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Sussex Beacon to host film screening of ‘ASMAA’

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The Women and Families Service at The Sussex Beacon is hosting a screening of the film ASMAA as part of The Sick Festival, at the Sallis Benney Theatre on March 13 at 5.30pm. The festival is an international, cross-art festival that seeks out new ways of talking about and dealing with the experience of sickness of all kinds: physical, mental, ethical and spiritual.

ASMAA is a visually beautiful film which captures the experience of an Egyptian women facing the challenges of life with HIV. Profoundly moving, the film depicts her daily battle with prejudice and discrimination.

Entry is free and the screening will be followed by a panel discussion.

To reserve your free ticket click here:

US international and former Leeds United footballer comes out as he quits the game

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Robbie Rogers

A US international soccer star who played for Leeds United for the last year has announced that he is gay and quitting football at the age of 25 through injury.

Robbie Rogers a winger, who made 18 appearances for the US national team,  joined Leeds United from the Major League Soccer team Columbus Crew in 2011. However his career at the club was blighted by injury and he was released by mutual consent last month.

Robbie, 25, from California, disclosed his sexuality and his reasons for retiring from football in a blog titled, The Next Chapter:

He wrote:

“Secrets can cause so much internal damage. People love to preach about honesty, how honesty is so plain and simple. Try explaining to your loved ones after 25 years you are gay. Try convincing yourself that your creator has the most wonderful purpose for you even though you were taught differently.”

He continued:

“I always thought I could hide this secret. Football was my escape, my purpose, my identity. Football hid my secret, gave me more joy than I could have ever imagined… I will always be thankful for my career.”

“Now is my time to step away. It’s time to discover myself away from football.  It’s 1 A.M. in London as I write this and I could not be happier with my decision. Life is so full of amazing things. I realized I could only truly enjoy my life once I was honest.  Honesty is a bitch but makes life so simple and clear.  My secret is gone, I am a free man, I can move on and live my life as my creator intended.”

“Things are never what they seem… My whole life I have felt different, different from my peers, even different from my family. In today’s society being different makes you brave.  To overcome your fears you must be strong and have faith in your purpose.

“For the past 25 years I have been afraid, afraid to show whom I really was because of fear. Fear that judgment and rejection would hold me back from my dreams and aspirations. Fear that my loved ones would be farthest from me if they knew my secret.  Fear that my secret would get in the way of my dreams.”

Rogers tweeted a link to his blog saying “Just getting some sh*t off my chest”. However, his retirement means there is still no openly gay professional footballer playing in the Premiership or Football League.
Commenting on the life he is now giving up he wrote:

“Dreams of going to a World Cup, dreams of The Olympics, dreams of making my family proud.  What would life be without these dreams? Could I live a life without them?

“Life is only complete when your loved ones know you.  When they know your true feelings, when they know who and how you love. Life is simple when your secret is gone.  Gone is the pain that lurks in the stomach at work, the pain from avoiding questions, and at last the pain from hiding such a deep secret.”

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