Caroline Lucas MP for Brighton Pavilion explains why Pride is important to her.
Caroline Lucas MP
“One of the best things about being MP for Brighton Pavilion isĀ representing one of the most politically active, committed andĀ determined, LGBTI communities in the world. I never feel that moreĀ strongly than when I’m at Pride.
“We stood up for equal marriage rights, and we won, and I’m incrediblyĀ proud of the work everyone did that made it happen. Pride MattersĀ because we should celebrate that kind of progress, and never forget howĀ far we’ve come.
“But Pride is also about understanding how far we’ve got to go – thereĀ are still huge battles to be fought.
“Pride is about letting the gayĀ teenager know that the abuse he faces isnĀ¹t ok. ItĀ¹s about taking aĀ stand against transphobia in the media.
“It’s about fighting theĀ unfairness of trans people being forced to annul their marriages.
“It’sĀ about tackling the stgima that surrounds HIV. It’s about standing upĀ against homophobia in football grounds.
“It’s about fighting deeplyĀ oppressive laws overseas and giving asylum to people fleeing them.
“Pride is about coming together to tell the world that we’re never goingĀ to give up until we’ve won all those fights.”
Geoffrey Bowden a former Pride trustee andĀ Green Councillor for the Gay VillageĀ urged caution at tonights council budget debate over giving Pride a grant for Ā£25,000 to secure the future of this years Pride Community Parade.
Cllr Geoffrey Bowden
Despite having not seen last years Pride accounts Cllr Bowden suggested that the Pride organisation was sustainable and not in need of the money.
In his speech he referred to Pride as being a ‘commercial organisation’ despite it being a Community Interest Company (CIC) where all profits are ploughed back into the community and Ā suggested any grant from the council should be spent on security for the Gay Village Steet Party which takes place in his ward.
Cllr Bowden was a trustee of Pride South East Ltd which for successive years lost money and was eventually forced to crease trading with debts of over Ā£200,000. During his period as a trustee no money was raised for LGBT voluntary sector organisations in the city.
Last years Pride organisers raised Ā£43,000 for good causes. This money was not paid from ‘profits’ but came from Ā£1 a head ring fenced from each ticket sold and was a fixed cost in the Pride budget.
Both Labour and Cooperative and Conservative Councillors spoke in support of the reinstatement of the Ā£25,000 grant to Pride.
Councillors to consider offering free parking for hotel guests at Norton Road car park in Hove.
Brighton & Hove City Council has been considering whether better use could be made of the car park, which operates below full capacity.
A decision is expected at the environment committeeās next meeting on March 4.
The authority has been looking at whether to cut prices at the car park, or make it free at certain times. However a report for councillors says it would not make much difference to uptake since charges were already low, Tesco in nearby Church Road offers free parking and free parking offered at Norton Road in December brought no significant change in use.
The reports adds that parking charges generally help to ensure regular turnover of parking spaces, increasing footfall and spend.
Cllr Pete West
Chair of the environment committee Cllr Pete West said:āHotels often say parking for their guests is a tricky issue. So this new idea could be a way of helping store guestsā vehicles while they get about the city walking or using sustainable transport. If it would help our hotel and tourism sector; itās something Iād like us to do.
Cllr Graham Cox
Cllr Graham Cox the Conservative spokesperson for transport, said:Ā “This is a start but much more could be done.
“Norton Road car park is unused on Sundays and underused the rest of the week. It is shabby and unloved.
“Our position is that in the short term the Conservatives would also providing free parking on Saturdays and Sundays, allow holders of residentsā parking permits to use the car park for free (thereby freeing up on street parking spaces), advertising Norton Road car park as an ideal place to park to catch the frequent connecting bus service into the centre of Brighton.”
The Conservatives believeĀ that in the medium/long term the site should be redeveloped ā with a new car park, homes, shops and small business space on the site.
Many small hoteliers in Brighton and Hove claim business was affected by the original increase in parking charges introduced by the Green administration and say business has not returned to the levels enjoyed before the parking price hikes.
Most hotel beds in the city are located in Brighton to the east of Old Steine.
Cllr Gill Mitchell
Labour Cllr Gill Mitchell,Ā Chair of the Overview & Scrutiny Committee, concluded:Ā Ā “this proposal is an interesting idea and is certainly worth a try”.
Queer in Brighton launch new anthology at the Jubilee Library last night, February 26.
Queer in Brighton is a lottery funded heritage projectĀ celebrating and promoting the rich cultural life of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community in Brighton and Hove. The Anthology is a collection ofĀ oral histories, essays, creative writing and photography.
Lesley Wood, Project coordinator, said:Ā āThis project began life as an oral history project and grew into a fantastic journey of discovery for everyone involved.ā
āWe have been overwhelmed by the generosity of people who gave their time and their wonderful stories to make Queer in Brighton a success. Volunteers have written, told, recorded and transcribed their stories; theyāve taken or loaned photographs, shared memorabilia and contributed in a dozen other ways to help up capture a kaleidoscope of queer life in this unique city, and the book and exhibition are just two of the fantastic outcomes of the project.ā
The anthology has many layers: including creative writing by established and published authors through to people who have never written before; excerpts from oral histories of peopleās experience of Brighton recorded and then transcribed; four essays by academics on the projectās core themes of place, language, politics and family; and a visual element of collected photographs and memorabilia as well as portraits which form the photographic exhibition.
Educational film from University of Leicester reveals damaging impact of hate and prejudice.
A new educational video from the University of Leicester exposes the significant impact that hate crimes has on victims, families and communities.
The Harms of Hate showcases the stories of seven people who have been victims of hate crimes in Leicester, all of whom come from a range of backgrounds and who have been victimised for different reasons and in a variety of ways.
Every year tens of thousands of people in Britain are victimised because of their identity or perceived ādifferenceā. Experiences of hate can take many forms, from violent physical attacks to the more āeverydayā forms of harassment such as being called an abusive name, being spat at and being threatened.
The idea for the film came from the Leicester Hate Crime Project ā a two year study, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, designed to examine the nature and impact of hate crime and victimsā expectations of the criminal justice system and other local support agencies.
The film, produced by Dr Neil Chakraborti and Stevie-Jade Hardy from the Leicester Hate Crime Project and the Universityās Video Production Team, highlights a number of themes.
These include:
ā¢ The range of people affected by hate incidents
ā¢ The different forms that hate incidents can take
ā¢ The impact that hate incidents have on victims, their families and wider communities
ā¢ The advice that these victims would offer to people suffering from similar experiences
Dr Neil Chakraborti
Dr Neil Chakraborti, Reader in Criminology and Principal Investigator of the Leicester Hate Crime Project, said: āThis film illustrates the harrowing physical and emotional impacts that hate offences have on people who are targeted simply because of their perceived ādifferenceā.
“Many victims are subjected to hate and prejudice on a routine basis and we hope that the film helps viewers from all walks of life to recognise the seriousness of these problems.ā
With the support of UnLtD and the HE Social Entrepreneurship fund, 200 copies of the film are being distributed free of charge to local organisations, including schools and community groups, as a way of raising awareness of the physical and emotional harms of hate.
Stevie-Jade Hardy
Stevie-Jade Hardy, Lead Researcher of the Leicester Hate Crime Project, added:āSince the Leicester Hate Crime Project began we have heard from over a thousand victims and witnessed first-hand the damaging impact that hate crime has on victims, families and communities. We hope that the film helps to raise awareness of the reality of hate crime and encourages people to challenge all forms of prejudice.ā
The film was first screened yesterday (Wednesday February 26) at the launch event for the Leicester Centre for Hate Studies. The new centre, which will be co-ordinated by Dr Neil Chakraborti and Stevie-Jade Hardy, aims to become a key driver of knowledge exchange and information-sharing between academics, practitioners, activists and policy-makers.
The Centre will be offering a range of professional development opportunities designed for those whose work overlaps with the broad field of hate studies as well as acting as a cross-disciplinary forum for generating research into issues of hate, prejudice and extremism.
Sussex Beacon host a photo exhibition featuring portraits of 27 HIV positive men and womenĀ at the Brighton Dome.
Simon Dowe, Peter Kyle, Simon Fanshawe & Simon Burgess
Local celebrities and politicians attended the exhibition launch in the Founders Room at the Dome complex on Monday, February 24.
Pictured at the launch from left to right are Simon Dowe CEO Sussex Beacon, Peter Kyle Labour parliamentary candidate for Hove and Portslade, Simon Fanshawe and Simon Burgess.
Photographer Edo Zollo created Stand Tall, Get Snapped following his experience of taking PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) after exposure to the HIV virus, after impulsive unprotected sex with a partner who knew they were HIV positive.
The medication had severe and very unpleasant side effects. This brought on intense feelings and speculation on his part as to what it must be like to actually have a positive HIV diagnosis.
Edo said: āAs a direct result I was determined to undertake this project to expose the widely held misconception that HIV is largely restricted to gay men and people of black African origin. In addition to afford affected individuals a unique opportunity to share their experiences and have their positive status recognised in a very public way by being included in a photographic exhibition.ā
The exhibition features the photographs of HIV positive people who have lived with HIV for just the last three months toĀ 71 year old Maurice, the organist from Stoke on Trent who has been living with HIV for 28 years.
To view the trailor of the exhibition, CLICK HERE:
What: Photo exhibition: Stand Tall ā Get Snapped
Where: Founders Room, Brighton Dome, Church Street, Brighton
Local MP’s encourage businesses and organisations to sign up to faster broadband funding scheme.
Mike Weatherley MP
Central Government have allocated Ā£50m for organisations and small businesses around the country who are part of the SuperConnected Cities Broadband Project to sign up for faster broadband speeds.
Mike Weatherley, MP for Hove and Portslade who helped secure the funding in 2012 is urging local organisations in Brighton and Hove to take advantage of this funding opportunity.
Locally, the Connection Voucher Scheme provides funding of up to Ā£3,000 for small businesses and charities or voluntary organisations to access faster broadband connection speeds.
Mike said:āFast broadband is a vital tool for businesses, which is why the Connection Voucher Scheme will be so helpful to organisations across Brighton & Hove. Itās easy to sign up, so I hope that anyone who is interested in the initiative will check to see if they are eligible and apply.ā
Simon Kirby MP
Simon Kirby, MP for Brighton Kemptown & Peacehaven, said:āMy campaign to secure superfast broadband funding for Brighton was ultimately successful because I was able to show the Treasury how important the digital economy is to our city.
“I am delighted that small businesses and charities can now benefit from the money that was secured. It will have a real impact in building on the cityās digital success and bringing economic growth and jobs to my constituency.ā
The scheme is open to small and medium-sized enterprises with premises in Brighton & Hove.
For more details on the scheme and for an application form,Ā CLICK HERE:
Brighton & Hove City Council has been considering whether better use could be made of the car park, which operates below full capacity.
Lesley Wood, Project coordinator, said:Ā āThis project began life as an oral history project and grew into a fantastic journey of discovery for everyone involved.ā
You must be logged in to post a comment.