menu

“Do it your way” – new HIV prevention campaign launched in London

London boroughs today launch a new phase of their groundbreaking HIV prevention campaign, known as Do It London.

The new Do It London campaign, which will run until early 2018, uses simple and clear imagery to inform the public of the variety of options for avoiding transmission of HIV through sexual contact, based on the latest scientific evidence on HIV prevention.

The campaign encourages Londoners to “do it your way” by advocating that HIV prevention consists of a combination of options, including using condoms, testing regularly for the virus, using Pre Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and, for people who have been diagnosed HIV positive, achieving an “undetectable” viral load through the use of antiretroviral medication.

Today’s campaign follows two years of successful Do It London social marketing to promote HIV testing and safer sex in the capital. During that same period, HIV diagnoses in the capital dropped dramatically, with a record 40 per cent reduction in new diagnoses in five central London clinics.

The campaign appears just weeks before the launch of a new NHS Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) trial which will make the preventative drugs (taken by HIV-negative people to protect against the virus) available to groups at no cost from sexual health clinics, considered at high risk of HIV, such as men who have sex with men.

The campaign also introduces the concept of achieving an “undetectable” HIV status. Recent scientific studies have confirmed that the risk of acquiring HIV from an infected person who takes antiretroviral medication, with an undetectable viral load (UVL) in their blood for at least six months, is negligible to non-existent.

“Undetectable” means that the virus, whilst still present in the body, is effectively suppressed and no longer detectable in standard blood tests. Therefore, being “undetectable” means a person cannot transmit HIV through sex.

Cllr Kevin Davis
Cllr Kevin Davis

Cllr Kevin Davis, London Councils’ Executive member for health, said: “I am very proud of ‘Do It London’s’ achievements in reducing HIV in the capital since the campaign began in 2015 after public health responsibilities were devolved to the boroughs. Its success is also supporting ambitious international efforts to end the global HIV epidemic by 2030.

“HIV remains a serious public health issue for London and the new Do It London campaign demonstrates that London boroughs are taking a collective pan-London approach to addressing this.

“In these difficult financial times, Londoners can be proud that their councils are leading this important work via a dedicated city-wide HIV prevention programme.”

Paul Steinberg
Paul Steinberg

Paul Steinberg, Lead Commissioner of the London HIV Prevention Programme, added: “This new campaign is rooted in clear and emerging evidence that combination prevention is having a positive impact in reducing HIV transmission in London. Do It London has made a major contribution to the substantial increases in HIV testing in the city, with very positive consequences for early diagnosis, treatment and prevention.

“We are very pleased that this new campaign also publicises PrEP and undetectable status for the first time, as part of a combination of measures to prevent HIV. We are proud to support the NHS PrEP Impact Trial, as we build towards our strategic goal of eliminating onward transmission of the virus.”

The Do It London campaign will appear across the transport network, on social media and via tie-in partnerships on radio and in print press. Accompanied by a newly updated website, www.doitlondon.org, which provides detailed information about each HIV prevention choice, the campaign continues to be supported by the Do It London condom scheme, which provides over 1 million free condoms every year, as well as sexual health outreach work in London’s gay pubs, bars and clubs.

Independent evaluation of last year’s Do It London campaign, conducted by Research Now, found that over 68 per cent of people who had seen the campaign reported it had positively influenced their behaviour towards HIV testing, whilst 66 per cent felt it had influenced their sexual behaviour (e.g. practicing safe sex). These encouraging evaluation results are also reflected in data from Public Health England revealing ongoing reductions in undiagnosed HIV and late diagnosis.

This is what non binary looks like!

My Genderation created a film for London Pride to be shown in Trafalgar Square during Pride in London, 2017.

In the film, activists Fox and Owl chat about what it is to be non-binary. The film is made entirely by non-binary people with music by Maki Yamazaki and Owl and Fox urge all non binary people and their allies to share the hash-tag: #ThisIsWhatNonBinaryLooksLike

Beacon supporters raise over £2,000 at their ‘Garden Gadabout’

Sussex Beacon supporters Adam Betteridge and Freddie Bateman raised £2,349.10 at their ‘Garden Gadabout’ in Saltdean last month to support the fundraising campaign  #SaveTheSussexBeacon.

The money was raised with the help of more than 150 visitors to the open day, more than doubling the amount Adam and Freddie had raised in any single previous years.

The Sussex Beacon suffered funding cuts towards the end of 2016 putting the facility’s ‘In Patient Unit’ at risk and redundancy notices being issued. However, following local fundraising support, grants secured from non-statutory funding bodies and a restructure with Terrence Higgins Trust taking over some of the back office services, the charity is now in a better financial position and the majority of staff have been told their jobs are no longer at risk of redundancy.

Adam Betteridge said: “I’d like to thank, in particular all those who volunteered their time to help in so many different ways, all those who donated such a spectacular array of cakes and prizes, and all those who were able to come along and take part. We really could not have done it without you all!”

“With the Sussex Beacon barely being able to keep its doors open due to funding cuts, perhaps never has there been a more crucial time to raise funds to keep its services available for all those living with HIV. And it’s not just the amount raised on the day that’s critical, it’s also the morale boost that actively showing your support in this way gives to all those involved with the beleaguered charity (whether as service users or staff) who naturally feel their lives would be severely disrupted if it had to close.

“As many of you know, my friend Pablo who sang with the Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus, killed himself in December after complications arose which have been linked by his family to his new HIV medication. I’m hoping that in some way all our activities send out a message to people like Pablo that no matter what – we are all still here for them.

“With that in mind, it’s not too late to make a donation. A number of people asked about donating online so I set up a JustGiving page here. You’ve all helped so much already that I feel a bit coy asking this, but please do give as generously as you can!”

The volunteers who helped make it happen
The volunteers who helped make it happen

To make a donation, click here:

For more information, click here:

 

Amsterdam Bar and Kitchen raise £500 for Sussex Beacon

Amsterdam Bar and Kitchen raise £470 for Sussex Beacon through sales of sparkly t-shirts and vests they produced for Brighton Pride

Owners, Neil, Tony and Peter, rounded up the total to £500 and presented the money to Julie Rawcliffe, the Donor and Fundraising Administrator at the Sussex Beacon.

The Sussex Beacon provides specialist support and care to people living with HIV, offering both inpatient and outpatient services to improve health and promote independence.

Those using the charity’s services may be facing serious HIV related illnesses, dealing with mental health issues or struggling to cope with the side effects of new drug regimes. Recently rated ‘outstanding’ by the independent health regulator, The Sussex Beacon provides first class care and support to those in need.

 

Trans Pride 2017 – My Genderation – Putting the T first since 2013

This year Trans Pride in Brighton and Hove celebrated their fifth anniversary on July 22 with record numbers of 2,500+ reported on the protest march along Brighton seafront to Brunswick Square in Hove.

The rain held off for the entire march and organisers were delighted to have drummers marching for the first time this year. The film was aired on the big screen during the Pride in Brighton & Hove, Summer of Love Festival in Preston Park on Saturday, August 5.

For more information about Trans Pride, click here:

Bear-Patrol raise £716.61 for Rainbow Fund

Bear-Patrol raised a total of £716.61 for the Rainbow Fund over the Pride weekend.

From left to right: Chris Gull Rainbow Fund Chair, Graham Munday Brighton Bear Weekend Chair and Danny Dwyer from Bear-Patrol

The money was raised at the Bear-Patrol pre-Pride Quiz at the Camelford Arms on August 3 (special thanks to the Co-Op Funeral Care who donated the wonderful hamper prize) which was won by the Fantastic Foreskins; and bucket collections at the suited and booted Sunday Lunch at Brighton Marina Yacht Club on July 23; Miss Jason’s Pride Breakfast at the Brighton Hotel on August 5, The Bedford Tavern on August 6, and the Queens Arms on August 6.

Chris Gull, Chair of the Rainbow Fund, said: “The Rainbow Fund is once again impressed and delighted that Brighton Bear Weekend raised so much, and that they have entrusted us with making sure that the money raised is put to the best possible use in supporting projects which benefit our local LGBT+ and HIV organisations.

“We thank them, on behalf of all those people, for the months of planning, and days and nights of hard work, which delivered such a successful weekend and fantastic total. 

“We also thank them for understanding the importance of a central focus for local fundraising, with the sole remit of distributing funds in a fair and useful way. That is through the Rainbow Fund…”

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The Rainbow Fund make grants to LGBT/HIV organisations who deliver effective front line services to LGBT+ people in the city.

Brighton Bear Weekend 2018, will run from Thursday, June 14 – Sunday, June 17. Mark your diaries now!

TRAVEL: Sao Paulo Pride campaigns for a secular state in Brazil

Despite all the progress towards equality over the last few decades – we still face daily discrimination and prejudice – to combat this we have the tradition of Pride a mixture of protest, awareness and celebration.

I had the opportunity to see the 21st Sao Paulo Pride quite unexpectedly on Sunday, July 18, while I was visiting my partner in Sao Paulo. The Sao Paulo Pride parade is recognised as being the largest in the world.

Unlike Brighton Pride with its defined routes, organised park and street events, inclusive mixture in the Parade of large businesses and community groups and attendees of 300,000 or so  – Sao Paulo was so very different.

It was held in the main street of Sao Paulo (Avienda Paulista – which resembles a motorway) and featured just 15 floats, from large organisations and clubs with no room for walking groups or community organisations.

All the floats were huge custom-built trailers with the sole purpose of carrying the biggest and loudest sound systems they could, carrying the largest boom boxes you could imaging to entertain the 3,000,000 (yes million!) who watch the parade pass by. The music they produced was so loud my ears were still ringing one week later.

The entire eight lanes of Avienda Paulista were crammed shoulder to shoulder with revellers, from 10am and the parade only moved when it felt like it. As I was leaving the metro stations were rammed with thousands more arriving at 5pm in the evening.

Mike Nelson and partner

Fortunately it was mid winter in Brazil so the temperature was a comfortable 20 degrees centigrade – the prime spot to be dancing was over the air vents from the metro.

However, despite the air of fiesta there was a nervous undercurrent, as in the past the parade had been rocked by bombs. Thankfully this year, Sao Paulo Pride was incident free.

The parade took about 5 hours to complete the route, progressing like a train of very loud and colourful snails with a parallel stream of people dressed in colourful and outrageous costumes, walking and dancing besides it.

It finished in a local square where a top Brazilian DJ (their equivalent of Fatboy Slim) banged out current tunes till the early hours of the morning. However, most partygoers decamped to little squares and parks all over the city until 4am in the morning, when everyone was moved on by the police.

The focus of this year’s parade was the fight for a secular state (estado laico.)  The separation of church and state is particularly relevant at a time when right-wing religious leaders are rising to power at all levels in Brazilian politics.

The gay scene in Brazil is different to Brighton  – the main gay male image in Brazil is all about being a top, macho, muscle Mary, and the young Brazilian men furiously vied to out-macho each other.

Speaking to a few local people, in very bad Portuguese, they said they faced the same huge pressures to conform to social norms that we all do; but compounded by religious prejudice and with the added pressure to be bigger and more macho than the next person (sounds wonderful I hear you exclaim!).

Macho men were not alone on the parade – there were all variations of the LGBT+ Spectrum, along with every type of costume and group imaginable, from carnival costumes, drag, lots of swimming trunks and feather boas and balloons being quite the feature.

Oddly, although Brazil is a place where friends hold hands with each other, being too close and intimate or ‘obviously’ LGBT+ is noted and frowned upon (it’s quite a hard balancing act to present your acceptable side), so in reality, there are times when England remains more open and accepting to LGBT+ folk than the more glamorous South American destinations we all dream about visiting.

For more information about Sao Paulo, click here:

For more information about Gay night life: click here:

 

FOOD & DRINK: Revenge of the Burgers!

You can’t keep a good man down for long – it was only a matter of time before Barry Nelson would resurface again – he is back managing and cooking in a new Burger Bar upstairs at Bar Revenge called Burgershack.

The concept is simple, top quality burgers made on the premises from the highest quality beef, beautifully dressed and all cooked to order by Barry himself. You can even choose to have the burger in a pink bun (died in beetroot) for an extra 50p.

We tried the Club Tropicana, beef patty (chicken also available) garnished with a teriyaki and honey glaze, Monterey Jack, pineapple and salad, tastefully presented in a pink bun (£8) and the 2 Blue 4 U beef patty, served with Sussex blue cheese, smoked bacon, pickles and salad. Both burgers came with a dip, were top, top quality, delicious and highly recommended.

Add ons (£1 each) include bacon, Monterey Jack, Sussex blue cheese, jalapenos, pickles and guacamole.

Or try the spectacular loaded fries (£4) with a choice of cheese and spring onion (v), cheese bacon and spring onion, cheese, chilli, jalapenos and mustard OR french fries (£2.50), sweet potato fries (£3) or curly fries (£3).

Sides and dips include onion rings (£3), a delicious crunchy portion of coleslaw (£1) and sweet chilli/garlic mayo/BBQ dips (50p).

Burgershack is perfect for eating on the go, snacking before you go out for the evening and it will save a walk to the all night Market Diner or Buddies when you get the munchies after a night out clubbing at the weekend.

Burgershack is open Tuesday – Friday (5-9pm), Saturday & Sunday (noon-7pm) and Saturday Nights (midnight till Bar Revenge closes).

Place your orders at the downstairs bar and a server will bring you the food. If you eat during Bar Revenge happy hours, your drinks are served at happy hour prices!

Weekend Offer! During October, any burger on the menu+french fries+choice of a drink. (choose from house spirit plus mixer, pint of Fosters or a glass of house wine) costs an amazing £9.95 on Saturdays & Sundays (noon-7pm) and Saturday nights (midnight until they close).

You will find Burgershack at Bar Revenge, 5-7 Marine Parade, Brighton BN2 1TA

Sinitta and Sonia headline Southampton Pride today

The South Coast’s latest Pride gets underway in Southampton’s Guildhall Square at 11am this morning with an opening welcome from Cllr Satvir Kaur the Labour Cabinet Member for Communities, Culture and Leisure on Southampton City Council.

An action packed day of top entertainment follows including main stage appearances by 80’s Divas Sinitta at 12.20pm and Sonia at 4.15pm. Local favourite Lucinda Lashes takes to the main stage at 8.55pm and Southamptons Gay Men’s Chorus will appear on the separate Acoustic Stage at 5pm.

The Pride Parade starts from Guildhall Square at 2pm, progressing along Above Bar Street and High Street to the Bargate Monument and back to Guildhall Square.

There is a market hall in the 02 Guildhall Centre on Guildhall Square and later in the evening both The London Hotel and the Edge and Box Bar will have their own special parties going on all Saturday evening

Southampton Pride will be fundraising for Chrysalis an organisation catering for transitioning trans people and Breakout acharity that supports local LGBTQ young people.

For more information about Southampton Pride, click here:

Chris and Tony raise £1,900 for Macmillan Horizon Centre

Gogglebox star Chris Butland-Steed and his husband, Tony Butland-Steed threw open their garden to visitors on the weekend of July 29-30 to raise money for the Macmillan Horizon Centre in Brighton.

A total of 24 gardens featured on the citywide Trail and despite horrendous rain on the Saturday, Chris and Tony raised a magnificent £1,900 over the two days. The grand total raised by the 24 gardens on the Trail was £9,000 and all proceeds will be going to the Macmillan Horizon Centre.

Chris and Tony have been officially registered on next year’s prestigious National Garden Scheme, which raises over £3million for charity each year across 4,000 gardens.

Tony said: “We’re aiming for our little piece of heaven to do its bit to help all the good causes it supports!”

X