16/04/2013 – Scene Magazine – From the heart of LGBTQ+ Life

Labour leader to step down

Posted on 16/04/201316/04/2013 by Besi

Councillor Gill Mitchell, Leader of the Labour and Cooperative Group on Brighton and Hove City Council will not stand for re-selection as leader at the groups AGM in May. She will however, continue as a Councillor and will look to be re-elected in her East Brighton seat in 2015.

Cllr Mitchell stood for election in 1993 after running a campaign to save a local school playing field. 20 years on she is still at the forefront of community campaigning and local politics.

When Labour controlled the city council, Cllr Mitchell became Chair of the Environment committee and helped make the city council one of the most sustainable in the UK, with big increases in recycling rates, growth in public transport and cleaner streets due to measures she initiated.

Cllr Mitchell is a respected figure across the council and is known for her dedication, hard work and forensic dissection of reports at committee and in full council.

During her time as Leader of the Labour group, there have been four Leaders of the city council, three Leaders of the Green Group and three Tory Group Leaders.

Cllr Mitchell said:

“After 10 years at the forefront of local politics, including six years as Leader of the Labour Group, I have decided not to put my name forward for the position of Group Leader at the forthcoming Labour Group Annual General Meeting.

“It has been a real honour to serve as group leader throughout the many challenges faced by the council and the city over the past years and I look forward to fully supporting the new Leader as, together with the Labour Party, we fight to secure Labour victories at the next council and parliamentary elections.”

Cllr Warren Morgan who is deputy leader of the Labour and Cooperative Group and a colleague of Cllr Mitchell’s in East Brighton said:

“Gill has served in the front line of Labour politics for a decade, winning respect from colleagues, opponents and people from across the city. I’d like to thank her for her leadership over the past six years and hope that she remains a part of our leadership team for many years to come.”

Learn the basic about Hepatitis C

Posted on 16/04/2013 by Besi

NAM, a charity working to change lives by sharing information about HIV and AIDS, have announced the publication of four new illustrated leaflets to provide straightforward and accessible key information on hepatitis C.

The leaflets, titled Hepatitis C, Hepatitis C treatment, How hepatitis C is passed on and How hepatitis C is passed on during sex, have been created in collaboration with The Hepatitis C Trust and the Co-infection Alliance ensuring the information presented is relevant and accurate.

The publication of these leaflets forms part of NAM’s ‘the basics’ series, which breaks down complex information and presents it simply and memorably.

Each title covers a few key facts and the simple language and pictures bring the information to life, making them a perfect resource for patients or clients who do not have much prior understanding of HIV and hepatitis, whose first language is not English, who are less comfortable with written information, or who have lower literacy levels.

Hepatitis is one of the most common co-infections affecting people with HIV. It is passed on in many of the same ways as HIV and can be the cause of serious health problems. But it is treatable, and at the moment, there’s a lot of promising research into newer, better treatments for hepatitis C.

To download the hepatitis C leaflets, and other titles in The Basics series, CLICK HERE:

These titles are also available in print, so if you would like a print copy, telephone 020 3242 0820

Or email:

‘Have a word’

Posted on 16/04/201317/04/2013 by Besi

Have a Word, Brighton’s new LGBT arts, literary and performance night takes place the second Wednesday of each month from June 12 at the Arundel Suite, Holiday Inn, Brighton.

The event will be an opportunity to hear Polari prize winner John McCullough read from his book The Frost Fairs and singer/stand-up comedian Nicky Mitchell will be performing songs from Ella Fitzgerald to Billie Holiday.

Printmaker, writer and poet Nicholas Collins will be reading from new and old works from the last 20 years including poems taken from Beyond Paradise, an anthology featuring lesbian and gay writers from the north, and actor/director Matt Fennemore will be exploring and re-visiting the profound and electrifying theatricality of artist David Wonarowicz.

Where: Arundel Suite, Holiday Inn, Brighton.

When: The second Wednesday of each month from June 12, doors 7pm

Time: 7-45pm

Cost: £5 on entrance.