04/02/2009
News Sent - 4th February 2009
In this week's e-mail newsletter: Equality Network News: The Big LGBT Conversation: Scotland's Future; Out and Safe 2009; The Big LGBT Conversation: Including Rural; Forums News: Equality and Human Rights Commission Helpline; Survey: Lesbians, Bisexual Women and Pregnancy Loss; Glasgow Equalities Partnership: Community Engagement And Community Planning; Achieving Our Potential? Combating Poverty In A Recession; Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival 2009 - Call for Programming; Talk Scotland Events: 5th Annual LGBT History Month; Edinburgh: Prime Time Meeting; International Women's Day: Sunday 8 March; UK News: UK: UKBA advises gay Iraqi to avoid execution by "discretion"; Police: Rainbow flag for LGBT History Month causes controversy; International: Ireland: Homophobic verbal abuse and bullying rife; US: Promised repeal of 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' delayed; Denmark: World Outgames; Working for All: ILGA-Europe: Policy & Programmes Officer; Edinburgh: LGBT Centre for Health and Wellbeing Volunteers; Glasgow: John Wheatley College; LGBT Families, Civil Partnership and Cohabitation: Edinburgh: Grandparents challenge choice of adoptive parents; 160 MEPs signed up for recognition of civil partnerships; US: Californian Supreme Court will hear case against Prop 8; Ireland: Civil partnership bill
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
The Big LGBT Conversation: Scotland's Future
Scotland's Future: Thursday 12th February at 6:30pm at the Scottish Story Telling Centre in Edinburgh. Supported by the SCVO.
Out and Safe 2009
Saturday 28th February 2009. Cedarwood, 20 Edgar Road, Elgin. A free event for the LGBT Community on policing and community safety. Supported by Grampian Police.
The Big LGBT Conversation: Including Rural
Thursday 19th March 2009, 6pm. Fairways Business Park, Castle Heather, Inverness. Supported by Highlands and Islands Equality Forum.
For all three events above, contact Scott Cuthbertson (scott@equality-network.org) for further information.
Forums News
Equality and Human Rights Commission Helpline
The Commission in Scotland operates a dedicated which enables us to provide information and advice about your rights. If you think you have been discriminated against because of your sexual orientation or gender identity, or race/ethnic identity, religion or belief, gender, disability, or age, or even if you just want to hear more about your rights then call the EHRC helpline 0845 604 5510.
www.equalityhumanrights.com
Survey: Lesbians, Bisexual Women and Pregnancy Loss
An
online survey based at Aston University, of women’s experiences; exploring lesbian and bisexual women’s experiences of pregnancy loss. Both birth (biological) and social (non-biological) mothers can take part in the study.
Equality Network > Forums > Health
Glasgow Equalities Partnership: Community Engagement And Community Planning
Free Briefing Sessions linking equality and diversity with community engagement and community planning. For equality organisations and groups, and for key partners involved in community planning. The Development Officers will come out to your organisation to deliver these sessions. If your Organisation is interested in these sessions please contact GEP on 0141 221 8938 or email developmentofficers@glasgowep.org.uk
www.glasgowep.org.uk
The Equality Network's community planning website:
www.lgbtcommunity.org.uk
Achieving Our Potential? Combating Poverty In A Recession
(A Series Of Discussion Seminars Across Scotland January - March 2009):
4 March, Elgin, Cooper Park Library, 2pm - 4pm
5 March, Aberdeen, Aberdeen Foyer, 2pm - 4pm
12 March, Glasgow, Centre for Inclusive Living Brooke St, Bridgeton, 10am - 12 noon
More information and to book, contact Poe McHugh, The Poverty Alliance, 162 Buchanan St, Glasgow, G1 2LL (poe.mchugh@povertyalliance.org)
Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival 2009 - Call for Programming
1st - 22nd October 2009. If you would like to discuss programming for 2009 or would like to know more contact Pam Clarke, Belinda Arthur or Ruth Donnelly at mhfest@gmail.com or tel: 0141 572 1662.
www.mhfestival.com
Talk Scotland Events
5th Annual LGBT History Month
Sunday 1st February to Saturday 28th February 2009
An opportunity for remembrance, celebration & debate and discussion around the continued struggle for LGBT liberation.
www.lgbthistory.org.uk
Edinburgh: Prime Time Meeting
Sunday 8th/22nd February, 2-4pm, 9 Howe Street
Prime Time is an informal and friendly social group for gay and bisexual men aged 40 and over, which meets fortnightly in a relaxed safe space. You can share any ideas, concerns of views you may have about issues affecting older gay and bisex
ual men; meet new people and join in planning activities. (
Prime Time at
www.gmh.org.uk)
International Women's Day: Sunday 8 March
The Scottish Women’s Convention: Saturday 7 March 2009 at 12.30 – 4pm. The SWC International Women’s Day Celebrations are being held in the Debating Chamber of the Scottish Parliament. If you would like to register for the event please contact Mary Kerr at 0141 248 8186 or mary@scottishwomensconvention.org.
More details of the event can be found at
www.scottishwomensconvention.org
UK News
UK: UKBA advises gay Iraqi to avoid execution by "discretion"
Iraq is one of nine countries in the world where consensual same-sex relationships are punishable by death. A gay asylum-seeker is scheduled to be returned to Iraq today. The UK Border Agency advises that he should "conduct such relationships in private on his return to Iraq", so that he can "express his sexuality, albeit in a more limited way than he could do elsewhere."
Iraqi LGBT says that more than 430 gay men have been murdered in Iraq since 2003, and that this man will be the seventh gay Iraqi asylum seeker to be forced to return. (
The Guardian)
Police: Rainbow flag for LGBT History Month causes controversy
London: A Limehouse police station which briefly displayed the rainbow flag, has been made to take it down at the orders of the new Commissioner, Sir Paul Stephenson, after complaints in the Sun and the Daily Mail. Met rules state that only the Union flag and the force's own flag can fly from police buildings. (
wharf.co.uk,
ThisIsLondon)
Wales: The North Wales Police HQ raised a rainbow flag to mark
LGBT History Month, at a ceremony organised by the
Gay Police Association North Wales and backed by the
Association of Chief Police Officers and
Stonewall Cymru. (
BBC,
The Telegraph)
International
Ireland: Homophobic verbal abuse and bullying rife
A recent report (
Supporting LGBT Lives: A Study of the Mental Health and Wellbeing of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) People) says the vast majority of LGBT people surveyed in Ireland have been verbally abused or suffered harassment because of their sexual identity. One in four had been violently attacked. Over half had been bullied in school. But the report also shows many are resilient, drawing support from family or friends, and have gone on to lead happy and satisfying lives. The report was commissioned by the
BeLonG To Youth Service and the
Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (Glen) and researched by the Children’s Research Centre in TCD and the School of Education at UCD. (
Irish Times,
Irish Health)
US: Promised repeal of 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' delayed
The new Obama administration says that it will have to study the implications for national security and enlist more support in Congress before trying to overturn the ”don’t ask, don’t tell” regulation and allow LGBT people to serve openly in the military. A 1992 General Accounting Office report said the Defense Department expelled an average of 1,500 gay soldiers a year during the 1980s. A follow-up Government Accountability Office report in 2005 found that expulsions were briefly cut in half in 1994 and 1995, but climbed back to over 1,100 a year in the last three years of the Clinton administration. The numbers expelled have been halved during the Iraq war, but in 2006, over six hundred soldiers were expelled for being LGBT. (
Kansas City Star,
Boston Globe)
28 former US military chiefs collectively called for a repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy in December 2007. (
The Guardian)
Denmark: World Outgames
The 2nd World Outgames will be held in Copenhagen, Denmark, from 25 July to 2 August 2009. Including tournaments in 38 different sports disciplines, a wide variety of cultural events, and a human rights conference addressing issues and concerns of the LGBT community.
www.copenhagen2009.org
Working for All
ILGA-Europe: Policy & Programmes Officer
Brussels: deadline 5pm 20th February 2009. The post holder will be responsible for providing policy, lobbying and capacity building services to support ILGA-Europe's advocacy of LGBT rights at the European level. Relocation support from within Europe to Brussels will be given. An application pack which also contains more information about the job is available on
the website.
Equality Network > General > Working for all
Edinburgh: LGBT Centre for Health and Wellbeing Volunteers
The LGBT Centre for Health and Wellbeing is looking to recruit new volunteers to help support the current staff team. The project has a regular programme of activities and houses a number of community groups, as well as providing information to the NHS, local government and individuals. The roles need to be filled by the end of February: contact James Brandon, Project Administrator, on 0131 523 1100.
www.lgbthealth.org.uk
Glasgow: John Wheatley College
Several staff posts are available (deadline Monday 9th February): Careers Advisor, Technical Services Manager, Part-Time Youth Access Worker, Youth Access Worker (Sessional), Part-Time Finance Assistant – Procurement. The College is also looking to update their reserve list of Temporary Lecturers for day and evening appointments. Recruitment packs available online or from the Human Resources Section, Tel: 0141 588 1576, Fax: 0141 588 - 1556 or by email: hr@jwheatley.ac.uk
Vacancies on www.jwheatley.ac.uk
LGBT Families, Civil Partnership and Cohabitation
Edinburgh: Grandparents challenge choice of adoptive parents
Grandparents made an official complaint that the family was pressured into giving up their carers' rights, after they were told that the adoptive parents chosen for their grandchildren are a same-sex couple. Rachael Kelsey, a director at Edinburgh family law specialists Sheehan Kelsey Oswald, said: "I think there would be difficulty in challenging if a particular person is fit to adopt given the months of checks and double-checks there are in the adoption process. A judicial review might address the council's policy but I see difficulty here because it is clear in law that children can be adopted by gay people." The Scotsman reports that a "consortium of businessmen and professionals" is funding a legal challenge and the Roman Catholic Church is facilitating it. (
Scotsman,
Pink News)
160 MEPs signed up for recognition of civil partnerships
The resolution called for "member states with existing same-sex partnership legislation to recognise the arrangements of other member states that have also made provisions for same-sex partnerships," and for "guidelines for such mutual recognition by member states with existing same-sex partnership legislation." The declaration needed more than 393, or 50%, of MEPs, to be adopted as a resolution by the European Parliament and forwarded to the Commission, Council and member state governments for consideration. (
Pink News,
UK Gay News)
US: Californian Supreme Court will hear case against Prop 8
By a 52 to 48 percent vote, Proposition 8 restored the ban on gay marriage, after the state Supreme Court last year found the prior law outlawing same-sex marriage unconstitutional. Various lawsuits argue that the ballot measure was an improper method of amending the California constitution, and deprives same-sex couples of the right to marry established in the May 2008 Supreme Court ruling. The state Attorney General is arguing that Proposition 8 should be struck down because it erased an existing constitutional right. Forty-three groups have submitted written arguments against Proposition 8: twenty have submitted arguments that the measure should be upheld. The proceedings will be televised statewide on the California Channel: a ruling is due within 90 days of the hearing. (
Mercury News,
LA Times,
SF Gate)
Opponents and supporters of Proposition 8 pumped a total of $85 million into November's measure to ban same-sex marriage in California, the most money ever raised for a social-issue campaign in the US. The earliest reports broadly identified the largest funder as the Church of Jesus Christ Latter-Day Saints (the Mormon Church) which provided an estimated 70 percent of the Prop 8 money. (
SF Gate,
365gay)
Ireland: Civil partnership bill
The legislative programme for the forthcoming Dáil session, which continues up to 9th April, includes the Civil Partnership Bill, which will grant same-sex couples legal recognition in areas such as pensions, social security, property rights, tax, succession and the payment of maintenance. The government says it will not support equal marriage, claiming that it would require a change to the country's constitution and a referendum. (
Irish Times)
LGBT Noise is still taking signatures for a petition against the ban on same-sex marriage.
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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