14/10/2009
News sent - 14th October
In this week's e-mail newsletter: Equality Network News: Changing Hearts, Opening Minds; Survey on marriage and civil partnership; National LGBT Skills Programme: Including disabled and minority ethnic LGBT people; Forums News: Aberdeen: Attempt to start LGBT network slammed by Labour and Conservative councillors; Imaan: Make the Law Work for Our Community; Talk Scotland Events: Edinburgh: Greek Pete at the Filmhouse; Inverness: Girlzone lunch; Unison Scottish LGBT members AGM; Weekly LGBT Scottish Country Dance Evenings; Glasgow: A Child Made of Love; Inverness: Chai n Chat; Edinburgh: LGBT Centre for Health and Wellbeing: 1st Birthday Party; Prime Time Edinburgh; Inverness: Highland Rainbow Folk; Aberdeen: Bodies, embodiment, and bodily practices; Glasgow: Poverty Alliance Annual Seminar and AGM; UK News: Unite Against Fascism Protest - No to BNP on Question Time; Donation Not Discrimination; Northern Ireland: Iris Robinson refuses to hear herself on stage; Peter Tatchell challenges David Cameron; International: Lithuania: European Parliament resolves against anti-gay law; Ireland: School principals given guide on helping LGB pupils; Vatican: UN observer defends Catholic church by attacking gay men, Protestants and Jews; Uruguay: Trans people to change names and legal gender; Working for All: Scottish Natural Heritage: Board member; LGBT Families, Civil Partnership and Cohabitation: Research on Civil Partnerships; US: California allows "rights and benefits" of marriage
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.
You can now register and add events to the National LGBT Forum:
www.scottishlgbt.org/Events
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Please send material for inclusion in the weekly e-bulletin by end of day Friday each week.
Equality Network News
Changing Hearts, Opening Minds
Booking is now open for the 2009 conference, which will be held on Saturday 14th November 2009, at West Park Conference Centre, Perth Road, Dundee, 10am-4pm. This conference is organised by the Equality Network with the support of
LGBT Youth Scotland and
Stonewall Scotland. The keynote speaker is Shona Robison, Minister for Public Health and Sport.
www.equality-network.org/policy/conferences/conference2009
Survey on marriage and civil partnership
The Scottish Parliament Public Petitions Committee is considering petitions calling for the introduction of same-sex marriage in Scotland. Your views will help the Equality Network's work on this issue.
This survey should take no more than 15 minutes of your time.
www.equality-network.org/marriage
National LGBT Skills Programme
10am-5pm,
Sat 17th October, Glasgow. A free one day training event aimed at helping LGBT groups and organisations to become more inclusive to disabled and minority ethnic LGBT People.
Forums News
Aberdeen: Attempt to start LGBT network slammed by Labour and Conservative councillors
John Stewart, Aberdeen City Council leader, had an initial attempt to begin an LGBT Network for Aberdeen City Council employees with a meetup in a pub meet with an angry reaction from Labour councillor Willie Young and Tory councillor Jim Farquharson, who claimed that the e-mail "Councillor John Stewart would like to explore the possibility of establishing a network for Council LGBT staff" could be considered an abuse of council authority. (
Aberdeen Press and Journal,
STV) An editorial in the
Aberdeen Press and Journal claims that support networks for equality strands only cause trouble.
John Stewart, who registered a civil partnership with Neil Fletcher on 20th December 2005, said “I find the attacks astonishing in the 21st century.” (
Evening Express)
Willie Young later clarified that his comments had been with regard to the activities approrpriate to the leader of the council "We cannot have the leader of the Council fronting something that an Officer should be doing nor can we be having council meetings in pubs which would discriminate itself by those who don't go to pubs such as Muslims."
"Aberdeen City Council is committed to eliminating sexual orientation discrimination and promoting equality of opportunity. ... We recognise the importance of having a workforce that is representative of all sections of the community. We actively engage with Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender communities of interest in our city and we acknowledge the assistance of the Terence Higgins Trust in these matters." (
Equality and Diversity Group)
Imaan: Make the Law Work for Our Community
Imaan is making a submission to the forthcoming Single Equalities Bill which seeks to regularise equalities legislation in the UK. If you would like your views to be considered for the submission, please email pav@imaan.org.uk about your experiences of racism, sexism, homophobia, ageism, Islamophobia or disability discrimination and suggest some ways in how the law can be changed to help you.
www.imaan.org.uk
Talk Scotland Events
Edinburgh: Greek Pete at the Filmhouse
Fri 16 to Thu 22 Oct. Over six months Andrew Haigh worked with a group of London rent boys to create a semi-improvised drama based on their lives. Andrew Haigh may be present to introduce and take part in a Q&A after the 8:45pm screening of Greek Pete on Friday 16 October. (
Filmhouse)
Inverness: Girlzone lunch
12:30-2pm, Fri 16th October, Friendly, informal social group for all ages. Meet for lunch in Debenhams. If you are new, look for the blue box. (
Events listing)
Unison Scottish LGBT members AGM
11am-4pm, Saturday 17th October at the Glasgow City Unison Branch, 4th floor, 18 Albion Street, Glasgow. (
UNISON Scotland)
Weekly LGBT Scottish Country Dance Evenings
7:30-9:30pm, Starting from Monday 19th October. Gay Gordons Edinburgh is Scotland’s first LGBT Scottish Country Dance group. All ages and levels of experience are welcome. COST - £3 per session or £25 for the first 9 week term. Email info@gaygordonsedinburgh.co.uk
www.gaygordonsedinburgh.co.uk
Glasgow: A Child Made of Love
7:45-10pm. Tue 20th October. A Glasgay Production & World Premiere. Tron Theatre. 0141 552 4267 (Box Office) (
Events listing)
Inverness: Chai n Chat
Tuesday 20th Oct. Women's group meeting at 7pm, THT Inverness, 34 Waterloo Place, Inverness, IV1 1NB (
Events listing)
Edinburgh: LGBT Centre for Health and Wellbeing: 1st Birthday Party
Wed 21st Oct, 7-9pm. Birthday cake and performances from the Edinburgh Gay Men’s Choir and the GayTars, Edinburgh’s LGBT guitar group. (
Events listing)
www.lgbthealth.org.uk
Prime Time Edinburgh
2-4pm, Sun 18th October. The social group for gay and bisexual men of mature years 40+ and their friends. The group has been meeting for four years, initially from Gay Men’s Health and now meeting in the LGBT Centre for Health and Wellbeing every other Sunday. (
Events listing)
Inverness: Highland Rainbow Folk
7pm, Thurs 22nd Oct. Dunbar Centre (Church Street, Inverness). Group organised by Age Concern and Help the Aged in Scotland / THT. Meeting will discuss the production of a DVD and booklet, as well as activities for LGBT History month in February 2010, plus any other topics which may arise. Contact Suzy Gentle - Age Concern and Help the Aged in Scotland (tel: 01309 673455 / 07920540241). (
Events listing)
Aberdeen: Bodies, embodiment, and bodily practices
9am-5pm, Fri 23rd October The third seminar in the
LGBT Lives: Sexual/Gender Dissidence Over the Life Course. This seminar will consider policy and practice in health and social care within a broader context of issues relating to embodiment, body image and bodily practices associated with the LGBT communities. (
Events listing)
Glasgow: Poverty Alliance Annual Seminar and AGM
9:30-1pm, Friday 23 October 2009 at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. With all political parties now arguing that public spending cuts are necessary, there are vital questions that anti-poverty campaigners need to address. How do we hold Governments at Scottish and UK levels to the commitments made to reduce poverty? How do voluntary organisations maintain services that are vital to tackling poverty when funding is being cut? How do we build public support for action to address poverty during the recession? (
Poverty Alliance)
UK News
Unite Against Fascism Protest - No to BNP on Question Time
On Thursday 22 October, Nick Griffin, leader of the British National Party, will appear on the BBC’s flagship
Question Time programme.
Unite Against Fascism is organising a national protest against the BBC's decision to give a platform to the BNP. The protest will be held across the UK at 5pm on Thursday 22 October. Bectu, the TV technicians’ union, said it would support any of its members who refused to work on the programme. (
Scotsman,
Herald)
Donation Not Discrimination
The committee responsible for advising the National Blood Service (
SaBTO) has announced a public meeting on 27th October as part of its review into donor referrals and exclusions. The
NUS LGBT campaign "Donation Not Discrimination" has announced a national stunt to take place outside the Royal Horticultural Halls Conference Centre in London, 1-3pm.
Facebook event
Northern Ireland: Iris Robinson refuses to hear herself on stage
DUP MP for Strangford, Iris Robinson, who was quoted in Hansard last year as saying that child abuse was "comparable to the act of homosexuality" rejected an invitation to see a new play that lampoons homophobia and incorporates her infamous anti-gay comments. "To Be Straight With You" will appear in the programme of this year’s Ulster Bank Belfast Festival at Queen’s from 21 October. (
Pink Paper)
Peter Tatchell challenges David Cameron
Last week, on the first day of the Tory Party conference, Peter Tatchell accused David Cameron of being "all talk and no action on gay rights" and asked him to specify what legal reforms he would pledge to the LGBT community. (
Outrage!)
International
Lithuania: European Parliament resolves against anti-gay law
The Christian Democrats, the largest conservative party in Lithuania, have asked the Lithuanian government to go to the Court of Justice of the European Communities to make the European Parliament abolish its resolution on the Lithuanian "Section 28" law which was passed last month. The European Parliament resolved that the law prohibiting public information about LGBT people was “an unlawful action due to lack of jurisdiction”. (
UK Gay News)
Ireland: School principals given guide on helping LGB pupils
Irish school principals have been given guidelines on how to help lesbian, gay, and bisexual pupils and deal with homophobic bullying. "Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Students in Post-Primary Schools – Guidance for Principals and School Leaders" was launched earlier this week by the minister for lifelong learning Sean Haughey. (
Schooldays.ie,
Irish Times,
RTE.ie)
Vatican: UN observer defends Catholic church by attacking gay men, Protestants and Jews
Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Vatican’s permanent observer to the UN, responded to allegations brought to the UN by the International Humanist and Ethical Union that the Catholic Church has covered up its child sex abuse cases for decades, rather than reporting suspected pedophiliac clergy members to the authorities, by claiming that only 1.5 to five per cent of the clergy had been involved in such cases, that most of them were gay men, and that the Catholic Church had "cleaned house" by banning gay men from the priesthood. (
Pink Paper,
Ekklesia,
Independent.ie,
Telegraph,
Salon.com)
Uruguay: Trans people to change names and legal gender
Trans men and women in Uruguay will soon be permitted to legally change their name and gender under a new bill passed by the government.
It will come into force once it is signed by president Tabare Vasquez and means that trans people will be able to change their name and gender on all legal documents, such as passports and birth certificates. (
BBC,
Pink News)
In the US, Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill in California which would have given trans people born in California better access to a new birth certificate reflecting the correct gender, as well as any accompanying name change. (
TransGriot)
Working for All
Scottish Natural Heritage: Board member
SNH is an Executive Non Departmental Public Body which advises the Government on all aspects of nature and landscape across Scotland. SNH’s role is to help everyone understand, value and enjoy Scotland’s nature now and in the future. Scottish Ministers are looking to appoint up to 4 new members to the Board in April 2010. For further information contact Aileen Gemmell on: 0131 244 7499 or aileen.gemmell@scotland.gsi.gov.uk. Deadline: 30th October 2009.
www.snh.org.uk
LGBT Families, Civil Partnership and Cohabitation
Research on Civil Partnerships
If you entered a civil partnership before you or your partner were 35, a research project at Manchester University would like to hear from you. The study is looking at the everyday experiences of couples who entered into Civil Partnership before they turned 35. The study will involve in-depth interviews with couples across the United Kingdom.
www.manchester.ac.uk/morgancentere/people
US: California allows "rights and benefits" of marriage
A bill signed into law this week by the governor is an "everything but marriage" measure – meaning that gay couples who married in other states will have all the rights and benefits given to straight married couples but will not have the "designation" of marriage. (
CNN)
The Equality Network is interested in your views on marriage and civil partnership: take our latest survey here:
www.equality-network.org/marriage
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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