12/05/2010
News Sent - 12th May 2010
In this week's e-mail newsletter: Equality Network News: Speak Out: Highlands and Islands; Director: Equality Network; UK General Election 2010; Forums News: Save the Lloyds TSB Foundation; Talk Scotland Events: Glasgow: Crosslynx; IDAHO: Monday 17th May; Edinburgh: Cachín Cachán Cachunga!; Inverness: Girlzone social lunch; Glasgow: West of Scotland LGBT Forum; Edinburgh: Praying For An Inclusive Church; Edinburgh Marathon: Running for LGBT Health and Wellbeing; Glasgow: Learning for Citizenship & Independent Living; Aberdeen: Gender Equality, Past, Present and Future!; Scottish Spina Bifida Association: Curry Love; Pride in Scotland: Borders, Edinburgh, Glasgow; UK News: 20 years of Outrage!; Survey finds evidence of widespread homophobic/transphobic harassment; International: Uganda: Anti-Homosexuality Bill rejected by cabinet; Poland: Campaign Against Homophobia; Netherlands: end to discrimination in religious schools?; Baltic Pride can't be banned; Slavic Pride: won't be banned; Moscow Pride may find an embassy host; Australia: McKellan to speak at marriage rally;

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Equality Network News

Speak Out Highlands and Islands
The popular Speak Out programme resumes - six meetings across the region, free and open to all, in Lerwick, Kirkwall, Wick, Elgin, Fort William, and Stornoway, 18th to 28th May. Full details on National LGBT Forum Events calendar for May.

Director: Equality Network
Edinburgh / £34,284 starting salary
The Equality Network is Scotland's leading policy and influencing organisation for our LGBT communities. It has a high reputation across wide equality and political fields and is now being recognised at a European level. Following a very successful first decade, we are looking for a Director to take us to the next level.
We are looking for a dynamic individual with strong skills in strategic planning, people and financial management and who combines these with strong negotiating and influencing skills.
www.equality-network.org/vacancies


UK General Election 2010

David Cameron's voting record
In the last year, David Cameron's voting record on gay equality has been closely scrutinised. In 2002, he voted to restrict marriage to mixed-sex couples and same-sex couples from adopting children. A year later, he voted against the repeal of Section 28 in England and Wales. But in the last few years, he has undergone a striking conversion, giving no fewer than three interviews to the pink press in the run-up to the election. Mr Cameron says he now believes gay couples should be allowed to adopt, that the blood donation ban on gay men should be lifted and that schools must tackle homophobic bullying.(PinkNews)

Equalities Minister
Theresa May is now Home Secretary and Minister for Women & Equality. She was absent for votes on trans equality, voted in general for the policy Homosexuality - Not acceptable (68.9%) and voted in general against the policy Homosexuality - Equal rights (31%) Neither Chris Grayling nor Julian Lewis, Shadow Cabinet members who kept their seats after making openly homophobic remarks in the run up to the General Election appear to have seats in the new Con-LibDem coalition Cabinet. (In the News, Pink News)

Con-Lib coalition
The Guardian describes the Con-Lib coalition as David Cameron and Nick Clegg: a marriage made here and notes that The Conservative and Liberal Democrat leaders came together first as Guardian columnists. (Also: What Dave and Nick really said to each other on the steps of No 10.)


Forums News

Save the Lloyds TSB Foundation
For 25 years the Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland has invested in and supported communities across Scotland. Now it is our turn to support the Foundation. Charities and community groups from across Scotland have joined forces to save the charitable foundation that is facing an uncertain future after Lloyds Banking Group ended the agreement that guarantees its share of the Bank’s pre-tax profits. To push Lloyds Banking Group to reverse their decision to terminate the existing covenant with the Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland, sign the petition: www.savethefoundation.org.
Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland - "Improving quality of life for disadvantaged people"


Talk Scotland Events

Glasgow: Crosslynx
Thurs 12th May, 7-9pm, in the Castro Glasgow. Monthly meeting including update of events and group business: with a chance to dress using the facilities available at the newly re-opened Glasgow LGBT Centre, 88 Bell Street.

IDAHO: Monday 17th May
International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia

Edinburgh: IDAHO kiss-in!
Meet at 1pm at the Mound precinct outside the RSA on Sat 15th May. (Time changed to avoid clashing with the Take Back Parliament demo, meeting in Parliament Square on the Royal Mile at 2pm.)

Kirkcaldy: IDAHO performance of "Mother/Son"
Sunday 16th May 2010, Doors open at 6pm, the performance starts at 6.30pm. JRD Trust, Kirkcaldy, Fife

IDAHO: 1st international (Same-sex hand holding) Sshh! Week
Monday 17th May 2010- Sunday 23rd May 2010

Edinburgh: Cachín Cachán Cachunga!
7pm, 18th May, The Street, Picardy Place, A Queer & Trans Night of Dance, Film, Poetry & Music, Only £3/£2!. Featuring Ioana Poprowka, Chris Young, Alison Smith, Zorras and Lily.

Inverness: Girlzone social lunch
Friday 21st May from 12.30pm - 2pm in the restaurant upstairs in Debenhams (take the lift to the very top floor in the Eastgate shopping centre, don't go to the cafe on the ground floor!) Look for the blue box!

Glasgow: West of Scotland LGBT Forum
22 May 2010 from 11 am to 4.30pm at the Radisson Hotel Argyle Street Glasgow. "Supporting our Road Map for Change" Registration free. The West of Scotland LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) Forum is an umbrella organisation which brings together organisations and groups representing lesbians, gay men, bisexual and transgender people and their interests in the West of Scotland. There will be a chance to hear about recent developments by the Forum. But most of our time will be spent in small groups, discussing important issues and practical steps. You don’t need to do any preparation for the event, and we will make sure it is really participative so that everyone has the chance to put forward their views. Bring a friend who is interested if you like. To register, click on events.woslgbt.org.uk or email events@woslgbt.org.uk

Edinburgh: Praying For An Inclusive Church
Sunday 23rd May, 2010, at 3pm in St. George’s West Parish Church, Shandwick Place, Edinburgh. Everyone is welcome at this special service to reflect upon what it means to be an inclusive church, and to pray for this church to become a reality. Affirmation Scotland at The General Assembly of The Church of Scotland

Edinburgh Marathon: Running for LGBT Health and Wellbeing
On Sunday 23rd May four staff from the Edinburgh Centre for Health and Wellbeing will be running 26.2 miles around Edinburgh. Find out more here.

Glasgow: Learning for Citizenship & Independent Living
Wednesday 26th May from 12.45pm – 3.45pm. Thistle Hotel, Cambridge Street, Glasgow. A free, half-day conference organised by Glasgow’s largest groundswell of disabled members, Glasgow Disability Alliance, to launch the 2010 Learning Festival. The Festival will celebrate the role of learning in empowering disabled people to be full and active citizens, living independent lives and fulfilling their potential. It will also introduce the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Disabled People and offer workshops on this. Free event, registration essential.

Aberdeen: Gender Equality, Past, Present and Future!
Saturday 29th May, 10.30am to 12.30noon; repeated at 2pm-4pm; Aberdeen Maternity Hospital. The conference room can accommodate up to 60 people. Contact Roda Bird on Aberdeen (01224) 551116 or email Roda.bird@nhs.net for a registration form. NHS Grampian wishes to involve gender interest groups, individuals with an interest in gender equality and the wider general public in Grampian, in assessing the progress they have made to date, to achieve the objectives set out in the NHS Grampian Gender Equality Scheme 2007-2010.

Scottish Spina Bifida Association: Curry Love
Win tickets for the Scottish Curry Awards on Tuesday 15th June in Glasgow by nominating your favourite curry house by 19th May. "Eight nomination categories recognise the devotion, the diligence, and the damn hard work that goes into the creation and consumption of this nation’s greatest dish."
www.ssba.org.uk

Pride in Scotland: Borders, Edinburgh, Glasgow
Scottish Borders LGBT Pride Barbeque: Saturday 5th June
Pride Scotia: Saturday 26th June
Pride Glasgow: Saturday 17th July


UK News

20 years of Outrage!
In May 1990: "The gay community were being subjected to intense police harassment," Peter Tatchell recalls. "And at the same time, there was a rising wave of queer bashings and murders into which the police were only doing half-hearted investigations. There was widespread fury. So about 30 of us met to discuss what to do. It was an incredibly exhilarating meeting. Halfway through I remember thinking, 'This is the beginning of something big.' I could see it in their eyes. We all agreed that that it was no more Mr Nice Guy, no more negotiations, and that we were prepared to use any non-violent method to end homophobia. Including criminal damage." (Independent)

Survey finds evidence of widespread homophobic/transphobic harassment
One in ten lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender people in the South-West have suffered harassment, abuse or physical violence at work in the last two years according to interim findings from a survey carried out by Equality South West. And one in six received the same treatment outside their homes after dark, although 70% of them did not bother to report the offence, often because they felt the authorities would not take them seriously. (MidDevon Star)


International

Uganda: Anti-Homosexuality Bill rejected by cabinet
David Bahati’s Anti-homosexuality Bill, which a cabinet committee was reported to have recently rejected, has generated considerable controversy and debate both within and outside Uganda. Wanume Kibedi writes in the Ugandan Daily Monitor "My own take on the Bill is that it is a big diversion from the real and critical problems facing our Country. Examples are the all-pervasive and endemic pillage of public funds, the deadly diseases that are a scourge on a large part of the population, and the widespread illiteracy."

Poland: Campaign Against Homophobia
Mirka Makuchowska, a gay-rights activist in Poland, discusses the struggle for LGBT equality in her country and the civil-partnership awareness project being organised by Kampania Przeciw Homofobii. (GALHA magazine) The Conservative Party remains in alignment with far-right groups in Europe, especially the Polish Prawo i Sprawiedliwosc (Law and Justice) party. (Gays, Tories and the Polish PiS: An Inconvenient Truth That Won’t Go Away as Election Day Approaches)

Netherlands: end to discrimination in religious schools?
At the moment religious schools in the Netherlands are allowed to refuse LGBT teachers and pupils on the grounds that their sexual orientation conflicts with their religious principles. It's been reported that scrapping this legal provision may be part of discussions on forming a new government. The outgoing cabinet had proposed making changes to the legislation but would not have fundamentally altered the current situation. Ronald Plasterk, outgoing Labour minister of Education, Culture and Science, said "The law has to be changed so no school can refuse a pupil or teacher on grounds of their sexuality." (Dutch News)

Baltic Pride can't be banned
The Vilnius County Administrative Court attempted to ban the ‘March for Tolerance” on 5th May, the highlight of Baltic Gay Pride which took place on the past weekend. (UK Gay News) Lithuania's Supreme Administrative Court ruled on Friday 7th May that Baltic Pride, a LGBT rights rally planned for Saturday in the capital, Vilnius, would be able to go ahead after all, overturning a ban by a lower court. (EUObserver)
"To fully protect LGBT people from discrimination and to promote equality, we also need to challenge stereotypes and change attitudes, not only at work but also in schools, hospitals, hotels and pubs. ..... Another indispensable ingredient for progress is a vibrant civil society, who can fight for their rights. I would like to pay tribute to the impressive work that fundamental rights activists and defenders of equal rights have been doing for the LGBT community in Europe for many years." - Vice-President Viviane Reding of the European Commission (UK Gay News)
Nicolas Beger, Director of the Amnesty International European Union Office, had commented on the attempted ban on 6th May “The decision to suspend the permit is a triumph for prejudice and a defeat for human rights and the rule of law. The Court decided to restrict freedom of expression and assembly of the LGBT community on the ground of “security threats”, which according to the police itself do not exist. If the Court’s decision will not be overturned, are we facing a European Union of “Equality for all” in which a Member State can select which human rights to uphold?” (LGBT-EP.eu)

Slavic Pride: won't be banned
Alexander Lukashenko, the President of Belarus, was asked on Thursday 6th May to intervene in the process of consideration of the application for the Slavic Pride march planned for May 15: The Minsk authorities are banning the march citing a law that says that “public events are not allowed at othe distance of less than 200 metres from underground pedestrian crossings and metro stations”. The letter, from Belarusian and Russian gay activists, also asked the President to back the recognition of International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia in Belarus. (UK Gay News)

Moscow Pride may find an embassy host
The organisers of Moscow Pride plan their march for 29th May in central Moscow, but they may have to resort to marching on the grounds of a foreign embassy. LGBT rights activist Nikolai Alexeyev told The Moscow Times on Wednesday 5th May that they have asked embassies of several countries to accommodate the parade in case City Hall refuses to authorize it. The first choice for a venue will be announced at a news conference on 27th May. At least 100 Russians, as well as two or three members of the European Parliament and a number of other European activists, are expected to participate in the parade. The Mayor of Moscow, Yury Luzhkov, has called gay pride parades "satanic": the rallies which have been held against the ban have been routinely attacked by radical Orthodox believers and broken up by police. The European Court of Human Rights is expected to rule this year on City Hall's bans on gay parades in 2006, 2007 and 2008. (Moscow Times)

LGBT Families

Australia: McKellan to speak at marriage rally
Ian McKellen will address a rally for same-sex marriage rights in Melbourne on Saturday 15th May. The rally will start at 1pm at the State Library and leads up to International Day Against Homophobia on 17th May. (Star Observer)

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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