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Hove MP Weatherley calls on schools to support ‘Inspiring Women Campaign’

Mike Weatherley, the Conservative MP for Hove and Portslade, calls on schools in Brighton & Hove to take part in a national campaign to highlight the role of ‘Inspiring Women’ in the UK.

Mike Weatherley, MP

The Inspiring Women Campaign will see 15,000 women from a wide range of occupations going into state schools over the coming year to speak to 250,000 young women.

Any school interested in taking part in the project CLICK HERE: 

Mike said: “I really hope that schools from across Brighton & Hove will help make this laudable campaign a success and embrace the opportunity of welcoming women from a broad range of careers into their classrooms. It is important to inspire young women and what better way to do this than have successful role models come and speak and engage with pupils in school?”

Draconian anti-gay legislation introduced in Nigeria

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has signed into law the Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Bill which has already been approved by the country’s parliament.

President Goodluck Jonathan
President Goodluck Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan’s spokesman, Reuben Abatim said that the President signed the bill because it was consistent with the attitudes of most Nigerian people towards homosexuality.

Reuben Abatim
Reuben Abatim

Abatim said: “I can confirm that the president has signed the bill into law.”

“More than 90 percent of Nigerians are opposed to same-sex marriage, so the law is in line with our cultural and religious beliefs as a people.”

Under the new law, any gay couple who gets married will be punished by up to 14 years prison and wedding guests will jailed for 10 years.  Anyone who provides services to a gay person will be imprisoned for up to five years. LGBT organizations will be banned, as well as any act of ‘public showing of a same-sex relationship’.

George Broadhead, secretary of Pink Triangle Trust, said: “Gays and lesbians already face open discrimination and abuse in a country divided by Christians and Muslims who almost uniformly oppose homosexuality. In the areas in Nigeria’s north where Islamic Sharia law has been enforced for about a decade, gays and lesbians can face death by stoning.

 

“This Draconian legislation is almost as bad as that already in place in Islamic theocracies like Iran and Saudi Arabia. It harks back to the anti-gay legislation enacted in Nazi Germany and we all know what that led to.

“Nigeria has become the most homophobic nation in Africa. The situation for LGBT people in Nigeria will be completely untenable, setting a precedent that would threaten all Nigerians’ rights to privacy, equality, free expression and free association. It could also encourage other African states, in which homophobia is rife, to introduce similar legislation.

“It is clear that the main impetus for such legislation has come from religious sources including the Anglican Church.”

By contrast, the Nigerian Humanist Movement has defended LGBT rights in the country and its former executive director, Leo Igwe, deserves much credit for courageously speaking up for these rights in the country’s parliament.

Mr Igwe said: “This is a very sad development for human rights in Nigeria.”

 

Green MEP’s call for EU action against anti-gay laws in Africa and India

Greens in the European Parliament condemn moves in India and three African states to criminalise homosexuality.

Jean Lambert, MEP
Jean Lambert, MEP

They are calling for the Presidents of Uganda, Nigeria and the Parliament of the Democratic Republic of Congo and India to refuse to pass laws criminalising LGBTI people.

They also backed the Indian Government’s attempts to overturn a recent Supreme Court ruling outlawing homosexuality on the grounds that it violates the Indian constitutional principle of equality.

London’s Green MEP Jean Lambert, who is a member of the European Parliament’s cross-party group on LGBTI rights, says ever more repressive laws against LGBTI people could breach human rights commitments made by the countries concerned to the EU.

She said: “The ‘Cotonou Agreement’ between the EU and a number of African, Caribbean and Pacific nations requires all signatories to respect the human rights to life, privacy, freedom from discrimination, freedom from torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, as well the rights of free expression and free assembly, of all its citizens.”

“But recent legal moves to criminalise homosexuality in these nations could undermine that commitment.

“I hope MEPs of all parties will back the Green calls to express concern at these developments, and ask for the personal intervention of the rulers of the states concerned.

“Further, any future revisions of the Cotonou Agreement should expressly require all signatories to respect the rights of LGBTI people.

“Respecting human rights means respecting diversity – and rejecting discrimination against all minorities, including LGBTI people: and the EU just shouldn’t do business with countries that flout these commitments.”

MEPs will vote on the proposed motion on Thursday, Wednesday 16, January.

 

 

40 years at London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard

Whilst everyone’s coming out story is different, everyone’s need for a friendly ear remains the same.

London Lesbian and Gay SwitchboardLondon Lesbian and Gay Switchboard (LLGS) has been providing a friendly ear for the past 40 years listening to peoples coming out stories.

From the dark ages of the AIDS crisis in the mid-eighties, to happier times, whenever the phone rings there has been the opportunity to make a difference to LGBT people throughout the country and empower them.

LLGS has survived everything thrown at it, because it always dealt with the reality of LGBT lives, enabling those who volunteered to grow as much as those who rang the helpline.
Celebrate 40 years of LLGS and the role its played in peoples lives!
Share their history and look to the future too!
What could the next 40 years look like?
What: Switchboard@40: A panel discussion celebrating 40 years of London Lesbian & Gay Switchboard. Panelists include Julian Hows, Anne Howard, Lisa Power, Tom Robinson, David Seligman, Rupert Smith, Fiona Harvey and Tina Tav.
When: Friday February 21 7pm-10pm
Where: RADA Studios, 16 Chenies Street, London, WC1E 7EX
Cost: £10 / £5 concs

LGBT History Month events at Worthing Library

Worthing Library celebrates LGBT History Month (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) with two events in February.

Rainbow ChorusThis is the fifth year the library service has worked with WSCC staff group Glo-West to support the month. On Saturday, February 8, at 12.00 noon, Rainbow Chorus will give a special concert in the library. Based in Brighton and Hove, Rainbow Chorus is the South’s only LGBT choir and is now well into its second decade. The choir enjoys performing a wide range of music under the direction of Music Director Aneesa Chaudhry and aims to celebrate diversity through music.

Rose CollisOn Thursday, February 13 at 7.00pm, alternative historian, author and performer Rose Collis gives an illustrated talk on LGBT History in Worthing and Adur. She has appeared at sell-out events at the Royal National Theatre and Brighton Festival, and presented her acclaimed cabaret, Trouser Wearing Characters, to audiences in Brighton, Shoreham and in major arts festivals in New Zealand and Australia. Her books include Death and the City (2013), The New Encyclopaedia of Brighton and Colonel Barker’s Monstrous Regiment.

Tickets costing £3 for each event are available from Worthing Library or contact any West Sussex Library via www.westsussex.gov.uk/libraries.

For further details ask at Worthing Library Help Desk, or telephone 01903 704809.

And look out for a special display of the best of LGBT writing at Worthing Library in February. Rainbow Reads, the WSCC list of LGBT books and DVDs, is available in Worthing and other WSCC libraries.

 

 

 

 

National charity warns of mental health crisis for LGBTQ young people

Lesbian, gay, bisexual,transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) young people face high levels of discrimination and disadvantage.

Metro Equality Charity

They also suffer from much higher rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm and suicidal thoughts according to the results of the Youth Chances survey of 16-25 year olds published by equality and diversity charity METRO.

The Youth Chances Summary of First Findings shows:

  • over half of LGBTQ young people report mental health issues
  • 42% of LGBTQ young people have sought medical help for anxiety or depression
  • 52% of LGBTQ young people report self-harm either now or in the past
  • 44% of LGBTQ young people have considered suicide

METRO’s Youth Chances is the biggest social research and influencing project of its kind.  Funded by the Big Lottery Fund, the charity has surveyed over 7,000 LGBTQ 16-25 year olds to ask about their experiences of education, employment, health services, their community and relationships.  It is the biggest, broadest and most representative survey about the experiences of LGBTQ young people ever undertaken and will be used to campaign for better services and policies for LGBTQ youth across England.

The research also includes a control group of heterosexual non-trans young people: rates of self-reported mental health problems amongst this group also exceed current national statistics, suggesting an alarming rise in the prevalence of poor mental health amongst all young people.

The report also finds that most young people think that discrimination against LGBTQ people in general is common; a finding confirmed by experiences of isolation, bullying and abuse.

Young people’s experiences at school are particularly concerning with most LGBTQ young people feeling their time at school is affected and that schools are not doing enough.

Additionally, for a significant minority of LGBTQ young people, home is not the haven it should be with one in ten having had to leave home due to their sexuality or gender identity. Trans young people fare worst of all with only one in three indicating high levels of life satisfaction.

Dr Greg Ussher, Acting CEO METRO
Dr Greg Ussher, Acting CEO METRO

Dr Greg Ussher, METRO Acting CEO said: “We should all be deeply concerned about the crisis in LGBTQ young people’s mental health and wellbeing that Youth Chances has uncovered. We have asked young people directly about their experiences and their responses should be a wake-up call that we can and must act on to ensure that LGBTQ young people are afforded the same life chances as their peers.

“The link between the high rates of discrimination and disadvantage that LGBTQ young people report in our schools, at home and in their communities is stark.  But this is not inevitable. 

“We are announcing today a collaborative process to develop recommendations to improve the mental health and wellbeing of young LGBTQ people; and collaborations in other areas including sexual health, experiences in schools, identity, safety and risk. We also want to develop collaborative processes to look at the specific experiences of trans young people. We hope that as many providers of services, commissioners, experts in the field and young people themselves will join us.  We know that LGBTQ young people are not getting the support they need – we must work together to make sure they do.”

For more information, CLICK HERE:

Stonewall launches campaign to eradicate workplace homophobia ‘once and for all’

Stonewall launch a national campaign to tackle endemic levels of homophobia in Britain’s workplaces.

Stonewall Campaign

The campaign features two people at work and states clearly that: ‘One is gay. If that bothers people, our work continues’.

The campaign comes in response to YouGov polling which shows that in the last five years 2.4m people of working age have witnessed verbal homophobic bullying at work.

A further 800,000 people of working age have witnessed physical homophobic bullying at work.

Further polling shows that over a quarter of lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people are not at all open to colleagues about their sexual orientation.

The posters will appear on nearly 650 buses in London, Cardiff and Edinburgh as well as on 4,000 adverts on the London Underground.

The campaign features workers from across various careers and professions – including construction workers, footballers, priests, police officers and firefighters. Campaign posters will be made available to Stonewall Diversity Champion members, with Stonewall asking organisations to tailor with their logos and reproduce in their workplaces and offices.

Laura DoughoutyStonewall Deputy Chief Executive Laura Doughty, said: “After securing equal marriage in England and Wales people mustn’t forget the huge amount of work still to be done. No one should be under any illusion that it’s ‘Mission Accomplished’. In workplaces right across the country, gay people still don’t feel able to be themselves. It’s time to change that once and for all.”

Posters will run throughout January and will also be sent to Stonewall Diversity Champions – who together employ more than 6 million people in Britain.

For further information, CLICK HERE: 

Or join the conversation on Twitter and Facebook by using #LotsToDo

Stonewall Campaign

 

A crime against Hove!

Thieves broke into All Saints Church in Hove on Christmas Day leaving a trail of destruction.

All Saints Church, Hove
All Saints Church, Hove

They broke precious stained glass windows, stole money from a collection box and caused damage that will cost more than £10,000 to repair.

All Saints has launched a major appeal to raise money to restore the historic stained glass, which was made worse by the recent break-in and vandalism.

As part of the fund raising they are hosting a Burns Night dinner on Saturday, January 25.

Tickets are £25 each and include a three course meal.

Mike Weatherley, MP for Hove and Portslade has condemned the theft and vandalism.

Mike Weatherley, MP
Mike Weatherley, MP

He said: “It was incredibly sad news to learn that All Saints was broken-in to on Christmas Day. The selfish thieves clearly had no regard for anyone else and have deprived a number of good causes of money after looting a collection box. Quite simply, targeting a historic building like this is a crime against all of Hove.”

For more information on the dinner and how to help, CLICK HERE:

 

 

Top celebrities help launch Barnardo’s fostering campaign

Could you be a foster carer?

Dame Helen Mirren
Dame Helen Mirren

Dame Helen Mirren, Joanna Lumley and Amanda Holden are among a host of stars who have shared their most cherished childhood snaps to front a new campaign called ‘Create my memories,’ in a bid to recruit more foster carers in the UK.

The campaign led by Barnardo’s, the UK leading children’s charity, is asking members of the public to consider becoming foster carers and help create happy childhood memories for some of the most vulnerable children in the UK.

Current figures show that 8,600 more foster carers are urgently needed to look after children across the UK.

In an attempt to broadcast its plea for more foster carers to the public, Barnardo’s has persuaded some of Britain’s most famous faces including Twiggy, Peter Capaldi, Nicola Roberts and Russell Howard to step back in time and reveal some candid images and stories from school days, summer holidays and family life.

Using the adorable collection of pictures, Barnardo’s will be staging projection stunts throughout the charity’s 6th annual Fostering and Adoption Week, on the busiest high streets in London, Manchester and Glasgow.

Barnardo’s is targeting commuters, January sales shoppers and theatre goers in all three cities, giving a glimpse into the early years of some of the nation’s favourite celebrities.

Twiggy
Twiggy

Model, actress and singer Twiggy spoke about her picture and early childhood, she said: “One of my favourite childhood memories was when we went on holiday to holiday camps by the sea every summer. I loved the little chalets we slept in and there was always so much to do and so many children to play with.

“Another cherished memory was being cuddled by my Dad before going to bed and him reading me a story. I felt so safe and loved”.

Further support for Barnardo’s campaign has come from Nicola Roberts, Peter Capaldi and Samantha Womack, in the form of a 60 second film featuring their favourite childhood memories.

Brenda Farrell, head of fostering and adoption at Barnardo’s, said: “Without the right foster family to care for them, many vulnerable children may never experience the love and stability they so desperately need and happy memories will remain a distant dream. We are truly grateful that so many household names are helping us to broadcast our plea for people to consider becoming foster parents.

“Currently a third of all children in foster care are moved between different families more than twice every year due to the lack of suitable foster carers. The number of children in the care system in the UK has risen for the 7th year in a row to more than 90,000 and at least 8,600 new foster carers are needed in the UK.

“It is a critical situation and Barnardo’s is looking for people with patience and commitment to provide a stable home for the most vulnerable children in the UK. Fostering is a caring career and I would encourage those who feel they have a lot of love to give to get in touch.”

Barnardo’s is particularly keen to speak to older people with life experience, whether they are parents themselves or not. There is no upper age limit although there is a minimum age of 21.

Barnardo’s does not exclude anyone from consideration on the grounds of marital status, gender, sexual orientation, disability or employment status.

To find out more about fostering CLICK HERE:

Or telephone: 08000 277 280

 

Man glassed in Brighton pub

Sussex Police are appealing for witnesses after glassing in Brighton pub.

Man glassed in BulldogThe 37-year-old victim, from Brighton, was attacked in the Bulldog Tavern in St James’s Street at about 2.20am on Friday, January 10.

He suffered severe cuts to his face and had to have stitches to his cheek and lip.

Detectives would like to speak to the two men and two women in these images who are believed to be key witnesses to what happened inside the pub.

A 24-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of assault and questioned before being released on bail while inquiries continue.

Detective Constable Chris Bishop said: “We would like to speak to anyone who was in the pub and saw the attack happen or what happened in the minutes beforehand.

“Each of the four people who were recorded on CCTV in Dorset Gardens could have important information about what happened inside the pub and we would like to speak to them urgently.”

Anyone with information should call 101 quoting serial 78 of 10/1,

Or EMAIL:  

Or telephone the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

 

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