04/03/2009
News Sent - 4th March 2009
In this week's e-mail newsletter: Equality Network News: Harassment: we need the evidence; Edinburgh: Have your say about LGB mental health issues; The Big LGBT Conversation: Everywhere Equal?; STA Forum and National LGBT Forum; Forums News: International Women's Day: 8th March; Protest against openly-gay minister of the Kirk; Edinburgh AlAnon LGBT Group is moving; Talk Scotland Events: International Women's Day Events; Stonewall: Researching the LGBT brain drain!; Aberdeen: Equality and Human Rights Commission Roadshow; Edinburgh: LGBT Arts Festival; Glasgow: Radio Production course; Inverness: Highland Pride Ball; Edinburgh: ISSTI Interdisciplinary Masterclass; Skill Scotland: tailored staff training programme; VAF: Grants from the Community Chest; UK News: Basingstoke: The Laramie Project; Liverpool: Gavin Alker acquitted of murdering Michael Causer; Petition: Transgender people should have their gender identities and privacy respected; International: Hungary: Transgender Rights & Capacity Building Seminar; Israel: Filmmaking, feminism and life as an Orthodox lesbian; Australia: Scotzboys and penguins are part of ‘Nations United’ at Mardi Gras; US: Harvey Milk Day in California; Working for All: THT: Services Manager, Highland and Grampian; LGBT Families, Civil Partnership and Cohabitation: Two mothers win equal right to IVF on the NHS; US: California and Massachusetts challenge bans on same-sex marriage recognition
If you're interested in using the Equality Network's bulletin boards to share information about local and international news and events in your area, e-mail ENnews@equality-network.org by close of day Friday each week for inclusion in next week's mailing.
If you have a Facebook account, you can join the
Equality Network group. Regular news updates and writings on the wall.
The boards at
equality-network.invisionzone.com are now available only for posting news and events. A community discussion board is under development. Please send material for inclusion on the boards and in the weekly e-bulletin by end of day Friday each week.
Equality Network News
Harassment: we need the evidence
Have you ever been harassed because of your sexual orientation, by someone providing a service? For example, by the staff of health, education, housing or social services, or of a pub, café, B&B, shop etc. Please let us know if it has happened to you.
www.equality-network.org/Community/Surveys
Edinburgh: Have your say about LGB mental health issues
Thursday 12th March, 6-7:30pm at the LGBT Health and Wellbeing Centre, Howe Street. SAMH, in partnership with the Equality Network, is running a research project to find out about attitudes towards mental health and mental health problems among lesbian, gay, and bisexual people. We want to hear from you if you identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual and are over 16. You do not need to know anything about mental health or mental health problems. Participants will receive £10 after attending the focus group. We will also pay reasonable travel expenses if you provide us with receipts.
The Big LGBT Conversation: Everywhere Equal
Thursday 19th March 2009, 6pm. Fairways Business Park, Castle Heather, Inverness. Supported by
Highlands and Islands Equality Forum.
For both events above, contact Scott Cuthbertson (scott@equality-network.org) for further information.
STA Forum and National LGBT Forum
Saturday 21st March
Macdonald Holyrood Hotel, Edinburgh. 12.45pm
Contact James Morton (james@equality-network.org) or Scott Cuthbertson (scott@equality-network.org) for further information.
Forums News
International Women's Day: 8th March
Sunday 8th March 2009 is the 98th International Women’s Day, a global celebration of the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future.
www.internationalwomensday.com
Protest against openly-gay minister of the Kirk
Aberdeen Presbytery voted 60-24 in favour of appointing 36-year-old Scott Rennie the new minister at Queen’s Cross Church on 6th January. But twelve ministers and elders are trying to block the appointment because Rennie is openly gay. Prof Trevor Salmon, Queen’s Cross joint session clerk, said members, office-bearers and Mr Rennie are “dismayed” by the protest and branded the dissenters “small-minded”. If the complaint is upheld, it will be referred to the Kirk’s General Assembly in May. (
PressAndJournal)
Edinburgh AlAnon LGBT Group is moving
The Tuesday night ‘Live and let live’ LGBT group of Alcoholics Anonymous is moving! From Tuesday 10th March, the group will meet at the Edinburgh Peace and Justice Resource Centre (St. John’s Church, at the corner of Princes Street and Lothian Road). The room will be open from 7.45pm, with the meeting starting at 8.00pm and finishing by 9.30. Tea and coffee are available. The last Tuesday of every month is an ‘open meeting’ where any interested person is welcome to attend. Contact: LGBTcentreEdinburghALANON@googlemail.com.
Talk Scotland Events
International Women's Day Events
Edinburgh: Scottish Women's Convention
Saturday 7th March 2009. The Scottish Women’s Convention event will take place in the Chamber of the Scottish Parliament with a reception in the Garden Lobby. If you would like to attend this IWD event contact info@scottishwomensconvention.org or call 0141 248 8186.
www.scottishwomensconvention.org
Glasgow: Women of the Merchant City History Walk
Sunday 8th March, 2:00pm – Tickets £6.50. Organised by Glasgow women's Library
Glasgow Women's Library Spring 2009
Find out about other events all over Scotland at:
iwd2009.wordpress.com
Stonewall: Researching the LGBT brain drain!
Did you leave home for the bright lights of Edinburgh or Glasgow? Or did you leave Scotland altogether and head for London? If so, then we at Stonewall Scotland want to hear from you. Fill their quick online survey - and stand a chance to win £100, £50 or £25. Your sexual orientation or gender identity might have had nothing to do with why you moved - or it might have had everything to do with it. Perhaps it was one of a whole number of factors. It doesn't matter.
www.stonewallscotland.org.uk/migration
Aberdeen: Equality and Human Rights Commission Roadshow
Wednesday 18 March 2009. The Commission's Scotland Legal Team is visiting the Exhibition & Conference Centre, hosting lunch and an afternoon information session. These events are for advice-giving organisations, as well as frontline representatives of voluntary, community and educational organisations who give advice or assistance directly to the public. The event is free but spaces are limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. Email roadshow@equalityhumanrights.com for a booking form. or contact: James Andrew on 0141 228 5917 or David Reilly on 0141 228 5967.
Edinburgh: LGBT Arts Festival
A series of arts workshops and courses, from 6th March to a Festival Weekend, 20-22nd March 2009. The weekend will include exhibitions of artwork produced throughout the festival, sales of a specially created Arts Magazine, and performances of drama, music and poetry.
LGBT Arts Festival 2009
Glasgow: Radio Production course
Aimed at minority groups to give a basic understanding of how radio works. The classes run for 8 weeks, 1 class per week, 3 hours per class, where participants will learn about Scripting for Radio, Presenting for Radio, Editing Sound, Researching, Interviewing and use of the Myriad Playout system. Free. Based at Awaz FM studios in Glasgow. Contact Manjot Sumal, Training Officer, at Awaz FM, 64 Darnley Street, Glasgow, G41 2SE, tel 0141 420 6666, e: manjot@awazfm.co.uk.
www.awazfm.co.uk
Inverness: Highland Pride Ball
Saturday 14th March, Ceilidh & disco, 7pm - 12am, at the Thistle Hotel, Inverness. Tickets £20. Now on sale at Chalkys, 65 Haugh Road, Inverness IV2 4SD: contact Shane (01463 233 686).
Tuesday 7th April: Gay-friendly party night at Cactus Jaks from 9pm for LGBT and Friends.
www.gay-ness.org.uk
Edinburgh: ISSTI Interdisciplinary Masterclass
22nd/23rd April 2009. This residential event aims to develop participants' research management, leadership and supervisory skills in interdisciplinary projects across the social and natural sciences. This workshop is open to any researchers at postdoctoral level and above, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, who are engaged in interdisciplinary research between the social and natural sciences. It will be of most benefit to researchers who are at the stage of leading an interdisciplinary project for the first time. Places will be limited to 15 and have filled up quickly in the past.
Online booking
www.crfr.ac.uk/events
Skill Scotland: tailored staff training programme
Skill Scotland, in collaboration with Equality Forward is offering free, one-day tailored training sessions for colleges and universities to support your disability training and development needs. Training options can be tailored to suit an individual institution’s requirements. It is envisaged that training will take place in May and June 2009 to suit individual institutions. Expressions of interest are invited from colleges and universities across Scotland by the deadline of Wednesday 25 March 2009. View further information and details on how to submit an application:
Equality Forward website.
VAF: Grants from the Community Chest
The Community Chest, a new grant aimed at smaller community groups and voluntary organisations across Scotland, will provide grants of up to £1,000 and free training to groups with an annual income under £25,000. The Voluntary Action Fund (VAF) is an independent charitable grant making trust which invests in voluntary and community based organisations across Scotland. Applications for the Community Chest programme are welcome throughout the year with deadlines on 31 March, 30 June, 30 September and 31 December.
Equality Network > General > Working for all
UK News
Basingstoke: The Laramie Project
As predicted by Peter Tatchell, Fred and Shirley Phelps did not picket the play about the death of Matthew Shepard in Basingstoke. However, one protester turned up on the day and was heckled away by counter-demonstrators. (
BBC)
The
Matthew Shepard Foundation was founded by parents Judy and Dennis Shepard to "Replace hate with understanding, compassion, and acceptance through educational, outreach, and advocacy programs and by continuing to tell Matthew's story"
Westboro Baptist Church is based in Kansas, and claims to have staged over 25,000 demos since its formation in 1991, almost all of them anti-gay. The church estimates it spend $250,000 (£140,000) a year on air fares and other protest expenses.
Liverpool: Gavin Alker acquitted of murdering Michael Causer
On Friday 20th February, Liverpool Crown Court acquitted Gavin Alker, a 19-year-old man accused of carrying out the homophobic murder of Michael Causer, an 18-year-old trainee hairdresser, who was battered to death while he slept upstairs at a party, in July last year. On Sunday 22nd February, 100 friends and relatives returned to the court precincts to express their sense of shock and outrage at the verdict and to demonstrate for what they see as justice in the case. They said they are now hoping to launch a private prosecution. (
Independent)
Petition: Transgender people should have their gender identities and privacy respected
If you do, then please take a moment right now to consider signing the
online petition opposing the harm which the UK Government's current plans for Identity Cards would cause to a wide range of transgender people. You don't have to be transgender yourself to sign this petition. You don't even need to be part of the LGBT community. Anyone in the UK who believes that transgender people deserve privacy and respect can show their support by signing this petition:
petitions.number10.gov.uk/TransID
www.no2id-scotland.net /
www.ips.gov.uk/identity
International
Hungary: Transgender Rights & Capacity Building Seminar
29th April – 2nd May 2009, Budapest. Organised by ILGA-Europe in liaison with Transgender Europe. Deadline for submission of the registration from is 14th March (12am CET).
tgeu.net /
ILGA-Europe
Israel: Filmmaking, feminism and life as an Orthodox lesbian
Interview with Jerusalem-born director and activist Avigail Sperber, founder of Bat Kol, an organization that offers support services to observant Jewish lesbians who wish to fulfill both their religious and sexual identities: discussion of her latest film. (
Haaretz)
Australia: Scotzboys and penguins are part of ‘Nations United’ at Mardi Gras
The theme of the
2009 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is international co-operation and unity,and the parade will be divided into seven sections – one for each continent. Floats will represent each continent, and many individual countries. Scotzboys will be in the Europe section, representing the gay men of Scotland. Alan Napier, Scotzboys Organiser, says the entry is “a group of Scottish guys, half-Scottish guys, guys with Scottish boyfriends or guys who just like Scottish men”, celebrating our identity as Scottish and coming together with other ‘nations united’, celebrating our identity as gay.” For the seventh continent, Antarctica, Dods, one of the central figures behind one of the world’s most spectacular costume parades, said “People wanted to have polar bears as the theme! I said, ‘No, we’ve gotta have penguins!" (
SXNews)
US: Harvey Milk Day in California
Californian Senator Mark Leno reintroduced a bill this week, with actor Sean Penn by his side, designating Milk’s birthday, 22nd May, a “day of significance.” Last October the governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, vetoed the same bill. It would have set aside May 22 as Harvey Milk Day, designating it as a ‘day of special significance” in California. Milk would have been 79 this year: he was assassinated in 1978. (
365gay)
Working for All
THT: Services Manager, Highland and Grampian
Based in Aberdeen and Inverness. Apply by 16th March 2009. Interview date 24th March, in Inverness. For enquiries: email recruitment@tht.org.uk quoting SCOT01.
Equality Network > General > Working for all
LGBT Families, Civil Partnership and Cohabitation
Two mothers win equal right to IVF on the NHS
A couple who had been trying to conceive using AID for over a year, had applied for IVF fertility treatment to their local NHS board, and had been denied because NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde claimed that, despite seven attempts paid for privately without success, since the couple were both women, they did not meet the board's definition of an "infertile couple": the board claimed that a couple only qualified as infertile after two years of heterosexual intercourse without contraception. After the couple had begun a civil suit against the board, the NHS revised their decision and said the couple would be offered the treatment at an assisted conception unit. (
BBC,
Glasgow Evening Times)
US: California and Massachusetts challenge bans on same-sex marriage recognition
Proposition 8 will be challenged tomorrow (Thurs 5th March) in California Supreme Court. California's Attorney General Jerry Brown does not defend Proposition 8, though it became law last November and defense of the state's law is the traditional role of the state's top lawyer. Instead, he will ask the justices to strike it down under an argument that experts say is novel. In written arguments, Brown calls the measure unconstitutional because it takes fundamental rights away from a minority group. (
SignonSanDiego)
The first major challenge to the constitutionality of a federal law denying gay and lesbian couples access to more than 1,000 federal programs and legal protections was filed yesterday in the U.S. District Court. Eight same-sex couples who married in Massachusetts and three gay widowers are seeking access to the federal protections and programs granted to mixed-sex married couples. In Massachusetts, same-sex marriage has been legal since 2004. (
CNN)
The
Equality Network's manifesto position: civil partnership should also be available to mixed-sex couples and marriage should also be available to same-sex couples.
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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