Gscene News Archive

The funeral for Zsarday is being held at the Downs Crematorium, Bear Road, Brighton, on Friday November 7 at 11.55am.

The wake will be held at Audio on Marine Parade in front of Brighton Pier from 2pm till 9pm.

Family and close friends want to thank everyone for their kindness and support during this difficult time.

For further details please contact Hervé on 01273 681546.

An Education Chief has been found guilty of unacceptable professional conduct for discriminating against a teacher. Philip Morgan sent a secret fax to an employment agency that revealed his colleague was transgender. He also refused for over four years to write a reference. The teacher ‘Ms. A’ cannot be named for legal reasons.

The General Teaching Council for England (GTC) found Mr Morgan guilty of six separate counts of discrimination, six of which he denied. A disciplinary panel said Mr. Morgan had “brought the reputation and standing of the profession into serious disrepute.”

Brighton & Hove City Council employed Mr. Morgan as Education, Training and Employment Manager. In his defence, the former head teacher blamed the City Council for repeatedly advising him to break the law, “… I also accept that I could and should have agreed to provide her with a reference… However, I was still being advised by my employer’s head of personnel… now I am clear this was wrong.”

When Ms. A tried to complain to Mr. Morgan’s bosses about being refused a reference she was prevented. Mr. Morgan told the panel: “I also sought advice from the Council solicitor Ian Yonge about the grievance. I was advised that the statutory grievance procedure did not apply... I was advised not to respond.”

Mr. Morgan’s public divorce from his former employer was confirmed when he told the panel he “would certainly not act in the same way again.” The panel reprimanded Mr. Morgan over his particular job in the City Council, “... given the role he was performing… he should have been aware of the impact of his conduct and the proper course he should have adopted towards a reference for a transgender colleague.”

The GTC decided “in the public interest for a disciplinary order to be imposed” and “to protect colleagues, pupils and the public generally, the Committee consider it is essential for Mr Morgan to undergo formal training.”

The penalty follows an earlier Employment Tribunals’ judgement against Mr Morgan and the City Council of illegal discrimination and victimisation on five counts. His employers did not reprimand Mr. Morgan. Instead the Council defended him, shaming the city’s ‘right-on’ image. They carried on discriminating as a second named liable party in the action. Both were found guilty. To defend damaging threats posed by the City Council to equal rights for transgender people, the Equality & Human Rights Commission funded Ms. A’s representation at the Tribunal.

Brighton MP, David Lepper supports calls for an investigation into the City Council. Questions on the costs of the case, reasons for defending Mr. Morgan and fighting against the Equality Commission have been fudged. Efforts by Ms. A and Mr. Andy Baldwin so far to get answers from Councillors and senior managers have proved fruitless. Council Leader, Mary Mears, stated simply in a letter the Council was acting in “good faith … to protect the position of the Council.”

Mr. Baldwin, Advocate and co-author of the Tribunal cases with Ms. A, commented: “It’s a relief to have the General Teaching Council on our side, protecting everyone and upholding standards. We’re disgusted that Councillors and senior staff have been colluding since 2003, to defend and then cover-up discrimination with public money. The issue of being accepted as a man or a woman relates to basic human rights. The damage and hurt it does to the lives of people like Ms. A is terrible. The people involved must account for their actions and reform, or step down.”

Track their efforts here
Andy Baldwin's web site here

The Trading Standards Office are making people aware of the following which Royal Mail has confirmed as a scam.

A card is posted through your door from a company called PDS (Parcel Delivery Service) suggesting that they were unable to deliver a parcel and that you need to contact them on 0906 6611911 (a premium rate number). DO NOT call this number, as this is a mail scam originating from Belize.

If you call the number and you start to hear a recorded message you will already have been billed £15 for the phone call.

If you do receive a card with these details, then please contact Royal Mail Fraud on 02072396655 or ICSTIS (the premium rate service regulator)
at www.icstis.org.uk

The international human rights campaigning group, Iraqi LGBT are making an urgent appeal to friends and supporters all around the world to help them maintain their two safe houses in Iraq and the operation of Iraqi LGBT in neighbouring middle east countries.

Iraqi LGBT have commenced a new operation to help LGBT Iraqi's in neighbouring countries who are staying but not allowed to work and do not receive any kind of support or benefit from Aid agencies along with more than two million other Iraqi refugees.

You can choose to use the paypal method or you send a check payable to (Iraqi LGBT) and send it to: Iraqi LGBT, 22 Notting Hill Gate, Unit 111, London,W11 3JE, United Kingdom.

The paypal donation button on The Iraqi LGBT Blog Spot is re-activated. Go to: Click here

A Gay Open Day is being held at Canterbury City Council’s offices in Military Road Canterbury, on Saturday October 18.

The event has been organised by the East Kent LGBT Network in partnership with Canterbury City Council, Thanet Council, Kent County Council and Kent Police.

The aim of the event is to promote community dialogue and raise awareness of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender issues in an interesting and educational way. It is hoped there will be a good attendance from people interested in these issues.

The event runs from 10am to 3pm, and a light buffet will be served. Everyone is welcome to drop in.

For more information about the event contact the council’s policy adviser on equalities and inclusion Angeliki Ioannidou, on 01227 862 564 or email equalities@canterbury.gov.uk