gives them information about how to make a report (including completely anonymously if wanted) and in confidence to the Forum.

 

This is a sociable role; you get to chat with some great people in Camden about what we are doing, find out what they are doing and how we can help. All volunteers receive an induction and on the job training as well the opportunity to develop other skills.

For more information, please contact the forum on 020 7388 5720 or email volunteering@camdenlgbtforum.org.uk

 

 

National Community News

 

Christian hoteliers lose gay room ban appeal

The Court of Appeal has upheld a landmark court ruling in favour of a gay couple refused a room by the religious owners of Cornwall hotel. Martin Hall and Steven Preddy, civil partners, had successfully sued devout Christians Peter and Hazelmary Bull for sexual orientation discrimination. They had been turned away from the Chymorvah Hotel near Penzance in 2008 under the Bulls’ policy of not allowing unmarried couples to share rooms. In January 2011 a judge at Bristol County Court ruled that the Bulls’ behaviour amounted to direct discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, and awarded a total of £3,600 damages to Mr Hall and Mr Preddy. The hotel owners were given leave to appeal and the case was heard at the Court of Appeal in London by Sir Andrew Morritt, Chancellor of the High Court, Lord Justice Hooper and Lady Justice Rafferty.

 

Robin Allen QC argued on behalf of Mr Hall and Mr Preddy: “The restriction operates to confer a benefit only on married persons and no others. For [the hoteliers'] purposes this only means heterosexual persons. For this reason alone it is directly discriminatory.”

 

The Christian Institute had funded the Bulls’ appeal. Spokesman Simon Calvert said: “Peter and Hazelmary have been penalised for their beliefs about marriage. Not everyone will agree with Peter and Hazelmary’s beliefs, but a lot of people will think it is shame that the law doesn’t let them live and work according to their own values under their own roof. Something has gone badly wrong with our equality laws when good, decent people like Peter and Hazelmary are penalised but extremist hate preachers are protected.”

 

Future of Brighton Pride uncertain over ‘£200,000 debt’

The future of Brighton Pride is in doubt again after reports its organisers owe creditors up to £200,000. Pride (South East) have called the release of the financial documents which outline the event’s debts “unhelpful” and a “misrepresentation” of the event’s position. They also said a statement confirming they would cease trading was released prematurely last week and negotiations with creditors are ongoing.

 

Pride (South East) chairman Russell Allen had released a statement on 3 February saying a rejected VAT claim “dramatically” damaged finances. A subsequent statement, which the trustees now claim was only a draft, confirmed the charity would “cease trading”, following advice from “accountants, solicitors and insolvency practioners [sic]“.

 

Caroline Lucas, leader of the Green Party and MP for Brighton Pavilion told Gaydar Radio: “If the reports of Pride’s financial difficulties are accurate, then it is very worrying. Pride is a hugely important event in Brighton & Hove’s calendar, both for the city and the whole country. It offers a vital opportunity to celebrate LGBT lives and to celebrate diversity. I hope very much it will go ahead this year.”

 

Man charged over burn assault at Leicester gay pub

A man will appear in at a court next week charged with a burn attack at a gay pub in Leicester last year. Two men were left with severe burns by the attack after they were doused with flammable liquid and set on fire. Police described the injuries of one as “life-changing”. A 21-year-old man was charged with two counts of grievous bodily harm with intent at the Rainbow & Dove, the Leicester Mercury reports. The man is due to appear at Basildon Magistrates’ Court, Essex.

 

?Russell Banks, 21, and Robert Laszewsk, 20, suffered severe burns in the Charles Street pub’s beer garden. Mr Banks was hospitalised for six weeks under sedation. The Leicester Mercury reported that he required a number of skin grafts. Mr Laszewsk was discharged from hospital after a week.

 

Lesbians in rural train ‘attack’ after kiss

A court has heard claims that a 16-year-old lesbian in Sussex was attacked on a train after kissing her girlfriend. April James, 19, is accused of attacking the girl in October after people in her party hurled homophobic abuse at the young couple, the Bexhill Observer reports.

 

The prosecution said they were unable to prove Ms James made homophobic comments herself, but said she was in the group that did. Mark Kateley, prosecuting at Hastings Crown Court, said: “When the victim and her partner objected to the comments made, she was then assaulted by a group of females during which she was punched, had her hair pulled and at one point had her head banged against the door and ended up on the floor being kicked a number of times on the floor. The defendant admits making a kick to the head or shoulder.” However, the defendant claimed the train was too busy for her to have assaulted the girl in the carriage, but accepts kicking her on the platform at Bexhill.

 

A further hearing is scheduled to take place in April at Hastings Magistrates Court due to disputed facts.

 

Guilty verdict for killer of gay teen Jack Frew

A jury in Scotland has unanimously found gay teenager Craig Roy guilty of the murder of Jack Frew in 2010. Returning its verdict in Glasgow last week, the jury rejected Roy’s argument that he was suffering from an undiagnosed personality disorder. Roy had admitted causing the death of the gay schoolboy, who was found with 20 stab wounds and his throat cut in woodland over a year ago, but denied full responsibility for his actions. Now 19, Roy said he had no memory of the attack itself.

 

A picture of the complicated relationship between Roy and Frew emerged during the trial. The teenagers had been schoolmates at East Kilbride in South Lanarkshire. Psychiatrist Dr Rajan Darjee told the court Roy had admitted having a sexual encounter with the murdered teen in January 2010. The court previously heard Roy’s claim that he saw Frew as a threat to his new relationship, describing him as a “sex pest.” The court had heard that Roy and Jack Frew met in woods on 6 May 2010 at the murdered teenager’s request. Roy was said to have been concerned Frew, then 16, would tell his boyfriend about their sexual encounters and brought a knife to the meeting. He told a psychiatrist Frew had exposed himself, but thereafter his memory failed.

 

Roy’s boyfriend Christopher Hannah, 20, a student at Glasgow Caledonian University, was the first person to arrive at the scene after being called by Roy. The jury took less than two hours to reach its verdict. Roy will be sentenced on 1 March. Though he faces a mandatory life sentence, the minimum term he must spend in custody is yet to be determined.

 

International Community News and Events

 

Westboro to picket boys’ funeral over gay marriage law

The Westboro Baptist Church has said it will picket the funeral of two young boys who were killed by their father at the weekend after the Washington state legislature voted in favour of gay marriage. The notorious church will attend the funeral of the Charlie and Braden Powell in Tacoma, Washington. Margie Phelps, son of the church’s head Fred Phelps, tweeted that after gay marriage legislation in Washington was passed God had “cursed” the state by having Josh Powell kill his sons in a fire. She said the picket would “remind” Washington Governor Christine Gregoire that the boys had died “because of her rebellion”.

 

In January, Gregoire gave her support to proposed equal marriage legislation for Washington which has now passed through the state’s senate and House of Representatives. She said last week: “As governor, I believe the state of Washington cannot be in the business of discrimination. As an American, a wife and mother, marriage equality is fair, just, and right. And it is time.” Governor Gregoire is expected to sign the equal marriage bill into law next  Monday.

 

A thousand people joined a Facebook event to “create a buffer” between the protesters and the funeral. Occupy Seattle said it would also protest against Westboro. The funeral is due to take place tomorrow morning.

 

Northern Cyprus anti-gay law to be challenged

A case has been lodged at the European Court of Human Rights against Turkey to decriminalise homosexuality in Northern Cyprus. The move, by the Human Dignity Trust, follows reports that Northern Cyprus’s anti-gay law continues to be employed despite assurances given by its leader that it would be repealed. Cyprus was required by the ECHR to decriminalise consensual sex between consenting adults in 1993, but in the Turkish-occupied part of Northern Cyprus, homosexual acts are still illegal. The case has been filed against Turkey, which the Trust said is responsible for protecting and promoting human rights in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

 

Gay acts in Turkey have been legal since the Ottoman Empire of the 19th century.

 

Dismembered gay man found in Berlin flat was killed for “sexual pleasure”, prosecutors claim

A gay man, who was found dismembered in a Berlin apartment, was “murdered for sexual pleasure” after a sex game went too far, prosecutors claim. As reported by BZ (via The Local), Carsten Srock was found by police three weeks after his death in an apartment belonging to a 43-year-old man named Michael S; his arms and legs had been wrapped in cling film and plastic bags and left scattered around the flat, while his head had been partially cooked, state prosecutors say. Paramedics discovered the scene after they were called to the apartment by Michael S, who had attempted suicide. He was taken to hospital before later reportedly confessing to the killing, BZ writes.

 

Srock, an occasional sexual partner of Michael S, was reported missing by his partner on 2 January and was last seen on New Year’s Day, when he had completed his shift at Boiler gay sauna in the city, the newspaper reports. A police spokesman confirmed the two men had had sex shortly before Srock’s death and told Die Welt: “It did not take long for us to narrow the search down to 43-year-old Michael S.”

 

Ugandan government ‘does not support’ anti-gay bill

The Ugandan government has distanced itself from the infamous ‘kill the gays’ bill which was reintroduced to the parliament this week. It said democratic processes required that it be debated, but that it was not part of the country’s legislative agenda to pass it.

 

Uganda already criminalises gay acts with a penalty of life imprisonment, but it is understood the bill would expand the range of punishable offences. David Bahati’s bill, described by Barack Obama a “odious”, originally called for the death penalty for “aggravated”, or continued, homosexuality. AP reports the death penalty clause has now been removed. In its place is life imprisonment for a person convicted of a gay act more than once. The bill further required the death sentence for anyone convicted of homosexuality who is living with HIV or who has been convicted of homosexuality before. Attempted homosexuality would carry a seven year prison sentence, as would aiding or abetting acts of homosexuality. A fine of up to 500,000 shillings (£135) or a prison sentence up to three years are included for people who are aware of any gay offence but do not report it within 24 hours.

 

The Ugandan government statement said: “As a parliamentary democracy the process of debate will continue. “Whilst the government of Uganda does not support this bill, it is required under our constitution to facilitate this debate. The facilitation of this debate should not be confused for the government’s support for this bill.”

 

Gay Australians to receive overseas marriage permits this month

From this month, gay Australians will be able to receive certificates allowing them to enter into gay marriages abroad. The permits, known as Certificates of No Impediment, are required by some countries before a couple can marry. For gay couples marrying abroad, Australia had previously refused to provide the permit, but a change in policy was announced late last year. The move is implemented by new Attorney-General Nicola Roxon, who took office on 14 December last year.

 

Australian Marriage Equality national convener, Alex Greenwich, said: “The real problem remains the failure of parliament to allow same-sex marriages in Australia, but the removal of the CNI ban will ease the burden on same-sex couples who are forced overseas to marry. It’s already painful enough for same-sex partners to have to marry overseas, away from family and friends, without the Australian Government putting up additional bureaucratic barriers. We welcome the commitment of Ms Roxon to removing this mean-spirited policy as quickly as possible.”

 

 

Camden Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Forum is a registered charity no. 1107855

 

 

Camden LGBT Forum Update

November 24th 2011

 

Hello Forum Members!

 

The next Forum meeting will take place on Tuesday 6^th December, Committee Rm 2, Camden Town Hall, Judd Street from 6.00pm.

If there are any items that Forum members would like raised on the agenda, for example news items featured in the newsletter, ideas, events etc, please email the forum on forum.admin@camdenlgbtforum.org.uk. If you have any information you would like adding to the next newsletter – do let us know.

 

Lou, Peter & Tessa

 

!!!Stop Press!!!

We still have a few places left for “Stamping Your Identity”

Tuesday 6th December | 2pm – 4pm | The British Museum, Great Russell Street

Camden LGBT Forum in partnership with the British Museum, are hosting a one day ceramic workshop inspired by the Grayson Perry’s exhibition – The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman. This practical workshop will be run by Duncan Hooson using clay and plaster to create a ceramic interpretation of ‘who you are’ or ‘who you would like to be’.

 

Participants will be asked to undertake some homework prior to the workshop. During the day, their design will be carved into a plaster stamp at the workshop. This will be used to press into clay medallions as repeated designs.

 

If you wish to apply, please contact the Forum ASAP – places are first come, first served and that the Forum will provide the full brief before the workshop.

To book your place, please email forum.admin@camdenlgbtforum.org.uk or telephone: 0207 470 8760

 

 

CONTENTS

 

Local Events and Opportunities

• Camden LGBT Evening Frolic! (CLEF) at The Constitution Pub
• Volunteering Opportunity – Forum Ambassadors
• Drill Hall Listings
• Training Course: A Guide to Working From Home

 

National Community News

• BBC newsreader Jane Hill confirms plans for civil partnership
• Liverpool church which “helps people out of homosexuality” linked to “home exorcisms”
• Hampshire police appeal after anti-gay, racist group attack
• Celebrity fitness instructor Angie Dowds dies after cliff fall
• Trans woman will be first to stand for Scottish council elections

 

International Community News and Events

• Lithuanian lesbians send handwritten postcards to every MP
• Mugabe calls UK’s human rights-dependent aid arrangement “satanic”
• High HIV rates in the Bahamas blamed on homophobia
• Peruvian mayor concerned tap water “will turn town gay”
• US lesbian couple “unsure whether to file complaint” over refused wedding cake

—————————————————————————————————————————–

 

 

Local Events and Opportunities

 

 

Camden LGBT Evening Frolic! (CLEF) at The Constitution Pub

Monday 28^th November 2011 | 7.00pm -11-00pm | Constitution Pub, 42 St Pancras Way NW1 0QT

This evening sees CLEF welcoming the fabulous Holly Hayes (performance artist working with maths, the internet, music and words) and Catherine Brogan (winner of the BBC Edinburgh Fringe Poetry Slam 2011 and host of Incite! poetry) on stage at the Constitution.

 

Come and join us for an evening of frivolity, drinks and fun. Meet other LGBT people from Camden and find out about Camden LGBT Forum’s plans for exciting future events

 

Please note; the bar is partially accessible from the canal entrance but only after 7pm.

For more information, please telephone 0207 470 8760 or email forum.admin@camdenlgbtforum.org.uk or visit: https://www.facebook.com/camdenlgbtforum

 

Volunteering Opportunity – Forum Ambassadors

Would you like to spend an evening talking to LGBT people in Camden at your local LGBT venue or LGBT group about the Forum? We need to let as many people as possible know about the support we can offer and how to report hate crime, harassment and discrimination. This crucial role helps get the message out that LGBT people don’t have to put up with hate crime, harassment and discrimination and gives them information about how to make a report (including completely anonymously if wanted) and in confidence to the Forum.

 

This is a sociable role; you get to chat with some great people in Camden about what we are doing, find out what they are doing and how we can help. All volunteers receive an induction and on the job training as well the opportunity to develop other skills.

For more information, please contact the forum on 020 7470 8760 or 07798 705 324 or email forum.admin@camdenlgbtforum.org.uk

 

Drill Hall Listings

Tuesday 29th November 2011 | 1.00pm-3.00pm, 5.00pm-7.00pm | 16 Chenies Street WC1E 7EX

LAMDA: Twelfth Night

“If music be the food of love, play on;

Give me excess of it, that surfeiting,

The appetite may sicken and so die.”

Shipwrecked upon the shores of Illyria, the beautiful Viola soon finds herself entangled in a web of mistaken identity and unrequited passion.

Considered one of Shakespeare’s greatest comedies, Twelfth Night is a captivating tale of love, ambition, pride and cross-dressing.

For more information and booking: Up to six tickets to any performance can be booked free of charge, but are encouraged to make a donation to LAMDA. Groups of seven or more will be charged £10 per ticket (with exception of schools and youth groups, who will not be charged).

For group bookings, please contact LAMDA on 0844 847 0550 (Mon-Fri 12pm-5pm) or email boxoffice@lamda.org.uk

 

Training course: A Guide to Working From Home

15th December, 10.00am – 1.00pm, 26th January, 10.00am – 1.00pm | Somers Town Community Association, 150 Ossulston Street, London, NW1 1EE

This training is specifically designed for people who are:

• Planning to start working from home or out of the office
• Supporting or managing remote workers
• In a more senior role & exploring working from outside of the office one or more days per week
• Looking to find out more about the advantages and disadvantages of remote working

Community & Voluntary Sector/ not-for-profit organisations £45.00 Private & statutory groups £125.00 For more information please contact: Ashley Adkins admin@openpathways.org.uk – 0208 1234 246

 

 

National Community News

 

BBC newsreader Jane Hill confirms plans for civil partnership

Newsreader Jane Hill has announced on Twitter that she will enter into a civil partnership with her partner, Sara. Hill, 42, who came out publicly in 2009, has worked as a newsreader on the BBC’s 24-hour channel for 14 years.

 

She wrote on Twitter: “Yes, Sara & I are getting hitched.” She added: “Still a bit shocked I think! (and hungover).”

 

Liverpool church which “helps people out of homosexuality” linked to “home exorcisms”

The Frontline Church, Liverpool, which runs courses “helping Christian men and women out of homosexuality” has been described as being part of the “Dark Ages”. The church’s courses are connected to the American LIFE Ministry, whose website instructs gay readers on home “exorcism”.

A document published on the Liverpool church’s website claimed people became gay as a result of “pain in childhood”. The Homosexuality Fact Sheet, now removed from its website, included instructions on spotting people “struggling with homosexuality”. The church said women “women may appear and dress in a more masculine way” and “men may appear somewhat effeminate, although this is not always the case”. Church bosses today conceded the statements were “simplistic”, but denied homophobia. They added they believed “the ways a person chooses to express their sexuality can change”. The church claimed to have had success with some congregation members.

Prime Minister David Cameron and Nick Clegg have both “met staff to discuss grass roots issues in Liverpool”, according to the Frontline Trust’s accounts. In a statement, the church said: “Liverpool LIFE Ministry is an internal pastoral support group for Frontline Church members who have requested extra support around their own sexuality.’

 

Conversion therapy has been criticised by the British Medical Association, the Royal College of Psychiatry and the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy. The Royal College of Psychiatry has said: “There is no sound scientific evidence that sexual orientation can be changed.” The national Lesbian and Gay Foundation’s Andrew Gilliver said: “The issues about ‘childhood pain’ are nonsense. The pain is often caused by people who don’t understand what they’re going through. We are born gay, but we learn prejudice. This is Dark Ages stuff.”

 

Hampshire police appeal after anti-gay, racist group attack

Police in Hampshire are appealing for witnesses after a man and a woman were attacked by a group on men in Gosport. A 28-year-old man and a 19-year-old woman were followed by three men along Gordon Road in Gosport at around 1.30 on the morning of 5 November. At the junction with Bury Road, they made homophobic comments to the man before two of them knocked him to the ground. He was kicked and punched. The 19-year-old was racially abused before the pair escaped. The man was left with cuts and bruises, and the woman was not hurt.

 

One of the men was white, about 21, with short ginger hair which was shaved at the side and spiked on top. He had blond eyelashes and eyebrows and wore a white tracksuit with blue reflective strips down the arms and legs. The second man was white, around 19 years old, with short, dark hair in a bobbed style. He wore dark jeans and a buttoned-up shirt. The third man was between 17 and 20 years old, with long, dark hair. He wore a green and black checked shirt with the sleeves rolled up.

 

Anyone with information should call PC Tina Abrams Fareham CID on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

 

Celebrity fitness instructor Angie Dowds dies after cliff fall

Reports have emerged that gay celebrity fitness instructor Angie Dowds has died after falling from a cliff on the south cost of England. Her body was found on Sunday by police at Beachy Head, near Eastbourne in Sussex. Dowds is believed to have separated from her partner, Corrie Preece, earlier this year. They had been intending to enter into a civil partnership.

 

Since 2005, she had appeared on the ITV weight-loss challenge programme The Biggest Loser. Davina McCall, who worked with Dowds on the ITV programme, tweeted “Rest in peace Angie Dowds @angechops. So so sad.”

 

A Sussex Police spokesman said: “Just after 4.30pm on Sunday, members of the public reported that a woman was seen to jump or fall from the top of cliffs at Beachy Head. Coastguards found the body of woman at the foot of the cliffs about an hour later. There are no suspicious circumstances.”

 

Trans woman will be first to stand for Scottish council elections

A social worker and former police officer is set to become Scotland’s first transgender election candidate. Carol Mapley plans to contest the Castle Douglas and Glenkens seat 2012 council elections, the Dumfries & Galloway Standard reports. The 53-year-old said: “I want to raise the profile of trans-genders, lesbians and gays. We are pretty marginalised. Society is more accepting of gays than transgenders. I want to bring people out of the shadows. There are 14 and 15-year-olds out there who are scared to be who they really are because they fear being picked on. ’ve been there. I know what it feels like – and attitudes need to change.”

 

She is the Labour Party’s UK transgender officer and said that while her party had been supportive, she wanted to challenge the views of others.

 

International Community News and Events

 

Lithuanian lesbians send handwritten postcards to every MP

Gay, bisexual and trans women in Lithuania have written postcards to all the country’s MPs with the slogan, “Let’s speak”. The female contingent of Lithuania’s LGBT population is severely under-represented, according to the country’s gay rights association Lithuania Gay League. LGL’s on-going project Empowering LBT Women saw a group of volunteers send postcards to every member of the Lithuanian Parliament earlier this month. The project is designed to promote dialogue and promote the population’s visibility at a national level.

 

The direction for gay rights is uncertain in the European country. Earlier this year, legislators were considering a draft law which would alter the Code of Administrative Offences in order to punish those found to be “promoting” homosexuality with a fine of between £500 and £2490. In 2006, Lithuania amended the Law on the Protection of Minors against the Detrimental Effect of Public Information. According to the current legislation, “propaganda of homosexuality and bisexuality” has a damaging effect on minors. Information on homosexuality and bisexuality should, it states, be banned from schools and any other places where it can be accessed by young people.

 

Lithuania has a ban on same-sex marriages and no provision for civil partnerships, but gays and lesbians are allowed to serve openly in the military.

 

Mugabe calls UK’s human rights-dependent aid arrangement “satanic”

The President of Zimbabwe has described UK plans to divert aid away from governments who fail to recognise citizens’ human rights “satanic”, Zimbabwean state media reports. Mugabe told a crowd in the central African state on Wednesday: “It becomes worse and satanic when you get a prime minister like Cameron saying countries that want British aid should accept homosexuality. To come with that diabolic suggestion to our people is a stupid offer.” Earlier this month, a Ugandan presidential official, John Nagenda, told the BBC his country was “tired of these lectures” and that the Commonwealth nations should not be treated like “children.

 

In October, the Prime Minister of Zimbabwe Morgan Tsvangirai performed an apparent volte-face on previous homophobic views, saying he believes gay rights are “human rights”. However, Mugabe said in his speech: “Do not get tempted into that (homosexuality). You are young people. If you go that direction, we will punish you severely. It is condemned by nature. It is condemned by insects and that is why I have said they are worse than pigs and dogs.”

 

This week, the government confirmed plans to redirect aid away from overseas governments who fail to recognise human rights, including gay rights, but said it will still ensure aid reaches those in need.

 

High HIV rates in the Bahamas blamed on homophobia

An HIV policy expert in the Bahamas says the island’s high infection rates of the virus in gay and bisexual men is due to stigmatisation and discrimination. Director of the National HIV/AIDS Programme, Dr. Perry Gomez, was responding to comments made by the Baptist Bishop Simeon Hall. In a statement, last week, he declared that homosexuality is “anti-family” and also a “deadly practice”. Hall made the comments after the island’s Nassau Guardian newspaper reported that gay and bisexual men, account for 14 per cent of all HIV infections in the country’s population. Dr. Gomez, who was speaking at the close of the island’s 2011 Caribbean HIV Conference, said that the Bishop’s comments were not helpful, but added if: “you live in a free society […] you have to go with the flow. The issue with MSMs [is] that they are a very private group. It has been difficult in getting information from that group of people over the years and part of the issue is stigma and discrimination”.

 

According to a UN study, the figure has nearly doubled since 2008. In June of this year, the Bahamas Government expressed support for a UN Human Rights Council resolution promoting equal rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation. However, same-sex marriages and civil unions remain illegal on the island.

 

Peruvian mayor concerned tap water “will turn town gay”

The mayor of a small town in Peru is concerned that mineral levels in the water could lead to an increase in homosexuality, LGBT Asylum News reports. José Benítez, the mayor of Huarmey, a coastal town in the Ancash Region of Peru, made the comment at the launch of a local project designed to increase access to water. The town of Huarmey is famed for its abundant shrimp and long beaches, but the mayor has become concerned it may gain a different sort of reputation due to high levels of strontium in the tap water. The metal, he claimed, reduces male hormones and could cause an increase in homosexuality among the population.

 

The water comes from Tabalosos, a town which a Lima-based television station famously said in 2000 was inhabited by 14,000 exclusively-gay men. Dr. Robert Castro Rodriguez, the dean of the College of Pharmaceutical Chemistry of Lima, told a radio station that strontium can cause bone cancer, anaemia and cardiovascular problems. A link with homosexuality has yet to be identified.

 

US lesbian couple “unsure whether to file complaint” over refused wedding cake

A lesbian couple from Iowa have said they are unsure whether or not to pursue a civil rights complaint over the refusal of a Christian baker to make their wedding cake. Victoria Childress had told Trina Vodraska and Janelle Sievers she would not be able to provide the ceremonial dessert.

 

In an interview with Iowan TV station KCCI, Childress said: “They came in, and she introduced herself, I shook her hand and I said, ‘Is this your sister?’” On hearing that it was a lesbian couple she was being asked to provide a cake for, Childress explained that she was a Christian and did not want to continue. She said: “I didn’t do the cake because of my convictions for their lifestyle. It is my right as a business-owner. And it’s not to discriminate against them. It’s not so much to do with them as it’s to do with me and my walk with God, what I will answer to him for.” Childress added that the couple were “very pleasant”.

 

Vodraska, one half of the engaged couple, said: “I appreciated her being honest.” But she added: “I know Jesus loves me, I didn’t need her to tell me that. I didn’t go there for that, I went there for a cake.”

 

 

Camden Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Forum is a registered charity no. 1107855

or older newsletters please check the archive section of the website.