28/07/2010
News Sent - 29thJuly 2010
In this week's e-mail newsletter: Equality Network News: Priorities for LGBT Equality; Information Events; Forums News: Who really wants to escape the city?; UK-wide LGBT Research Project; Experiences of young people with lesbian or gay parents; EMIS: European Man-for-Man Internet Survey 2010; Growing old disgracefully; Central Scotland Police: a three-year plan to cut hate crime; Smoking and LGBT; Talk Scotland Events: Edinburgh: Paradoxical Ink presents: ‘SNAPSHOTS’; Edinburgh: Jesus Queen of Heaven; Lothian & Borders: Interactive Talk about Hate Crime; Elgin LGBT Group; Edinburgh: Glee Club; Glasgow: Bi Scotland; Inverness: Gay Men's Group; Inverness: Highland Rainbow Folk; Grampian: Sexual Health Services; UK News: TV and Film: Portrayals of LGBT people; Leicester: BNP sends abusive mail to LGBT Centre; DLA Conference: The Equality Act: What Does it Mean in Practice?; International: China: Gay groups in hostile climate - for groups; US: Leading Senator promises to repeal DADT; Working for All: ILGA –LAC: Translators Needed; Edinburgh: LGBT Health & Wellbeing Centre; LGBT Families: Austria: ECHR affirms LGBT families; France: British widower wins tax refund ruling; Peru: Civil Partnerships to be debated
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Equality Network
Priorities for LGBT Equality
We're close to legal equality, but there's still a long way to go before we have real equality. What do you think is the most important area to change for LGBT equality? As the Equality Network plans its work over the next few years, we want to know what you think we should be working on. Please help us by completing our online survey – it should take less than five minutes and the effects will last for years!
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ENpriorities
Information Events
Would you like to help the Equality Network promote our information materials (our recent booklet, Halt Hate Crime, Equality Network News, Civil Partnership in Scotland and Shacked Up, and other resources) at events during the day or in the evening? We're looking for people who are interested in LGBT equality and might be able to spend a few hours staffing a stall / handing out leaflets we'd like to hear from you. Please contact jane@equality-network.org or check out
http://www.equality-network.org/vacancies
Forums News
Who really wants to escape the city?
Last year, in 2009, Stonewall Scotland carried out research (the "City Lights" project) into LGBT migration patterns in Scotland. Of the people who attended the City Lights focus groups, filled out the online survey or took part in one-to-one interviews, 87% said it was either "very difficult" or "quite difficult" to be out in a rural area. And three quarters said that their decision to move from a small town or village to a city was at least partly to do with being LGBT.
Channel 4 are looking for people who want to escape the city and start a new mortgage-free life. A new TV show "The Village" due for filming at the end of the summer, is offering participants "a life changing opportunity to win a home in an idyllic village and start a new life in the country."
The production company want a diverse range of people - individuals, couples, single parents, or families. "We would love to have participants who will make a statement about how far Britain has come and to display how many people can live in a community together and function successfully."
For LGBT people, specific issues have been explored at length in the City Lights report, available from the Stonewall website.
For more information and to find out how to apply contact thevillage@studiolambert.com, or call 0207 534 2029 or text 07921 609687.
http://www.stonewall.org.uk/documents/city_lights__final.pdf
http://www.stonewall.org.uk/scotland/at_home/2748.asp
http://www.studiolambert.com/thevillagetakepart.html
http://win-house.co.uk/blog/competitions-in-the-news/336-win-a-home-in-the-country-on-tv-with-channel-4.html
Ireland: Gay people in rural areas suffer isolation and discrimination and feel unable to fully integrate into their communities.
http://www.herald.ie/national-news/gay-people-isolated-in-rural-areas-2266417.html
UK-wide LGBT Research Project
The Office for Public Management, on behalf of the Government Equalities Office, would like to talk to LGBT people about their opinions and experiences through 30 minute telephone interviews booked at your convenience. All your details are confidential. Your views could help shape government policy. All interviewees will be given £20 to thank them for their time. If you have any questions please call Kate on 020 7239 7891 or Sarah on 020 7239 7804. To find out more or register your interest in taking part please go to:
http://www.opm.co.uk/lgbt
Experiences of young people with lesbian or gay parents
Lesbian or gay parents with children between the ages of 13 – 24 years old: this research project gives those young people an opportunity to talk about their experiences, and issues that they think are relevant. Very little is written from their side of the story, and this is their chance to put their views across. Jane Tyler is studying clinical psychology at the University of East London, and as part of her studies she is looking at the day to day experiences of young people with a gay or lesbian parent/s. If the young person is under 18, then one of the parents will have to give consent for them to take part. If this study looks interesting and you would like more information or would like to be involved please contact: Jane Tyler on: 020 8223 4567 to leave a message or email eypstudy@hotmail.com or
http://www.facebook.com/EYPstudy
EMIS: European Man-for-Man Internet Survey 2010
This European gay and bisexual men’s sex survey incorporates the UK’s Gay Men's Sex Survey also known as Vital Statistics. This transEuropean survey will be open until 31st August 2010.
http://hivscotland.com/index.php?controller=Default&action=NewsDetails&id=110
Growing old disgracefully
The LGBT Centre for Health and Wellbeing is proud to announce the launch of LGBT Age, a new service aimed specifically at older lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Edinburgh and the Lothians. LGBT Age will be offering support to LGBT people over 50 in a number of ways, including social opportunities, outings and events to improve social networks; a volunteer befriending scheme providing one-to-one support; an information service on a range of topics including LGBT and mainstream support and services, housing and legal matters; an advocacy service to offer individuals support in dealing with issues such as accessing health and social care services or challenging discrimination.
http://lgbthealth.org.uk/content/lgbt-age
Central Scotland Police: a three-year plan to cut hate crime
The plan is designed to help people who are victims of intimidation, harassment or physical assault because of their race, religion, disability, sexual orientation or transgender identity. Central Scotland Police area covers the local authority areas of Falkirk, Stirling, and Clackmannanshire councils.
Emergency services, local authorities, health services, prosecutors, victims’ representatives, further and higher educational establishments and the Equality Council will work together as part of the Multi-Agency Hate Response Strategy (MAHRS) in the Central Scotland Police area.
This aims to make communities safer by promoting better understanding and recording of hate incidents, identifying any trends and caring for victims of hate crime. The partnership will focus on five strands of diversity – race, religion, disability, sexual orientation or transgender identity – which can all be the subject of hate crime.
http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/1845815?UserKey=#ixzz0uzFjq890
http://news.stv.tv/scotland/188735-hate-crimes-targeted-under-police-initiative/
Smoking and LGBT
Smoking prevalence rates may be higher for LGBT people in Scotland than for Scotland as a whole, indicating that encouraging LGBT people to access stop-smoking services may not only help reduce a basic health inequality, but also help health boards to better meet their HEAT (Health improvement, Efficiency, Access and Treatment) tartgets around client engagement and quit rates: but for this to work, health boards need to ensure that the services they offer are designed to reflect the diverse needs and lifestyles of their clients. Voluntary organisations and community groups may want to consider raising the issue of tobacco use or work with health board programmes to provide an LGBT-centred service.
If you would like to contribute to this discussion, or have any questions contact Linda Bates (PATH Projects Officer) via lbates@ashscotland.org.uk or on 0131 220 9481.
The UK Drug Policy Commission has called for a review of how drug services treat minority groups, including LGBT people.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2010/07/26/gay-men-and-lesbians-more-likely-to-use-drugs-than-heterosexuals/
Stop-smoking service provision for LGBT communities in Scotland:
http://www.ashscotland.org.uk/ash/8248.1939.html
Talk Scotland Events
Edinburgh: Paradoxical Ink presents: ‘SNAPSHOTS’
6pm, 29th July, The Argyle Bar, Preview and launch night of a play about the isolation of struggling with your identity and the empowerment which self-acceptance brings. It does so by focusing on characters that are either transgendered; are dysfluent; or are unemployed – as they face life defining moments. Also two performancesat 6pm on both Mon 9th August and Mon 16th August in the basement of The Street.
Edinburgh: Jesus Queen of Heaven
7pm, Sat 31st July. The play depicting Jesus as a trans woman, written and performed by Jo Clifford, Augustine United Church, 41 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1EL. Doors open at 6.30pm. Free, unreserved seating. A rare chance to experience Jo Clifford's controversial play in a rehearsed reading performed by the author.
http://www.scottishlgbt.org/Events/Details.aspx?id=747
http://www.augustine.org.uk/
Lothian & Borders: Interactive Talk about Hate Crime
6.30-7.30pm, Mon 2nd August, During the Monday LGBT Drop-in at 9 Howe Street, Hazel Leslie from Lothian and Borders Police will do an interactive talk about hate crime, remote reporting and the Aggravations by Prejudice Act. Hazel welcomes any questions in advance and these can be sent to emma@lgbthealth.org.uk
http://www.lbp.police.uk/takecontrol/
http://www.lgbthealth.org.uk/
Elgin LGBT Group
Social networking group for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community in Moray. Elgin Library - 1st Tuesday of the month, 7.30-9pm (onto the Cooperage afterwards optional!)
http://www.scottishlgbt.org/Events/Details.aspx?id=802
Edinburgh: Glee Club
8-10pm, every Tuesday. New community group with the opportunity to just come along for a sing song, perform at venues, or enter competitions. For more information please email Matt at intern@lgbthealth.org.uk or call 0131 523 1100. No need to book, you can just turn up on the night.
http://www.lgbthealth.org.uk/
Glasgow: Bi Scotland
7.30pm, 4 August, Bi Glasgow meets on the first Wednesday of every month at Noise, formerly the Castro (formerly the LGBT Centre), 84 Bell Street, Glasgow, G1 1LQ.
http://biscotland.org/meetings.htm
Inverness: Gay Men's Group
7pm, 4 August, Gay Men's Group for adults of all ages (socialise, chat, meet like minded people) from 7pm at THT (34 Waterloo Place, Inverness). Contact 01463 711585 for more details. Always on the first Wednesday of the month.
http://www.scottishlgbt.org/Events/Details.aspx?id=803
Inverness: Highland Rainbow Folk
7pm, 5th August, at the Dunbar Centre (Church Street, Inverness). Meeting of Highland Rainbow Folk group organised by Age Scotland / THT, first Thursdays.
http://www.scottishlgbt.org/Events/Details.aspx?id=768
Grampian: Sexual Health Services
Man Friday clinic: men only, every Friday afternoon. City Clinic GUM Dept, Woolmanhill Hospital, Aberdeen, AB25 1LD, Telephone 0845 337 9900,
http://www.nhsgrampian.org/sexualhealth
http://www.tht.org.uk/howwecanhelpyou/ourservices/browseallservices/grampian/
UK News
TV and Film: Portrayals of LGBT people
Two studies by Stonewall UK in the past few years have shown very little improvement in positive and realistic portrayal of lesbian and gay people on TV – Tuned Out (2006) monitored 168 hours of BBC programming and found six minutes of positive and realistic depiction of gay lives: Unseen On Screen (2010).monitored 126+ hours of popular youth programming across the 5 terrestrial channels and found 46 minutes of positive and realistic depictions, mostly of gay men (Guardian). Neither report mentions specific examples of bisexual lives being depicted positively and realistically. Trans Media Watch, in a recent report on How Transgender People Experience the Media (2010) found minimal positive depictions of trans people across the media, including TV. In this context, the news that the UK Government had decided to close down the UK Film Council (culture.gov.uk) is disturbing: the UK Film Council funds the British Film Institute, which runs the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, a long-running source of realistic portrayals of LGBT people on film. (Relevantly, Shetland is to include six short LGBT films as part of their film festival this September (Shetland News) in partnership with Peccadillo Pictures: film festivals can be more flexible and responsive to minority inclusion than mainstream TV.) The 10 Downing Street e-petitions website is (temporarily, they say) closed pending review, but an online petition to Save the UK Film Council is available at GoPetitions: also see Facebook.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/jul/22/gay-people-stonewall-study-tv
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jul/26/lesbian-gay-rights-portrayal-tv
http://www.moviescopemag.com/2010/07/uk-government-shuts-uk-film-council/
http://www.culture.gov.uk/news/news_stories/7280.aspx
http://www.shetland-news.co.uk/2010/July/news/Stick%20em%20on%20an%20island.htm
Media Watch Reports
http://www.stonewall.org.uk/at_school/resources/4523.asp
http://www.stonewall.org.uk/documents/tuned_out_pdf_1.pdf
http://www.transmediawatch.org.uk/tmw/documents/201004TMW_0001.pdf
Facebook: Save the UK Film Council
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Save-the-UK-Film-Council/137240442975080?v=wall
London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival
http://www.bfi.org.uk/llgff/
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/save-the-uk-film-council.html
Leicester: BNP sends abusive mail to LGBT Centre
The Leicester LGBT Centre has received a second abusive e-mail from the BNP, connected to the questionnaire the Centre sent to all local electoral candidates asking about their policies concerning the LGBT community. The first e-mail was from Reverend West, a BNP candidate in Lincolnshire, and the second from Doctor SH Russell, who identifies himself as a friend of West’s. Dennis Bradley, centre support officer for the LLGBC said: “The e-mail I received this morning confirmed that there are still too many people in our little corner of the world who are intent on inflicting harm and pain on others in the name of freedom of expression and religion. When I reread this e-mail and the others that I have received in the last few months I do not see the Christianity I was brought up to believe in – acceptance, tolerance and love. Instead I see loathing and fear. In the end when I re-read this e-mail I also feel sad.”
http://news.pinkpaper.com/NewsStory/3527/28/07/2010/bnp-man-and-friend-send-abusive-emails.aspx?xtra=email&dm_i=3XT,7GBN,RYJ55,IP7Z,1
http://www.llgbc.com/
DLA Conference: The Equality Act: What Does it Mean in Practice?
Tuesday 28th September 2010. All-day conference at Eversheds International, 1 Wood Street, London EC2V. The DLA brings together a broad range of discrimination law practitioners, policy experts, academics and concerned individuals, all united around a commitment to improving equality law, practice, education and advice for those who face discrimination.
http://www.discriminationlaw.org.uk/
International
China: Gay groups in hostile climate - for groups
Despite gay bars and even Pride festivals, a Chinese blogger asserts that gay groups in China may find themselves coming under state scrutiny due to the fact that they are organized groups of like minded individuals who have been brought together by a shared cause/interest, but which exist independently of the state and of state policy. Some are too small to be noticed, others are government-orientated, but yet others have been met with a hostile response from suspicious leaders who see them as being a threat because they are an organised group. Officially speaking, it is perfectly legal to be gay in China. China now has a "gay scene". Most large cities have gay bars, some even have entire gay districts. Beijing is not officially cracking down on homosexuality, but many gay Chinese have found themselves caught up in other state crackdowns.
http://www.cnngo.com/shanghai/drink/eddys-shanghai-marks-its-15-anniversary-and-its-place-shanghai-lgbt-history-573388
http://angrychineseblogger.blog-city.com/collateral_damage_gay_chinese_caught_in_the_political_cross.htm
US: Leading Senator promises to repeal DADT
Passed by Congress in 1993, DADT is a law mandating the discharge of openly LGBT service members. More than 13,500 service members have been fired under the law in the past 16 years. One West Point graduate, Dan Choi, has made news by leading a protest at the White House against DADT. Challenged in a public meeting to lead the repeal, Senator Reid he will keep discharged veteran's West Point ring until the bill repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell is signed "and then I’ll give it back to him.” Meanwhile, Sara Isaacson, a final year Reserve Officers' Training Corps student, given $80,000 worth of military scholarship money may have to pay it all back because she came out as a lesbian.
http://www.sldn.org/pages/about-dadt
http://www.lgbtpov.com/2010/07/former-lt-dan-choi-lord-of-the-ring/
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2010/05/11/us-military-student-may-have-to-pay-back-80000-scholarship-money-for-coming-out/
Working for All
ILGA –LAC: Translators Needed
ILGA Latin American & the Carribean is looking for committed people to be part of their group of volunteer translators. IIf you have language skills in English, Spanish, and/or Portugese, and want to help many more people to become aware of what is happening in Latin America and in the World with the rights of LTGBI people, you can write to gabrieloviedo@ilga.org for more information.
http://ilga.org/
Edinburgh: LGBT Health & Wellbeing Centre
Mental Health Project – new staff wanted. The LGBT Centre for Health and Wellbeing is looking for skilled, energetic and motivated individuals for two new exciting full time posts Project Manager (Salary PO 35-37: £29,259-£30,861) and Project Assistant (Salary AP2, 19-22: £18,321-£19,830). For application packs, call 0131 523 1100 or email maruska@lgbthealth.org.uk or go to website:
http://www.lgbthealth.org.uk
http://www.lgbthealth.org.uk
LGBT Families
Austria: ECHR affirms LGBT families
On 22nd July the European Court of Human Rights delivered its judgement in a case of P.B. and J.S. v. Austria. The Court said Austria violated the European Convention on Human Rights by excluding same-sex partners from insurance cover and once again affirmed same-sex partnership constitute ‘family life’ under the Convention.
http://strasbourgobservers.com/2010/07/27/p-b-and-j-s-v-austria-discrimination-on-the-basis-of-sexual-orientation/
http://www.ilga-europe.org/home/news/for_media/media_releases/p_b_and_j_s_v_austria
France: British widower wins tax refund ruling
The tax authorities have been ordered by the Tribunal de Grande Instance de Bobigny to pay back inheritance tax and part of the legal costs paid by a British man after his civil partner died. Jerry Lea had paid nearly a third of a £98,000 bill in installments after inheriting the Loir-et-Cher holiday home that he shared with his civil partner Geoff Page. In 2008, when Page died, France did not recognize British civil partnership or any same-sex civil union as equivalent to a French PACS, except to ban couples already civilly-partnered from registering a PACS as this is only available to single people. In May 2009 a legal change was brought in by parliament, backdated to August 21, 2007, recognising foreign equivalents to the PACS. The court judgement having been made, any other widowed civil partners in the same position should simply be able to ask for a refund.
http://www.connexionfrance.com/refund-for-civil-partner-inheritance-tax-bill-11882-view-article.html
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2010/07/26/british-man-wins-french-civil-partnership-tax-victory/
Peru: Civil Partnerships to be debated
In Peru, Congress will debate a same-sex civil unions bill after Argentina became the first country in the region to legalize gay marriage. Congressman Jose A. Vargas has told the Peru media that he intends to introduce a bill that recognizes civil partnerships for same-sex couples.
http://www.ontopmag.com/article.aspx?id=6114&MediaType=1&Category=24
http://www.dallasvoice.com/peru-jumps-on-south-american-equality-bandwagon-with-proposed-civil-union-law-1036184.html
The Equality Network’s website for information on all aspects of LGBT family law – including civil partnership, cohabitation, having children, breaking up – is
www.lgbtfamilies.org
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