Call us now

Author: Catherine Muxworthy

Brum Against Hate calls on leaders to stand with the LGBTQ+ community

Posted on by Catherine Muxworthy

Birmingham protest group Brum Against Hate is calling on faith, civic and community leaders in the city to stand with the LGBTQ+ community and take a stand against homophobia amid rising levels of hate crime against the community in the city.

The group was founded last year by Saima Razzaq, Salman Mirza and Adam Yosef in protest against the rising number of hate crimes against the LGBTQ+ community in Birmingham’s Gay Village. The founders of the group – all of whom are from Muslim backgrounds – are creating a pledge which they plan to present to councillors, MPs, community leaders and faith leaders in the area with the aim to shift the narrative around homosexuality from tolerance to acceptance by speaking about LGBTQ+ issues. The group has also called on Birmingham City Council to help facilitate this dialogue between the communities.

Saima Razzaq, 37, a lesbian and practicing Muslim, has asked the city council to invite Brum Against Hate to their meetings with city faith leaders to talk about the LGBTQ+ community.

“We need a strategy that’s going to leave a legacy,” she said. “At the moment we’re just reacting to attacks rather than trying to prevent them. I want to see strategic change, but from my perspective the high-level strategy isn’t there.

“The council needs to be inviting us into faith meetings so we can work together to tackle hate – because it’s through conversation that we’re going to create lasting change. We’re all human, and at the end of the day we all have to live in this city – we can’t be attacking each other.”

Adam Yosef, 41, a queer, pansexual Muslim, added: “We need organisations to come out and say ‘we accept you’. If anything, you’d think the LGBTQ+ and Muslim communities would be natural allies – both are minority groups with protected characteristics – but they are not.

“We want to be a collective that holds power to account and gets organisations to come together and pledge to be anti-homophobic. We want Birmingham to be the first city in the UK to create strong partnerships between faith organisations and the LGBTQ+ community.”

“For me personally,” adds Salman Mirza, who organised the solidarity protest against homophobia in October 2021, “if the faith leaders aren’t coming out to stand with the gay community and challenging homophobes in their mosques then I can’t see things changing. All faith groups need to realise it’s not enough to look at violence and say it’s unacceptable – people need to speak out, be proactive and say this needs to stop.”

Brum Against Hate is currently working on their pledge for faith, civic and community leaders, which they want to take to city leaders to tackle homophobia. The group hopes to launch this pledge at an LGBTQ+ led conference before Birmingham Pride 2023, which will take place in May.

Birmingham LGBT Centre fundraising for Christmas appeal and warm bank

Posted on by Catherine Muxworthy

Birmingham LGBT Centre has launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds to help support isolated LGBTQ+ people this Christmas and winter. Since opening in 2013, Birmingham LGBT Centre has held a party on Christmas Day so members of the LGBTQ+ community will not have to spend Christmas Day alone.

The centre has been unable to do this for the past couple of years due to Covid-19 but this year they will be opening their doors again and holding a Christmas Day party, the full details of which – including how to RSVP – can be found in Scene‘s previous article.

What’s more, as a charity they are aware that “many of our service users have been affected by the cost of living crisis, with some people having to choose between heating and eating,” says Maria Hughes from Birmingham LGBT. So, from January the centre will be offering a warm space in the café area several times a week. They hope to be able to provide people with blankets, hot water bottles, blanket hoodies and hot drinks.

In order to do so, they are asking for support to cover the costs of Christmas gifts, food and transport for the Christmas party. Your donations will also help Birmingham LGBT to provide blankets, flasks and hot water bottles to help keep people warm during the cost of living crisis.

You can donate via the GoFundMeLink. “If you’re able, please donate and let members of the LGBTQ+ community know that someone is thinking of them this Christmas,” explains Maria.

Court hears of life-threatening NHS waiting times for trans healthcare from Birmingham Pride’s Eva Echo and other claimants

Posted on by Catherine Muxworthy

Eva Echo, trans rights activist and Director of Innovation at Birmingham Pride, was one of several claimants who spoke at the High Court about NHS waiting times for transgender healthcare. The court heard from the group of claimants that the NHS is breaking the law by making thousands of trans people wait years for gender affirming healthcare, arguing that the waiting times for people with gender dysphoria to get an initial assessment are unlawfully discriminatory with some patients waiting more than six years for their first appointment.

The NHS currently has a statutory requirement that at least 92% of patients should be referred to a specialist within 18 weeks, and the claimants argued that NHS England has broken the law when they have failed to meet this target for trans patients. Official figures show there are 26,234 adults waiting for their first appointment with an adult gender dysphoria clinic, and of those people, 23,561 have been waiting more than 18 weeks.

In many cases, the claimants explained, trans people have to wait so long for healthcare that they are instead forced to opt for private healthcare, paid for by crowdfunding, or even travelling aboard to access the healthcare they need. The waiting times are also having a negative effect on the mental health of children, including two co-claimants, aged 12 and 14, who could not be named, the court heard.

Eva Echo – who herself has been waiting for her first appointment since her NHS referral in October 2017 – told BirminghamLive: “Trans people just want to get on with their lives, and without the medical support to do so, we’re left out to dry. There is no mental health support in the meantime and suicide rates are unfortunately incredibly high – I lost a friend earlier this year.

“If this was happening to any other group of people there would be public outcry, but because it’s trans people it’s been brushed to one side and allowed to happen. This is why we need a judicial review – if we’re successful it puts pressure on the NHS to put things right.”

The High Court hearing concluded on Wednesday, November 31; a verdict is expected in the coming weeks.

In a post on social media, Eva Echo added: “No matter what the outcome, trans rights are human rights and everybody should have access to timely healthcare.”

Danny Beard announced for Chase Pride 2023

Posted on by Catherine Muxworthy

Drag performer Danny Beard has been announced as a headline act for Chase Pride 2023. Following the finale of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK season four, in which Danny Beard snatched the crown and the title of the UK’s next drag superstar, Chase Pride could no longer keep the secret and revealed that they had booked Danny Beard as a headliner for the second year in a row.

Danny Beard performed at Chase Pride’s very first event in 2022 and is now set to return for their second Pride event. More acts will be announced in the lead-up to the event, which will also feature a market, a funfair, and much more.

Chase Pride will take place on Saturday, September 2 at Hednesford Park, and tickets are on sale now.

Birmingham Pride appoints new access lead

Posted on by Catherine Muxworthy

Birmingham-based activist Emma – who will be known by many in the community as the drag king Crip Ladywood – has joined the Birmingham Pride team as their access lead. In a post on social media Emma said: “I’m really honoured to work with such a diverse and joy-filled organisation, and I’m going to build on my predecessors excellent work to keep making Pride something accessible to as many of us all as possible.”

Emma is a host and performer, who as their drag persona Crip Ladywood was a runner-up in Church Yshee, Birmingham regional Drag Idol and the DQaH contest in 2022. Their drag performances often feature a political message, in particular exploring disability and the DWP, and they performed alongside their drag collective – House of Quip – for Birmingham Pride community event in 2022.

They have also been part of the steering group for Fatt Projects’ MOBILISE, which led the 2022 Birmingham Pride parade with a protest dance procession. In their work for Fatt Projects, Emma is described as “a seasoned campaigner and activist fighting for our liberation, but with a specific focus on disabled people’s liberation.”

“They have chained their wheelchair across busy streets with DPAC, arranged protests, and helped formulate reports for the UN. As a proud fat, ageing, genderqueer bisexual drag performer, they work to increase the visibility of disabled members of the LGBTIQ+ community.”

“We need more accessible queer social environments,” Emma tells Fatt Projects, “and I want to do my part to make that a reality.”

Birmingham unveils HIV & AIDS Memorial on World AIDS Day

Posted on by Catherine Muxworthy

On World AIDS Day – Thursday, December 1 – the Birmingham community came together in Hippodrome Square to witness the unveiling of the city’s AIDS & HIV Memorial sculpture, almost two years after the idea was born from artist Garry Jones.

Jones, alongside the sculptor Luke Perry and the rest of the team for Birmingham AIDS & HIV Memorial, made the six-metre steel sculpture – the largest memorial of its kind in the UK – a reality after raising more than £180,000.

The unveiling ceremony was opened with a Chinese dragon dance performance, followed by three choirs. Then, there was a procession led by Birmingham drag artist Twiggy alongside Cheddar Gorgeous – many of whom will know from RuPaul’s Drag Race UK – which displayed the ‘cover-up project’.

Cheddar Gorgeous and Luke Perry

Funded by the Arts Council, the cover-up project was inspired by the original AIDS quilt and it features 40 panels to represent a significant happening in the 40-year history of HIV and AIDS in Birmingham, nationally and internationally.

These panels, which were created with the support of the group Sew Marvellous, pay homage to a variety of historic moments including the advent of ARTs, as well as more personal messages such as one panel in memory of Tom Matthews, an AIDS campaigner who lived with HIV and who helped source funds for a range of projects in the West Midlands.

Following the precession, there was a line-up of speakers who delivered moving speeches to celebrate, remember and educate, including: Dr Steve Taylor from Saving Lives, Rachel Greaves from Positive Peers, Garry Jones, Luke Perry, Andrew Bentley-King, Phil Oldershaw and others who have been part of the team behind the memorial.

Then, the countdown began and the memorial, which features two interlocking red ribbons, was finally revealed. The plaque beneath the memorial delivers a powerful message to accompany the ribbons, reading:

“A symbol of remembrance for the forgotten with a vision of hope for the future. Remembering those lost to the ‘Neglected Pandemic’ and those who came after. Celebrating those who live with HIV today and in the future. Educating everyone to eliminate fear, shame, stigma and prejudice.”

Artist Garry Jones

Birmingham LGBT Centre to open its doors on Christmas Day

Posted on by Catherine Muxworthy

Once again, the Birmingham LGBT Centre will be opening its doors on Sunday, December 25 to hold a party for LGBTQ+ people in the community who, without it, might otherwise be spending Christmas Day alone.

The party will be held from 2 – 7pm, is open to all, and will include food, games and a present for every that attends. The LGBT Centre is also able to cover travel costs from within Birmingham for those who need the support.

“We recognise that Christmas can be a very difficult time for many LGBTQ+ people, who may not have the same relationships with their family members as heterosexual/ cisgender people,” explains Birmingham LGBT Centre’s Maria Hughes.

If you wish to attend or have any further questions, you can either email James at jamesjohnson@blgbt.org or call 0121 643 0821 and leave your name and number.

Birmingham to honour victims of Club Q attack

Posted on by Catherine Muxworthy

The group Birmingham Against LGBTQI+ Hate has organised a vigil to honour the victims of the Colorado Springs Club Q attack, which includes the five people who were sadly murdered; Daniel Davis Aston (28), Kelly Loving (40), Ashley Paugh (35), Derrick Rump (38) and Raymond Green Vance (22).

The vigil will be held outside the Nightingale Club on Kent Street in the gay village on Friday, November 25 from 6-7pm. The event will include speeches, a two-minute silence, and “a celebration of those whose lives were ruthlessly taken from our community”.

It is open to all who wish to show solidarity and people are welcome to bring banners, signs, placards and flags. For more information, visit the event page on Facebook.

“Hate attacks against the LGBTQ+ community are on the rise, homophobia and transphobia is on the rise, we need to stand up united against hate!”, explains the group Birmingham Against LGBTQI+ Hate.

Birmingham AIDS & HIV Memorial to be unveiled on World AIDS Day – Thursday, December 1

Posted on by Catherine Muxworthy

Almost two years after the idea was first conceived by artist Garry Jones, alongside Phil Oldershaw and Andrew King, Birmingham’s AIDS & HIV Memorial is due to be unveiled on World AIDS Day – Thursday, December 1 – at Hippodrome Square from 6pm.

The five-tonne, six-metre tall sculpture, which depicts two interlocking heart ribbons, was designed by Garry Jones and created by Luke Perry at his steel foundry. The sculpture is not the only part of this memorial project with a quilt also having been created with 40 panels to mark the 40 years since the first diagnosis in 1981, and each panel represents a part of history across those years, both in Birmingham and wider, nationally and internationally.

Luke Perry

This community art project, which was funded by the Arts Council, saw people from across the community – including groups, universities, hospitals, scouts, LGBTQ+ people – come together in workshops to share ideas. What’s more, three panels included in the quilt are in remembrance of lives lost to AIDS / HIV. Once the panels had been created, the quilt itself was then finished by volunteer sewing group Sew Marvellous, who stitched together all of the panels ready for its use during the unveiling of the memorial.

The quilt will be used as part of a procession on Thursday, December 1 and then it will surround the memorial. Following the unveiling of the AIDS & HIV Memorial, the cover-up quilt will be a stand-alone art piece that will be used and exhibited in public places such as colleges and art galleries.

Today, a HIV positive person on effective anti-retroviral treatment can simply take one pill a day and live a normal, healthy life. Plus, once the virus becomes undetectable, it is untransmittable and can no longer be passed on – U=U.

“The memorial will commemorate those we have lost but who will never be forgotten,” explains Garry Jones. “It will also be a symbol of hope for the future, at the heart of our city and for all to see. It will show how far we have come, but remind us how far we still have to go to end stigma and discrimination.”

Joe Lycett issues final message to David Beckham

Posted on by Catherine Muxworthy

Comedian Joe Lycett got everyone talking when he shredded £10,000 of his own money on a livestream after David Beckham refused to pull out of, or even talk about his ambassadorship with Qatar for the World Cup. However, after letting people discuss the stunt at length, a day later, Joe Lycett has issued a final statement revealing the full truth.

“This is my final message to David Beckham,” Lycett began in a video shared to Twitter, “It’s me, that prick who shredded loads of money in a cost of living crisis. So, where were we? I told you I was going to destroy £10,000 if you didn’t end your relationship with Qatar before the first day of the World Cup. And then, when you didn’t end your relationship or even respond in any way, I streamed myself dropping £10,000 into a shredder. Or did I? I haven’t quite told you the whole truth.

“Because the truth is, the money that went into the shredder was real but the money that came out was fake. I would never destroy real money. I would never be so irresponsible. In fact, the ten grand had already been donated to LGBTQ+ charities before I even pressed send on the initial tweet last week.

“I never expected to hear from you. It was an empty threat designed to get people talking. In many ways, it was like your deal with Qatar, David. Total bullshit from the start. I’m not even queer… only joking.”

Joe Lycett wasn’t quite done shredding things, however. He continued: “There is one more thing I’ll shred. This is your Attitude magazine cover from June 2002, the first ever cover of a gay magazine with a Premier League footballer on it. I asked Attitude if I could shred it and they were more than happy to oblige,” he tells viewers as he feeds the magazine into the shredder.

“Gosh, it’s all been quite a lot this, hasn’t it,” Joe ends the video saying, “Right. I’m off down the gay village to have a few pints.”

Latest News

Community News The Sussex Beacon announces new direction
LGBTQ+ News Campbell Johnstone, the first openly gay All Black, ties the knot with partner Ben Thomson
Film History maker! Karla Sofía Gascón becomes first openly trans woman to be nominated in Leading Actress category at the BAFTAs
Transgender News Republicans, and two Democrats, vote to ban trans women and girls from school sports
X