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Same-Sex Couple demand timescale for Civil Partnership conversions

Specialist lawyers ask Government to confirm timescales to allow Civil Partnerships to be converted into Same-Sex Marriage.

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A gay couple from Yorkshire is calling on the Government to issue a clear and defined timeframe for when those in civil partnership can convert to marriage – as the current system doesn’t allow it to happen.

The first same-sex marriages took place on Saturday, March 29, however the Government says those in civil partnerships cannot get married until systems are updated to allow for the conversion and says this will only be done by the end of the year.

Specialist lawyers Irwin Mitchell have been liaising with the Department For Culture, Media & Sport to speed up the process and is urging the Government commits to a specific timeframe by which the appropriate systems will be implemented to allow for the conversion from civil partnership to same-sex marriage.

 Michael and Paul Atwal-Brice, from Thurnscoe, Barnsley entered into a civil partnership in 2008 as marriage was not an option available to same sex couples at the time. Like many same sex couples they were delighted when the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 was passed and same sex marriage became lawful and planned to become one of the first couples to convert to marriage when the legislation comes into force on 29 March 2014.

However, they were told that they would not be able to marry before the end of the year and even then there is no set date which they can begin planning for. They have asked their lawyers to keep pressure on the Government to confirm the timetables for when Section 9 of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 is to be brought in to allow couples wishing to convert their civil partnerships into marriage to do so.

55,000 civil partnerships have been formed in England and Wales and Irwin Mitchell says that those in this position that wish to marry are being treated unfairly.

Zoe Round, a specialist family lawyer at Irwin Mitchell solicitors in Sheffield, said: “Michael and Paul have been waiting for this legislation to be agreed for years and now, at the final hurdle, they are finding that the process to convert civil partnerships to marriage is not yet implemented.

“They originally hoped to get married this weekend but instead all those couples in a civil partnership cannot convert to same-sex marriage because the Government hasn’t implemented the appropriate systems.

“The Government says that there are complications as they wish to ensure that the benefits and rights associated with marriage are backdated for those in civil partnerships. While Paul and Michael are pleased with this development, they want to make sure the Government stays true to its word and does indeed set a date for when they can marry.

“Those in a civil partnership can’t plan their wedding properly because they don’t yet know when they will be allowed to marry. The Government wanted to introduce same-sex marriage as soon as possible but it’s not available yet for many who wish to go through the process. If the Government does not implement the changes needed within a reasonable timeframe they could face legal action in the High Court.”

Paul, 34, who has two adopted disabled sons with partner Michael, 29, said: “We should have been getting married last weekend but instead we don’t know when we can get married because we’re already in a civil partnership.

“At the moment we, and others in the same situation, cannot set a date for our marriage because there isn’t the system in place to convert our civil partnership. We are being unfairly treated simply because we are in a long term relationship and have already committed to each other.

“We sought legal advice because we wanted to ensure there was pressure on the Government to implement the proper systems as soon as possible. At the moment all we have to work with is that it will be by the end of the year but that doesn’t help us and many other couples to plan for the future.”

WEB.200In a message to their supporters, Ruth Hunt acting CEO of Stonewall, the LGB equality charity, said: “Whilst hundreds of couples have celebrated the first same sex marriages up and down the country, civil partners are still waiting in limbo for the government to implement a process enabling them to convert to marriage. This is unacceptable.

“Stonewall lobbied hard to secure provisions in the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act that would enable civil partners to convert to marriage if they want to. Since the Act received Royal Assent in July 2013 we’ve continued to lobby for a simple – and importantly, inexpensive – process to allow this to be implemented.

“At present government ministers have pledged that conversions will be able to take place ‘by the end of 2014’. If civil partners have to wait until the end of this year then we’ll see an infuriating delay of 17 months – longer than it even took to implement civil partnerships in 2005 or marriage equality in 2014.

“We share your frustration with this delay and we’ll continue pushing ministers and civil servants every single day until conversions can take place.”

Welfare Reforms are damaging the health of people living with HIV

new report published by Counterpoint Policy Alliance (CPA) highlights the damaging impact welfare reforms are having upon people living with HIV.

Counterpoint Policy Alliance

Based on a survey of 287 people diagnosed with HIV across England the report found that two-thirds of respondants were affected by benefit changes, with nine out of ten reporting poorer health and limited access to HIV care as a result. The report was carried out by the Counterpoint Policy Alliance, a collaboration of three leading HIV charities – NAZ Project London, Positive East and Positively UK.

Key findings in the report are:

  • The number of benefit changes individuals go through make a significant difference to their health and well-being
  • The medical assessments of PIP and ESA are failing to addressing the psychological impact of HIV and the variable impact of the condition on day-to-day life
  • There are significant reductions in the services offered by HIV charities
  • Women from black and minority Ethnic communities, Latin Americans and white gay men over 50 are hardest hit by welfare reform
  • There are serious mental health issues caused by the shame and stigma that respondents feel when applying for benefits.

Handling of the reforms is criticised in the report in particular assessments and their failure in supporting some of the most vulnerable.

In the words of one person living with HIV: “I had to appeal against my medical assessment. When it went to appeal it was given to me and not only that they decided I should have been in support group of ESA. This is so stressful and makes problems worse when having to appeal and money reduced until it is sorted.”

According to a Counterpoint Spokesperson the combination of benefit cuts to people living with HIV and funding cuts to HIV charities are placing people at risk.  “All of our charities are seeing a lot more people coming in who are homeless and sleeping on friends’ sofas, have no money to pay for basic essentials such as travel or clothing and can’t afford to feed themselves and their children.”

As a result the Counterpoint Policy Alliance is launching a new campaign ‘No-one should leave the clinic hungry’ to raise awareness of these problems.  “We need to bring this issue to the attention of the NHS, MPs, Local Authorities and all those who can help change these punitive policies.  Anyone who doesn’t have enough to eat will suffer poor health, and this is worse if you are living with HIV in getting the right foods to keep fit and healthy.  If we don’t act now this problem could become a crisis for many people living with HIV.”

To download the summary report CLICK HERE:

For more information about NAZ Project London, CLICK HERE:    

For more information about Positive East, CLICK HERE:         

For more information about Positively UK, CLICK HERE:                         

 

 

THT say postal HIV test scheme is a success

A postal HIV testing scheme received over 3,000 orders in one weekend; showing “significant demand” for option to test at home says Terrence Higgins Trust (THT).

THT

HIV and sexual health charity THT received more than 3,000 requests for postal HIV tests during one weekend, demonstrating “significant nationwide demand and acceptability” for the option to test for HIV at home.

This figure is included in initial findings from the charity’s HIV self-sampling scheme, presented today at the British HIV Association (BHIVA) Conference.

The scheme, which launched in January 2013, invited groups at increased risk of infection to place an order online and receive a free HIV test kit through the post. Users were asked to provide a finger-prick of blood, which they then posted to a laboratory for testing. The result was returned within 14 days, either by text message (if the result was negative), or with a telephone call to provide support and referral to a specialist HIV service (if the result was positive).

The scheme was launched in partnership with Public Health England and was promoted through HIV Prevention England’s campaign It Starts With Me.

Key findings from the pilot of the self-sampling scheme include:

• 9,868 HIV test kits were ordered between January and September 2013, 64% of which were returned.

• 73% of those who returned a test were gay or bisexual men, while around 4.4% were African (the two communities at increased risk of HIV in the UK).

• 32% of those who returned a test had never tested for HIV before, and 25% had not tested in the last 12 months.

• 1.7% of the returned tests were positive, rising to 1.8% among gay and bisexual men and 3.6% among Africans.

• 97% of a sample of 915 users agreed that they would use the HIV self-sampling service again.

In March 2014, following a concerted marketing push during its second phase, the scheme received more than 3,000 postal orders in one weekend.

Dr Michael Brady, Medical Director at Terrence Higgins Trust, said: “We set up this pilot because people were telling us they would be more likely to test for HIV in the privacy of their own home. What we hadn’t anticipated was just how popular the scheme would be, with demand very nearly outstripping supply on more than one occasion.

“Given the scale of public demand, and the positive feedback from those who have used the service, it is likely that HIV self-sampling will form a key strut of our prevention work in the UK from this point on. It also suggests there may be reasonable demand for HIV self-testing once an approved kit goes on sale.”

There are currently more than 100,000 people living with HIV in the UK. However, around 22% of those with the virus remain undiagnosed. Undiagnosed infection is widely recognised as a key factor driving the UK’s HIV epidemic, as someone who remains undiagnosed is much more likely to pass the virus on unwittingly than someone who has tested and is on treatment.

From Sunday, April 6, the sale of HIV self-testing kits – where a person performs an HIV test on themselves and receives an immediate result – will become legal in the UK. However, no kit has yet been approved that is available for sale. It is likely that the first approved kits will be available by late 2014 or early 2015.

For further information on HIV testing, CLICK HERE:

 

Campaigners launch new guide to help private tenants know their rights and responsibilities

Home Sweet Home campaigners launch a tenant’s guide to renting with the Brighton Students Union and the Residential Landlords Association.

Photo: Konnah Farrow-Guy.
Photo: Konnah Farrow-Guy.

Home Sweet Home is a community campaign to improve private rented sector housing in Brighton and Hove.

Last night leaders from the campaign came together at Brighton Students Union to launch a new tenants guide to better inform students of their rights as tenants.

The guide emerged from a long period of research by campaigners into what tenants felt were the most important issues that they faced in privately rented housing. One of the most pressing concerns that came out this research was that, most often, tenants felt they did not know their rights, their responsibilities, or what levels of service to expect and what to look out for when renting a home. This was especially true amongst student renters, many of whom were living alone for the first time in their lives.

As part of the launch, leaders shared their stories and experiences of living in poor private accommodation in Brighton and Hove, and why they got involved in the campaign to change things for the better.

Home Sweet Home leader Chris Henry, said: “Tonight has been great to see the strength of support that the campaign has gathered, and it’s great to know we have so many people behind us as we take the campaign for better private rented accommodation forward in the future.”

People from across the city also got up to pledge their support for Home Sweet Home and what the campaign is trying to achieve.

Andy Winter, from Brighton Housing Trust, said: “When I heard about the work that Home Sweet Home was doing and some of the scandalous conditions they were exposing, I realised how much further we still have to go for housing in Brighton. I don’t think anyone can ignore what Home Sweet Home has done now.

“In Brighton and Hove we have some amazingly good private landlords and some real rogues, some people who are unethical, some people who really and frankly deserve to be in prison for the conditions that they let their homes in.”

Labour Parliamentary Candidate for Hove and Portslade Peter Kyle, added: “Having gone through a similar experience at my time at university living in substandard housing, I regret bitterly that I didn’t do something about it at the time and that I wasn’t involved and working alongside other people and other students in the same position to try and make a difference, and that’s the extraordinary thing that’s happening here today and that’s really inspiring”

Gary Waller from the Southern Landlords Association, said: “I’m very aware that there is a lot of poor standards of property in the town. We suffer particularly from landlords who have looked at property investments as a way of making money in an era of poor pension returns, poor interest rate returns and people have piled into Brighton Let property as a way of enhancing their returns.

“I believe landlords can make good money out of student accommodation and provide good quality accommodation at the same time

“I fully support everything that HSH is doing and as an association the Southern Landlords association fully support improving standards in rented accommodation in Brighton”

Chris McDermott from the University of Sussex Chaplaincy, concluded: “I’ve been keenly interested to support the students and their campaign to pressure landlords and estate agents to actually adopt more transparent and fair practices

“Having housing that is up to standard, housing that is provided with fairness and transparency on the part of the agents and landlords, echoes the core of your wellbeing. If you’re living in a situation where houses and physical structures are being neglected, you’re discovering hidden charges you weren’t expecting, deposits are being kept – that so utterly demoralising and so devastating to one’s own sense of wellbeing” 

 

 

 

REVIEW: Pam Ann: Fly Tour

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Pam Ann

Fly Tour 2014

Pam Ann started her new 2014 Tour ‘Fly‘ at the Leicester Square Theatre Last night.I’m going to try and keep this review free from airline puns and clichés as to do so would be to do a disservice to such a great performer.

She’s crude, rude, loud, offensive, borderline racist , stunningly  vulgar, shocking and remorseless and that’s just in her quiet reflective moments, when she’s really flying and that jagged merciless wit has got something to chew on, she’s a real scary prospect.

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Pam Ann, the alter ego of Australian writer and comedian Caroline Reid  for the last few decades, just gets better with age, and by better I mean even more brutal than before.  We love her for what she does; we also love her for what she doesn’t do, which is taking the easy way. I always think when watching Reid that it’s interesting when such a relentlessly sharp performer gets trapped behind a character and that’s mostly the only way we get to see them. I suspect the other gays would lynch me for suggesting there’s more to Reid than Pam Ann and as they fill her seats she gives ‘em what they want. Don’t get me wrong I think Pam Ann is wonderful, an education in frank delightful humour, but there are moments when you see Reid reign herself in, away from the deep dark edges where her mind is taking her and yanks us  back into the limits of her character, safe in the familiar. Reid keeps her profound moments well disguised and that’s our loss. Pam Ann might have a remit as wide as a hippos yawn but I, for one, would love to see Reid come out from behind that astonishing wig and really give us what for.

Reid knows how to work an audience and understands what her audience wants from her too and occasionally stoops to give it. In between picking off various air crew and the countries they represent she roams across a range of subjects from religion to the nature of hope, keeping the audience laughing all the way.

The show is split into three parts with some mash-up films with Pam Ann now staring in them, they are well done and funny and add to the show as do the wonderful costumes that Reid sports. If I had one criticism it’s the air punching way she starts each segment with a hip grinding dance track, although the majority of the packed house didn’t seem to mind.

If you’ve not seen Pam Ann perform then check out a bit from her last tour here:

pam-ann-2014

However, this is not about me, it’s about her and this is a great show, lots of new material, some wonderful off the cuff moments, the usual warm savaging of members of the audience and jaw achingly funny racial stereotypes ( or observations…)  being pushed in our faces; she’s nowt if not brave is Our Pam. She lectures on manners when being shocking rude, on morals when being debauched, on kindness when being bitingly harsh and on high ideals when spouting vulgarity. Her foul mouthed tirade of abuse is wrapped in her tongue in cheek Australian eloquence. This effortless contradiction is the core of Pam Ann and it’s why we love her. She’s us reflected back at ourselves. Not as we are, but how we would like to be. If, like her, we had the balls. Oh, and the talent.

Oh, and if you get there early, pop into the church right next door  (Notre Dame de France) to the theatre as it has a rather stunning  mural by renowned homo Jean Cocteau.

Roll on another ten years of Pam!

She’s in London every night until the 26th April, so if you know what’s good for you, you’ll book now, as in NOW!

She’s worth it, even if you are economy seat scum.

For more info or to book tickets see her website here:

Leicester Square Theatre

6 Leicester Place,

London,

WC2H 7BX

 

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