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Same sex couples marriage – the fast facts

From Thursday, March 13, same sex couples not in an existing legal partnership are able to give notice of their intent to marry.

Same Sex Marriage

The first same sex marriages can legally take place on Saturday March 29. In Brighton the first same sex wedding to take place will be at one minute past midnight on March 29.

Here are the key legal facts about marriage between same sex couples:

  • The majority of the provisions of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 came into force on March13, 2014.
  • In general terms, the law of England and Wales will apply in the same way to a marriage which has taken place between same sex couples as to a marriage between opposite sex couples.
  • Married persons of the same sex will not be able to divorce on grounds of adultery or to have their marriage annulled on grounds of non-consummation.
  • An existing civil partnership does not automatically become a marriage when the new Act comes into force but civil partners may choose to convert it.
  • When a civil partnership is converted into a marriage, the civil partnership will end and the marriage will be treated as though it had existed from the date of the civil partnership. However, the regulations which will provide the procedure for converting a civil partnership into a marriage have not yet been made.
  • Currently, the Civil Partnership Act provides that no religious service can be used at the signing of a civil partnership document. The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act however permits the marriage of a same sex couple in any appropriately registered building.
  • There is provision in the new Act for same sex marriages contracted under foreign law to be recognised as marriages in England and Wales. This applies to existing marriages as well as those entered into in the future.
  • No provision is made for civil partnerships entered into according to foreign laws to be converted into a same sex marriage.
  • The intestacy rules will also apply to same sex married couples so that a spouse of a same sex marriage will benefit from their husband or wife’s estate.
  • For more information, CLICK HERE:
  • Same Sex Marriage

Newcastle Pride gives the north east the X-Factor

One of the UK’s largest LGBT festivals is bringing a taste of the X Factor to the North East with Shayne Ward who won the ITV talent show in 2005 headlining.

Shayne Ward
Shayne Ward

The newly-extended three day event, which returns from Friday July 18, will also feature performances by fellow X Factor stars Joseph Whelan and Lloyd Daniels, as well as TV judge Sinitta and a host of other famous names.

This includes 90s Eurodance group Vengaboys, Australian singer Kelly Wilde, former S Club 7 singer Jo O’Mera, Diva, who featured on The Voice and British star Angie Brown, best known as the featured vocalist on Bizarre Inc’s I’m Gonna Get You and Took My Love.

They will perform at the festival’s main stage at the Town Moor, Newcastle on either Saturday July 19 or Sunday July 20, with a different line-up taking to the stage each day.

Other artists set to appear throughout the weekend include the North East’s Community LGBT choir, Northern Proud Voices, Lorraine Crosby, who sang on Meatloaf’s 1993 hit I’d Do Anything for Love and boyband FriXon.

They will be joined by singer Eliza Doe, North East performer Kerrianne Covell, singer and choreographer Allan Jay, tribute acts Rihanna Reloaded, Totally Gaga and Jersey 4, based on the Jersey Boys, as well as drag artists Penny Arcade, Tess Tickle, Betty Legs Diamond and host Miss Rory.

To coincide with the performances on Saturday and Sunday, the town moor will also play host to stalls, food outlets and a fun fair, as well as a health zone, women’s stage, sports zone, trans zone and family and youth zones.

An additional cabaret tent, sports arena, dance tent and bear zone will also be open on Saturday only.

This event forms part of a wider programme of events for Newcastle Pride, which is being extended beyond one day for the first time in its seven year history.

Other highlights in this year’s three-day event include a parade through Newcastle city centre on Saturday July 19 and the Paws with Pride pet show on Sunday July 20.

A second stage, which is being specially erected outside the Centre for Life, will also play host to a variety of DJs and live entertainment on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings, with the weekend festivities starting after the town moor entertainment has ended.

Mark Nichols, Chairman of Northern Pride which organises the event, said: “With Newcastle Pride running across three days for the first time this year we’ve worked hard to pull together a strong and varied line-up of performers.

“We’re thrilled that so many big names are getting involved and hope there’s something there to satisfy every taste.”

Entry to Newcastle Pride is free, however a limited number of gold circle and VIP tickets will be available for a small charge, with more details to be announced soon.

For more information about Newcastle Pride and to see the full line-up for this year’s event CLICK HERE: 

Or follow @northernprideuk on Twitter.

Newcastle Pride

Volunteers needed for MindOut marathon cheer stations

MindOut staff Jason and Chloe are running 26.2 miles for the Brighton Marathon in April.

MindOut Marathon team

They are running as part of a team of 29 fabulously fit runners who have been training hard all winter and raising lots of money for MindOut.

If you can offer just a few hours of your time to be a cheer leader and support MindOut on April 6, EMAIL: and say what Cheering Stations you can support. Your emails will be forwarded to the relevant cheer leader volunteer coordinators.

Brighton Marathon Route

MindOut Cheering stations:

Di (volunteer coordinator)

​South side of St Peters Church (between mile 3 and 4) – 9.30 – 11am

Paul (volunteer coordinator)

Bottom of West Street (mile 13) – 10.30 – 1.30pm

Freya (volunteer coordinator)

North end of Boundary Road, Portslade (mile 16) 11.30 – 2.30pm

To sponsor the MindOut team, CLICK HERE:

Learn basic counselling skills for free

The LGBT Community Safety Forum are running a series of courses to give you basic counselling skills.

LGBT Community Safety ForumThe CPCAB Award in Introduction to Counselling will introduce you to practical initial counselling skills which can be used in everyday life as well as basic counselling concepts.

Assessment is through a weekly journal and a portfolio which is built up during the course.

If you wish to enrol on this program email: info@lgbt-safety-forum-brighton.com with your full name and contact details.

To download the course descriptor and student handbook, CLICK HERE:

Tutor: Charles Baines

Course Code: Z311

Duration: 10 Weeks

Dates: Tuesday, May 6, 2014 to Tuesday, July 15 2014

Time: 09:30am to 12:30pm

Venue: Dorset Gardens Methodist Church, Brighton

Cost: £195.00 (£149 tuition fee plus £46 exam fee)

The cost of the course is covered by a grant from The Rainbow Fund.

UK Pink Triangle Trust appoints new patron

Author, Yemisi Ilesanmi has become the newest patron of the UK Pink Triangle Trust.

Yemisi Ilesanmi
Yemisi Ilesanmi

Yemisi is Nigerian and resident in the UK. She holds a Masters of Law (LL.M) degree in gender, sexuality and human rights. She is a trade unionist, human rights activist, an author, a poet and sometimes moonlights as a plus size model.

She is the founder and coordinator of the campaign group Nigerian LGBTIs in Diaspora Against Anti-Same Sex Laws and the author of Freedom to love all: Homosexuality is not Un-African, which is available for purchase on Amazon.

Yemisi, who features on the cover of the latest Pink Humanist, was the subject of a profile on The Looking Glass of an Immigrant blog last March.

To order Yemisi’s book, Freedom to love all: Homosexuality is not Un-African, CLICK HERE:

 

Increased police patrols on Madeira Drive

Brighton Police have recently received increased reports of anti social behaviour in the Dukes Mound area.

Sussex Police

In response to this, officers will be increasing high visibilty patrols in the area which includes the Dukes Mound cruising area.

PC Rich Bridger

LGBT Liaison officer, PC Rich Bridger, said: “Following an increase in reports of anti social behaviour in the Madeira Drive area, officers will be increasing high visibility patrols. Anyone who witnesses any such incidents should call 101.  In an emergency please always call 999.”

Anyone who witnesses any anti social or criminal behaviour should call 101, or in an emergency call 999.

THT Auction raises more than £300,000

David Walliams snaps up unique Julie Walters experience for £4,000.

David Walliams
David Walliams

A mystery phone bidder who forked out £4,000 for a private film screening with Julie Walters at Terrence Higgins Trust’s (THT)  annual auction last night was none other than David Walliams, the HIV and sexual health charity has revealed.

Walliams competed with bidders at Christie’s, London, for the chance to wow 20 friends at a screening of the film of their choice at One Aldwych hosted by the legendary British actress.

Jerry Hall
Jerry Hall

The Auction saw guests including Jerry Hall, Dr Christian Jessen, Wayne Sleep, Sarah Jane Crawford, Ivan Massow and Grace Dent, come together for an evening of fierce bidding, cocktails and canapés.

Tracey Emin joined the party all the way from Miami Beach, calling in via speakerphone to encourage attendees to bid for her series of three paintings, entitled “Love – Sex and Loneliness”.

Other ‘money can’t buy’ lots under the hammer at the event included a ‘hospital dinner’ with TV’s Dr Christian Jessen at Covent Garden’s Hospital Club, an all-expenses-paid trip to meet Donny and Marie Osmond in LA, and a private dinner with friends at David Furnish’s house, including a tour of his extensive art collection.

Dr Christian Jessen
Dr Christian Jessen

In total, the event raised more than £300,000, which will go towards helping THT deliver services for people living with and affected by HIV and sexual ill health.

Sonya Trivedy, Fundraising Director for Terrence Higgins Trust, said: “Last night’s auction was a fantastic reminder of the incredible dedication of so many to ensuring that people living with or affected by HIV have the support they need. Whether by donating their time, creating unique and stunning lots, or simply raising their hands for charity, we want to say a huge thank you to everyone who helped to make our annual auction such a success. Thanks to their generosity, we are able to deliver more support and services for people across the UK.”

THT have staged an annual auction since 1997, raising more than £4 million to help support tens of thousands of people with HIV across the UK.

Over the years, the event has attracted supporters including Tracey Emin, Neve Campbell, Nancy Dell’Olio and Joan Rivers.

To see the lots that went under the hammer at this year’s event, CLICK HERE: 

For more information about THT, CLICK HERE:

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust tops Stonewall’s 2014 list of gay-friendly healthcare providers

Sussex Partnership NHS Trust and St Andrew’s Healthcare complete the top three.

Stonewall

Central and North West London (CNWL) NHS Foundation Trust has been named the most gay-friendly healthcare organisation in England by Stonewall the LGB equality charity.

The second annual Stonewall Healthcare Equality Index places Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust second on the list and St Andrew’s Healthcare takes third place.

The Healthcare Equality Index is a tool for health providers to benchmark and track their progress on equality for their lesbian, gay and bisexual patients and communities.

CNWL Trust’s success follows their strong performance on Stonewall’s 2014 Workplace Equality Index – which audits workplace culture for gay staff. This led to the trust being named the highest new NHS employer on Stonewall’s Top 100 Employers list.

This year forty four healthcare organisations entered the Index, providing services across all regions of England. Organisations were assessed against criteria including patient policy and practice, engagement and communication with gay people, improving the health of gay patients and staff training on gay health needs.

CNWL Trust’s engagement activities include:

• A gay men’s therapy group for clients in substance misuse services

• An outreach service for men who have sex with men that offers Hepatitis B vaccinations and HIV point of care tests at ‘sex on premises’ venues. The service targets men who otherwise do not use sexual health services

• A Club Drug Clinic for adult clubbers and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transsexual people who have developed problems with recreational drugs.

James Taylor
James Taylor

James Taylor, Stonewall Head of Policy, said: “Congratulations to every healthcare organisation that secured a place in the Top 10; standards have significantly increased since the 2013 Index. Our ground-breaking research consistently shows that many lesbian, gay and bisexual people still experience and expect poor health outcomes and treatment when they use the NHS. Every organisation that entered helps tackle health inequalities and deliver a 21st century health service accessible to everyone, regardless of sexual orientation.”

Claire Murdoch
Claire Murdoch

Claire Murdoch, CNWL Chief Executive, added: “We are deeply committed to providing compassionate, respectful and expert care to all who receive our services. But this is easy to say and hard to achieve. We have much work still to do but you can be sure that we will continue to work with our staff and above all our service users to ensure we treat every individual with the respect and expertise they are due.”

To download The Healthcare Equality Index, CLICK HERE:  

The Top Ten Trusts are:

1. Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

2. Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

3. St. Andrew’s Healthcare

4. Liverpool Community Health NHS Trust

5. County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust

5. London Ambulance Service NHS Trust

7. Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust

7. Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust

9. Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust

10.Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust

 

 

Scottish charity holds UK’s first conference on Transgender Justice

Lord Advocate is key note speaker.

Scottish Trans

The Scottish Transgender Alliance is holding the UK’s first trans Justice Conference today, March 13 in Edinburgh which is set to be attended by over 100 delegates.

The conference will bring transgender people together with key officials from across Scotland’s justice system to look at tackling transphobic hate crime, workplace discrimination, and the rights of transgender prisoners.

The Lord Advocate, Frank Mulholland QC, will deliver the keynote speech which Scotland’s transgender equality organisation says will send a clear signal that improving equality, and extending access to justice for transgender people, is now a priority for the justice sector.

Nathan Gale, Project Development Officer at the Scottish Transgender Alliance, said: “We are delighted that the Lord Advocate and senior representatives of Scotland’s justice system are showing their commitment to transgender equality by supporting this conference. Transgender people continue to face many difficulties in accessing justice and we hope that by highlighting these issues the justice sector will become more responsive to their needs and provide transgender people with the standard of service that all those engaging with the justice system deserve.”

The Lord Advocate, Frank Mulholland QC
The Lord Advocate, Frank Mulholland QC

The Lord Advocate, Frank Mulholland QC added: “I am pleased to be speaking at this conference. “Scotland has come a long way in tackling hate crime. In 2009 new powers to tackle crimes of prejudice were made available to police and prosecutors making Scotland one of the first countries in Europe to have legislation in place that allowed us to protect victims of crimes targeted because of their transgender identity.

“Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) has also come a long way in recent years and is committed to working with the communities it serves including the transgender community in the development of policies and practice that ensure all those who engage with the criminal justice system are treated fairly and with dignity and respect”

The prosecution last year of a trans man for ‘sex by fraud’ for failing to disclose his birth sex to sexual partners caused a great deal of concern for transgender people about their right to privacy. COPFS has since been working with the Scottish Transgender Alliance to develop a policy to ensure that transgender people are not inappropriately prosecuted for sexual activity. The conference will provide delegates with their first opportunity to discuss the new policy.

Police Scotland will be represented by Superintendent Gavin Phillip and officers will run workshops aimed at building confidence in reporting transphobic hate crime and providing officers with a greater understanding of the barriers transgender people face in doing so.

The Scottish Transgender Alliance welcomes this engagement as tackling hate crime is a key priority for the organisation. The majority of transgender people live in fear due to transphobic hate crime. Three out of four transgender people have been hate crime victims, with one in five being physically assaulted because they are transgender, yet the majority of these crimes go unreported.

The Trans Justice Conference will also feature workshops by the Employment Tribunal Service and the Equality and Human Rights Commission, equipping transgender people and their advisors with a greater understanding of their rights in all areas of life, including employment, health care and access to services.

 

 

Police investigate rape of man in Hove toilet

Sussex Police are investigating following a report that a 24-year-old man was raped in public toilets at Goldstone Villas, Hove, at about 4pm on Wednesday, March 5.

Sussex Police

Two suspects are currently being sought – both are white men and both around 6′.

One was in his late 20s to early 30s, of slender build and with dark hair. He was wearing polyester tracksuit bottoms with parallel red stripes running down the legs. He was carrying a small black rucksack.

The second man was in his late 30s, of muscular build, wearing a dark zip-up hoody with the hood raised and cotton tracksuit bottoms.

Detective Inspector Andy Bennett, of Brighton CID, said: “This was a very serious assault. House-to-house enquiries are being made in the area and we are asking anybody who saw anything suspicious or who may have information that could assist with our enquiries to please contact us.”

Anyone able to help should phone Sussex Police on 101

Or EMAIL: quoting serial 1006 of 5/3

Alternatively contact the independent charity Crimestoppers free and anonymously on 0800 555 111

 

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