16/12/2009
News Sent - 16th December 2009
In this week's e-mail newsletter: Equality Network News: National LGBT Forum; Race, Religion and Belief; Speak Out Highlands and Islands; LGBT News - Winter Break; Forums News: Holocaust Memorial Day 27th January; Trans Inclusion - Call for Examples of Discrimination; Beijing+15: Women's Rights - How far have we come? Where are we going; ILGA-Europe: LGBT families questionnaire; Talk Scotland Events: Stirling: LGBT Youth Central; Edinburgh: Service of Celebration and Transition; Alcoholics Anonymous - LGBT meetings; International Kiss a Member of the Same Sex Day; Edinburgh Trans Women Support Group; Glasgow: Scottish Communities Research Conference; Inverness: Pink Castle Philosophy Club; Edinburgh: BADABINGO!!!; Glasgow: A spot of b)other; Glasgow: Discrimination in Housing; Same-Sex Handholding (SSHH!) Our Silent Revolution; UK News: BBC asks "Should homosexuals face execution?"; Turing Festival Announced for June 2012; TUC announces new coalition to tackle homophobia in football; Religion no excuse for homophobia; International: Uganda: International reaction to Anti-Homosexuality Bill; Ugandan reactions to Anti-Homosexuality Bill; Uganda: AIDS research; Register early for Cologne 2010 Gay Games; New Zealand: Endangered lesbian albatrosses try for chick; Working for All: Edinburgh: Volunteer gardeners; LGBT Families: Islington couple looking for partners in legal fight; Trans-EU recognition for civil partnerships
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Equality Network News
National LGBT Forum; Race, Religion and Belief
5:30-8:30pm,14th January 2010, Perth. This meeting of the forum will look at the topic of race, religion and belief. As well as a panel of speakers from ethnic minority, religious and LGBT communities, part of the forum will be a roundtable discussion on the topic. We’re looking for your ideas and suggestions on what areas you would like to see on the table for discussion.
Speak Out Highlands and Islands
29th-31st January. The Equality Network has developed a training course for LGBT community members and allies which will develop skills as an leader on LGBT equality and inclusion. The course is residential and free to attend, all travel and accommodation costs are covered. We are looking for 12 people from across the Highlands, Shetlands, Orkneys and Western Isles to take part.
www.equality-network.org/speakout
LGBT News - Winter Break
This week's LGBT News (16th December) is the last of 2009. The next full LGBT News will go out on 20th January.
Forums News
Holocaust Memorial Day
Wednesday 27th January
Trans Inclusion - Call for Examples of Discrimination
The next stage of the Equality Bill is the House of Lords Committee Stage which is expected to be on the 11th and 13th of January 2010.
If you are willing to share your experiences of the gender identity discrimination or harassment you have experienced, and are happy for us to include this within an amendment briefing pack for members of the House of Lords, then please urgently complete our
very short anonymous survey. For further information, email: justfillingintheblanks@googlemail.com
If you are not trans, or are already covered by the existing definition, you can help by passing on this message to others! The deadline for responding to this survey is
12noon on Monday 21st December.
Facebook group
Beijing+15: Women's Rights - How far have we come? Where are we going?
Engender will be submitting a report to the
UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) when it meets in March 2010 to review member states progress on how they have met the commitments made at the UN Forth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing in 1995. Their Beijing+15 meeting last week successfully brought together Engender members, politicians and other NGOs to look at what has improved (or not) for women in Scotland since the Platform for Action was announced at the Beijing conference. You can still contribute (by
8th January). Engender identified the priorities for discussion as Poverty, Violence against Women, Power and Participation, Economy and Girls. Do you think we have made progress in these areas over the past 15 years? If so, what has been done and what issues do we need to work on? Give your views by e-mail to info@engender.org.uk or if you are a member log into the members area of the Engender website and follow the Beijing+15 thread (e-mail karen@engender.org.uk if you have difficulty)
www.engender.org.uk
ILGA-Europe: LGBT families questionnaire
ILGA-Europe has commissioned a study to help guide them in the review of their strategies and approach to LGBT families, and is looking for views and input from organisations working with LGBT families.
lgbtfamilies.eu
Talk Scotland Events
Stirling: LGBT Youth Central
LGBT Youth Scotland are proud to announce the the start of a new group for LGBT Young people aged 13-25 and friends. The 1st group will be held in Stirling on Thursday 17th December, the group will then run once a month. Email info@lgbtyouth.org.uk or text 0778 148 17 88 for more information and venue details!
www.lgbtyouth.org.uk
Edinburgh: Service of Celebration and Transition
4-6pm, Sun 20th Dec, 41 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1EL. MCC Edinburgh joins with Augustine United Church: Join us to celebrate MCC Edinburgh's 14 years of ministry to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in Edinburgh and throughout Scotland as we merge with Augustine United Church. Celebrate MCC Edinburgh's 14 years of ministry to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in Edinburgh and throughout Scotland as they merge with Augustine United Church. This will create the first congregation in the UK where an MCC congregation has merged into an existing mainstream denomination.
www.mccedinburgh.org
Alcoholics Anonymous - LGBT meetings
AA - Is your drinking causing you problems? In AA, individuals who want to stop drinking meet to support each other to stay sober. Meetings are friendly and discreet and your anonymity will be respected. AA is a non restrictive organisation, and therefore LGBT people are welcome at any AA meeting, but AA runs the following LGBT meeting in Edinburgh and Glasgow:
Edinburgh: Tues, 8pm, Peace & Justice Resource Centre, St John's Church, Princes Street. The last meeting of each month is open to non AA members.
Glasgow: Tues & Thurs, 7.30pm, Nye Bevan House, 20 India Street
Glasgow: Fri, 7.30pm, Ogilvie Centre, 25 Rose Street.
Tel: 0845 769 7555 (24 hours) National Helpline / Tel: 0141 226 2214 AA Northern Service Office
www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk
International Kiss a Member of the Same Sex Day
1st January 2010 /
Facebook event
Edinburgh Trans Women Support Group
7:30-9:30pm, Sat 2nd January, 9 Howe Street, Edinburgh. The group meets in the hub at the Edinburgh LGBT Centre for Health and Wellbeing. The meetings are an opportunity to meet in a relaxed, friendly and safe environment for chat and support.
www.edinburghtranswomen.org.uk
Dundee: Violence is Preventable Accredited Training Programme
VIP (Violence Is Preventable) is a personal safety and abuse prevention programme for children, young people, senior citizens and other vulnerable adults.
January 5th, 6th and 7th 2010 are the dates of
18 And Under's first VIP Accredited training programme of the year. Anyone interested in becoming trained and approved to deliver VIP sessions should contact 18 and Under: for further information phone 01382 206222 or e-mail lormac1053@aol.com.
Glasgow: Scottish Communities Research Conference
9.30am—4.30pm, 24th February 2010, Thistle Hotel Glasgow (TBC), theme "Required Competencies of Community Researchers" If you wish to present your research at this conference please go to
www.gara.org.uk website for more details. E-mail: events@gara.org.uk Tel: 0141 418 6530 Post: 78 Carlton Place, Glasgow, G5 9TH. GARA is holding this conference to help identify the type of research experiences that people working in the community have had in the areas of health, education, employment, housing, social justice, youth work, etc. (not necessarily exclusive to BME communities). GARA also wants to identify the core competencies required of community/peer researchers in order to conduct their tasks effectively. A book of research abstracts will be created for the conference, and if you wish any research/evaluation that you have conducted or contributed to be shared with others please e-mail Lyndsay@gara.org.uk for a research summary form and send to GARA by
6th January 2010. If you register for the conference before 6th January, the early bird rate is £50+VAT.
Inverness: Pink Castle Philosophy Club
7pm, 12th January. Hidden Gem Cafe, Spectrum Centre, Inverness. Email: morgan@tramstop.org
Pink Castle Philosophy Club
Edinburgh: BADABINGO!!!
8pm-1am, 16th Jan,
tePOOKa's Big Red Door. Edinburgh's local safe sex nuns are bringing San Francisco's hottest fundraiser to town: You've never played Bingo until you've played
BADABINGO!!! Join the Nuns for a night of mayhem you'll never forget. Prizes! Bingo calls! More Prizes! Sillier Bingo Calls! Even Sillier Prizes! (You have probably seen the Nuns of the
Order of Perpetual Indulgence, Convent of Dunn Eideann at Pride or in the clubs and pubs handing out their Safe Sex Packs. )
"It's like regular bingo...only crossed with the Rocky Horror Picture Show..." - Bay Area Backroads
Facebook event
Glasgow: Discrimination in Housing
Tues 9th February, 10am–4:30pm, STUC Building, 333 Woodlands Road, Glasgow, Equality and Human Rights Commssion Scotland & Scottish Association of Law Centres free one day seminar. This event will provide an understanding of discrimination law as it applies to all groups. It is for advisors who work with people who may experience discrimination in housing; from paid advisors to volunteers at law centres, citizens advice bureaux, national and community organisations. Deadline for booking 26th January 2010: to book please email julia.evans@equalityhumanrights.com or call 0141 228 5914.
www.equalityhumanrights.com/scotland
Glasgow: A spot of b)other
A Spot of b)other continues at GoMA until
21 February 2010, in conjunction with Ajamu X's "Familiar Strangers".
Same-Sex Handholding (SSHH!) Our Silent Revolution
30th January 2010
www.adayinhand.com
UK News
BBC asks "Should homosexuals face execution?"
Today's
Have Your Say asks "Has Uganda gone too far? Should there be any level of legislation against homosexuality? Should homosexuals be protected by legislation as they are in South Africa? What would be the consequences of this bill to you? How will homosexual 'offences' be monitored?"
If you feel this is an inappropriate question, you can leave feedback here:
BBC Complaints
You can follow the debate on Twitter here:
@BBCAfricaHYS (
Pink News)
Complaints about the BBC should be directed to your MP:
www.writetothem.com
Update: the BBC closed the debate (with 206 published comments, 189 rejected comments, and 238 comments still unpublished) and edited the title to "Should Uganda debate gay execution?" moving the original title down to open the introductory paragraph, which now begins "Should homosexuals face execution?" (
Pink News)
Turing Festival Announced for June 2012
The Festival was announced at a celebration of Turing’s life in Sackville Gardens in the heart of Manchester’s Gay Village where a life-size statue of Turing has resided since 2001, sitting on a park bench holding an apple. Below the statue an inscription reads: “Father of computer science, mathematician, logician, wartime code breaker, victim of prejudice.” Alan Turing was prosecuted for gross indecency in 1952. He had formed a relationship with a younger man who he reported to the police for stealing from his house .While doing so he told police about the relationship and was subsequently prosecuted. (
Pink Paper)
THE ALAN TURING YEAR: A Centenary Celebration of the Life and Work of Alan Turing
TUC announces new coalition to tackle homophobia in football
The
Professional Footballers Association,
Pride Sports,
Kick it Out,
Schools Out, the LGBT Sports Network and the
Brighton-based Justin Campaign met with
LGBT TUC representatives on 9th December. According to a statement from the TUC, the coalition will work to combat homophobia at all levels of the game, including local, national and school clubs. (
Pink News)
Religion no excuse for homophobia
Lillian Ladele, former Islington registrar who lost her job after she refused to perform civil partnership ceremonies for same-sex couples, has lost her appeal in the High Court. (
Islington Tribune)
Rachel Dineley, head of diversity and discrimination at law firm
Beachcroft, said: “The message from today's ruling is clear. Employees are free to hold religious beliefs but employers are entitled to require them to comply with their explicit equality and diversity policy, where this is a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim. The aim here was very clear, namely to provide a public service on a non-discriminatory basis.” (
Personnel Today)
Symon Hill, associate director of the religion and society thinktank
Ekklesia, writing in the Guardian: "The court of appeal has today given Christians a reason to celebrate. They have turned down an appeal by a registrar who refused to officiate at civil partnerships and have rejected her claim that she was discriminated against because of her Christian faith. This is good news for all those Christians who are fed up of seeing Christianity used as an excuse for homophobia." (
A judgment Christians should celebrate)
International
Uganda: International reaction to Anti-Homosexuality Bill
International opposition against Ndorwa West MP David Bahati’s proposed anti-gay law continued to grow steadily, drawing support from such unlikely quarters as the White House. The growing list now includes US President Barack Obama, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Anglican leader Rowan Williams, some US senators, and several newspapers. (
Uganda Daily Monitor,
ABC News)
Demonstrators protest outside the Ugandan embassy in London.
Ugandan reactions to Anti-Homosexuality Bill
"In the intimate scheme of things, Ms Kalende plays the stronger partner, encouraging her lover, whom she affectionately calls Mimi, to be brave and allaying her concerns about safety in Uganda. 'When she starts to cry, I don’t cry,' Ms Kalende said. 'I want to be stronger than she is. But I feel bad, of course. She is really scared about what’s going on at home.'" (
Uganda Daily Monitor)
Frank Mugisha, who works with
Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), said that Ugandan culture is “very homophobic” and that the “average Ugandan hates homosexuals.” Current sodomy laws have created an atmosphere where LGBT Ugandans are afraid to speak out. The introduction of the bill has only increased the fear, he said. (
Mshale)
Kassiano Wadri, leader of the Opposition, claims the bill is not as much a legislative reaction to problems in the street as it is a national discourse on identity, independence, and as treatment as an equal member in the international community. (
Guardian)
John Nagenda, senior advisor to President Museveni, writes in
Uganda New Vision: "In the Inquisition period, evil prelates tortured people who deviated from current beliefs, including by saying the world was not flat but round! Now we all laugh about these odd characters. Lower down the scale, people were tortured for being left-handed (indeed called sinister for it) or being very short, or being blind: in short for not being normal. I believe, and I am raising the bar, that we must laugh at this MP and others like him: laugh and stay sane. What crime have same-sex lovers committed, per se, by being who they are? Would those who believe God made mankind exclude them, and on what grounds?"
Uganda: AIDS research
Uganda had been chosen as the headquarters of the body that will coordinate AIDS vaccine research in Africa. The programme was formerly hosted in Geneva under the World Health Organisation and UNAIDS. But if the Anti-Homosexuality Bill passes, a UN official said this Monday, the research institution may have to be hosted elsewhere. (
New Vision Uganda,
IOL South Africa)
Register early for Cologne 2010 Gay Games
Organisers of the Cologne 2010 Gay Games have announced that early-bird registration discounts for the event will come to a close at the end of the month. The savings offer will be open to LGBT athletes from around the UK until 31 December, after which the registration fee will be increased by 25 Euros. (
PinkPaper)
www.gaygames.com
New Zealand: Endangered lesbian albatrosses try for chick
Two female royal albatrosses are incubating an egg, an unusual pairing for the colony on Taiaroa Head. They were among 20 to 25 pairs of endangered albatrosses that have nested this season, Department of Conservation Taiaroa Head ranger Lyndon Perriman said. (
Otago Daily Times)
Working for All
Edinburgh: Volunteer gardeners
The LGBT Centre for Health and Wellbeing, at 9 Howe Street, is looking for volunteers to design and maintain its new garden. Project administrator James Brandon said: "We hope to offer a safe space where individuals can grow their own fruit and vegetables." The next session is on Saturday, from 10:30am to 1pm.
www.lgbthealth.org.uk
LGBT Families, Civil Partnership and Cohabitation
Islington couple looking for partners in legal fight
Tom Freeman and Katherine Doyle, both 25 and of Islington, who are challenging the ban on mixed-sex couples having civil partnerships, are looking for a same-sex couple to join their fight. (
PinkNews) Freeman emphasised that he and Doyle were looking for a same-sex couple who were willing to take the time to fight the case and see it through to the end. They have been advised by campaigner Peter Tatchell and by a prominent human rights lawyer that the best strategy is to find a same-sex couple who would be turned away from registering for a civil marriage. The two couples would then approach the
ECHR jointly. They hope to find a couple without any complicated circumstances in order to keep the challenge legally simple. If you and your partner are interested in joining the couple in their case, email: thomascolinfreeman@gmail.com or katherine.doyle@gmail.com
Trans-EU recognition for civil partnerships
In the UK, all same-sex registered partnerships offering rights and responsibilities equivalent to marriage, and all same-sex marriages, are recognised as civil partnerships. But this legal recognition is not reciprocal. Recent legislation passed in France makes it possible for a civil-partnered couple to get some of the same rights as a couple in a PACS, but in an interview with "Attitude" magazine, Gordon Brown said Britiain is negotiating deals with France and Spain and pushing for British civil partnerships to be recognised across the EU. (
BBC,
PinkNews)
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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