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Record number of walkers on Brighton Equality Walk

Zoe Lyons cuts the ribbon to start the 2013 Brighton Equaity Walk
Zoe Lyons cuts the ribbon to start the 2013 Brighton Equaity Walk

A record number of walkers registered for this year Stonewall Equality Walk 2013 which set off from Royal Pavilion Gardens at 2pm in brilliant sunshine on the hottest day of the year so far. People walking numbered 750 beating last years total by a considerable amount.

Sussex Police Team
Sussex Police Team

The Mayor of Brighton & Hove, Cllr Bill Randall welcomed all visiting walkers to the city and was joined at the ribbon by Simon Kirby, MP for Kemptown & Peacehaven, Caroline Lucas, MP for Brighton Pavilion, Ben Summerskill, chief executive of Stonewall and comedienne Zoe Lyons who cut the ribbon sending the 750 walkers on their way round the city, finishing with a party and prize giving ceremony at Digital Nightclub on Brighton seafront at 4pm.

Conservative Team
Conservative Team
Green Party Team
Green Party Team

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Council’s trans mx mix

Brighton & Hove Council, much to the chagrin of Daily Mail readers up and down the land, this week decided to add the option of ‘Mx’ to all their forms, as a new honorific title.

It will be available as an alternative to the usual Mr, Mrs and Ms for anyone to use, but the Council had the trans community in mind when coming up with the idea.

As part of a package of measures to support trans people in the City following their recent ‘ Trans Scrutiny Review’, the Council have not only approved the use of the new suffix, but are also looking into the option of form-fillers being able to simply leave the honorific title box blank.

Cllr Phelim McCafferty
Cllr Phelim McCafferty

Councillor Phelim MacCafferty, chair cross-party Trans Equality Scrutiny Panel, said:

“Our trans community is one of the most marginalised groups in Brighton and Hove, and ignorance about the trans community suffocates meaningful discussion about their needs. I’m proud to have proposed and chaired the cross-party panel that worked on addressing this.

“There has been inadequate awareness of the lives of trans people for too long, and not enough has been done to help our trans residents access services.
 
“But these proposals, and ongoing engagement with the trans community will change this. We have a fantastic opportunity to do some truly groundbreaking work and go forward hand in hand with the trans community for a fairer future.”

Cllr Denise Cobb
Cllr Denise Cobb

Cllr. Denise Cobb, Conservative Group member on the Panel, said:

“I am pleased to see that there are already improvements being made for trans people as a result of this work in terms of accessing services and I hope that this will continue in the future as we begin to get a better understanding of their needs. I know that other councils have been keeping a close eye on this and so hopefully trans people in other areas of the country will also be able to benefit from this groundbreaking piece of work here in Brighton & Hove.” 

To view the list of recommendations and responses as part of the Policy & Resources Committee meeting agenda, CLICK HERE:

Pride at the Fringe with Ceri Dupree tonight

Ceri Dupree
Ceri Dupree

Brighton Pride are presenting a season of Pride Gala shows in the Ladyboys Sabai Pavilion on Victoria Gardens as part of the Brighton Fringe 2013.

Ceri Dupree, the Queen of female impersonators, gets the season off to a spectacular start tonight, Sunday, May 5 with a glittering evening of witty, elegant and high energy entertainment hosted by the brilliant Lola Lasagne and featuring special guest stars including Dolly Rocket, West End star Wesley Sebastian and the outrageous Myra Dubois, winner of the best ‘Drag Act’ at the London cabaret awards.

Other shows  at the Ladyboys Pavilion in May include:

• The Gay Men’s Chorus on May 12.

• The Supreme Fabulettes and friends on May 19.

• A double bill: Gay Bingo, hosted by cult figure, Jonny Woo, featuring Ma Butcher and John Sizzle and the Charlie Hides Show on May 26. Charlie is celebrated internationally for his hilarious and uncanny impersonations making him one of the top cabaret performers in the country, loved by the likes of Elton John. Charlie’s Cast of Divas show is bound to be one of the biggest hits of the Brighton Fringe.

Doors for each Pride Gala show open at 7.30pm for an 8pm start. Get to the Sabai Pavilion early to enjoy pre-show food, nibbles, drinks and fabulous hosts to make a full evening of glittering entertainment Pride style!

BOOKING FOR GALA SHOWS
Online: (booking fee applies), www.whatsontickets.com
By phone: 0871 705 8888 (BT/10p/min) (booking fee applies)
Fringe box office number: 01273 917272 (booking fee applies).

Speaker joins Stonewall’s Equality Walk today at noon

Stonewall Walk in 2012
Stonewall Walk in 2012

For the second year running, John Bercow will join hundreds of Stonewall supporters on the tenth annual Brighton Equality Walk on Bank Holiday Sunday, May 5.  The 10k Walk raises funds for Stonewall’s Education for All programme, which helps schools tackle homophobia so they’re safe and supportive for children from all families.

John has a long history of supporting gay equality and Stonewall. Along with wife Sally he raised over £1,300 by completing the Walk in 2012, and cut the starting ribbon while describing Stonewall as ‘one of the most successful campaigning organisations in British political history’. They also attended Stonewall’s 2012 Equality Dinner, which raised nearly £400,000 for anti-homophobia work. John has set up a JustGiving page for people who wish to support him, at www.justgiving.com/johnbercow

John will join celebrity host Zoe Lyons at the Equality Walk’s starting line. Celebrity Big Brother winner Rylan Clark and X-Factor favourite Lucy Spraggan have also lent their support to the event, which attracted over 570 Walkers in 2012. Hundreds of people have already registered for this year’s Walk, which is supported by American Express and media partners g3, Out in the City and Out News.

Stonewall Deputy Chief Executive Laura Doughty said:

“We’re delighted that John is able to join us again for our tenth Brighton Equality Walk. It’s an incredibly important event for Stonewall and our supporters, helping raise money that really does make life much better for gay young people.

To find out more and register for the Brighton Equality Walk CLICK HERE:

Or telephone:  020 7593 1875

Some Klingons Are Gay – Get Over It!

Kingons are gay

Stonewall’s iconic ‘Some People Are Gay. Get Over It!’ campaign is now in its sixth year and is set to reach a new milestone.

The charity’s famous posters have appeared across Britain on buses and billboards, and have been seen in countries worldwide as part of the charity’s international campaign against state-sponsored homophobia. Now the charity is boldly going where no charity has gone before, by translating the campaign into Klingon.

The Klingon ‘Some People Are Gay. Get Over It!’ poster – which reads ‘Rut nga’chuq loDpu’, rut nga’chuq be’pu’. YiqimHa’!’ in Earth text and is also available in Klingon language text – has been released online to coincide with the UK release of Star Trek: Into Darkness, the latest film in the long-running sci-fi series. Stonewall hopes lesbian, gay and bisexual Star Trek fans will use the imagery on social media to celebrate the new film and to raise awareness of Stonewall’s campaign for equality.

The images are available for download from Stonewall’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/stonewalluk

Stonewall Deputy Chief Executive Ruth Hunt, said:

“Klingons may be renowned for their determination to fall out with people but, as Spock would say, even gay Klingons should be able to live long and prosper.”

Stonewall’s Klingon ‘Some People Are Gay. Get Over It!’ posters mark the tenth language into which the campaign has been translated in support of Stonewall’s campaign for gay equality worldwide, and as a modern foreign language resource for schools.

Others include Russian, Chinese, Welsh and Hebrew.

To download, CLICK HERE:   

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Search for county poetry champs!

National Poety CompetitionThe search is on to find the poet “laureates” of Sussex.

Entry to the competition is free and, like all the other winners from counties over the country, the Sussex “laureates” will get their work published in the National Poetry Anthology and receive a free copy of the book. One overall winner will also receives £1,000.

“The NPA is designed to encourage writers,” its editor, Peter Quinn, told Gscene Magazine. “It’s now the biggest free-to-enter annual poetry contest in the UK. We picked 250 town winners last year but we want the new edition to include a winner from every town and village in the circulation area of Gscene Magazine.”

Send up to three unpublished poems, on any subject (up to 25 lines and 160 words each) to: United Press, Admail 3735, London EC1B 1JB by the closing date of June 30th 2013.

Enclose a loose stamp if you want a reply.

For more details telephone 0844 800 9177 or CLICK HERE:

You can also enter the competition by emailing:

Conservatives tackle Greens over Brighton Station

Brighton Taxi development

Councillor Graham Cox, the Conservative Group Transport Spokesman, has called on Brighton & Hove City Council’s Green Administration to stick to plans to relocate the taxi rank currently located at the southern entrance to Brighton Station.

The Brighton Station Gateway project, the brainchild of the previous Conservative Administration, sought to transform the experience for visitors arriving in the city by train.

However, despite Green Consultants recommending that this can be done with minimal disruption to the North Laine area, a report presented on Tuesday, April 30 to a Transport Committee meeting, saw the Greens set out to abandon plans to move all except the front four vehicles in the taxi rank (which would remain at the front of the station) to Frederick Place.

Cllr Graham Cox
Cllr Graham Cox

Cllr Cox said:

“The whole rationale for the Brighton Station Gateway project rested upon opening up the front of the Station and thus radically transforming the environment for residents and visitors. This cannot be done without moving the taxi rank, which at the moment works in nobody’s interest. Without this fundamental change, there is precious little left of the original vision. We do support the elements of the project that remain but I’m afraid it amounts to little more than tinkering around the edges.

“If the Administration will not press ahead with moving the taxi rank, despite what their consultants say, then I am suggesting that instead they spend the money in the Lanes, emulating the hugely successful New Road shared space – something which businesses in this area are very keen to see.”

To view the report, CLICK HERE:

Self-Defence Taster for women and girls

Self Defence

Sussex Personal Safety Training (SPST) are running a self-defence taster course for women and girls on Saturday, May 11 at the KICKS Martial Arts Centre, Lewes Road, from 2-5pm, costing £15 (£10 conc.)

SPST are self-defence trainers based in Brighton. They have developed their skills working mostly with women and girls, from the principle that no one has to accept unwanted violations of their boundaries.

They teach a range of physical and non-physical techniques including personal safety awareness, assertiveness skills, shouting, body language and simple, effective fighting skills.

They encourage participants to find and explore their own strengths and resources. The classes aim to increase women’s confidence and decrease their fear of attack, whilst giving them more choices in dealing with dangerous or intimidating situations.

This taster will be followed by a two day course in July.

For more information or to book a place telephone Anna on 07876208572

Event: Self-defence taster course for women

Where: KICKS Martial Arts Centre, Lewes Road, Brighton

When: Saturday, May 11

Time: 2pm-5pm

Cost: £15 (£10 conc)

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