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Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia in sport matters

People often say that low-level banter doesn’t matter and phrases such as That’s so gay for many is acceptable. However, there is now plenty of evidence that young people hear this and their views about sport are affected by this.

 

BLAGSSLGBT people can play sport, can play at the highest levels and there is no limit to where LGBT people can go in sport.

We only need to look at:

♦  Tom Daley – Diving, Olympic Bronze medal winner

♦  Alan Hansord – Cricket

♦  Casey Stoney MBE – ‘ Football Captained Britain’s World Cup team

♦  Kate Richardson-Walsh – Hockey and GB women’s captain. Bronze medal winners in 2012 London Olympics

♦  Keegan Hurst – Rugby League

♦  Nicola Adam, MBE – Boxing, Gold medal winner at London 2012 Olympics, first woman to win a boxing title.

♦  Kelly Maloney – Boxing Promoter

♦  Sophie Cook – Bournemouth AFC Official Photographer.

You might well ask, if LGBT sports people are doing so well in sport now, why do we need LGBT sports sessions and LGBT sports clubs?

♦  Firstly, LGBT inclusive or specific sports clubs encourage LGBT people to play sport.

♦  Secondly, no matter how much of an inclusive policy sports clubs have, we still get asked questions that assume we are straight.

A local gay man recently told me when he first moved to Brighton and joined a running club, he was asked if he had met any nice girls yet!  We have to come out each time we meet new people in sport – and it can be wearing!!!  Even the most well-meaning mainstream sports clubs can be inaccessible to us without them realising it.

It’s not just homophobia, biphobia and transphobia though – the Kick It Out campaign shows us just how much racism still pervades sports events, Just A Ball Game shows how homophobia affects football.  The This Girl Can campaign by Sport England showed us just how difficult it is for women to challenge stereotypes and get involved in sport.

Here in Brighton we have several clubs and societies that aim to create an inclusive sporting environment for all LGBT people to be themselves.

BLAGSS is a Brighton and Hove based sports and social group that has around 400 lesbian, gay, bi and transgender (LGBT) members from across Brighton and Hove, Sussex and beyond.

They aim to encourage LGBT people to get active and play sport: thus enriching their lives, promoting health and fitness and developing sporting talent in the LGBT community. A bi-product of going along to BLAGSS events is meeting others and forming friendships.

There is no typical BLAGSS ‘type’. Members are all different shapes, sizes, ages and abilities, and participate in sports as varied as badminton, football, golf, cycling (and many, many more).  All sports at BLAGSS are run by volunteers. Hardworking Sports co-ordinators arrange times, venues, coaches, matches etc.  There is no ‘corporate BLAGSS’ – just a small team of volunteers on the committee that oversees the work of the society.

And it’s not just about sport; with around 700 different sporting and social meetings each year, BLAGSS is a great way to meet people, keep fit, and have fun.

How do you find out about what’s on offer?

Just log on to their website www.blagss.org and have a look at all the sports sessions available. If you like what you see, it costs £15 to join BLAGSS for a year and you can go along to any of their sporting sessions.  Some sessions have a fee attached – for court or pitch hire, and sometimes to pay the coach, but all this information is on the website.

Everyone is very friendly, love meeting new people, so go along and join in.

Sports available at BLAGSS include:

♦ Badminton – Meets on Thursdays for those who have played before.  Beginners are encouraged to go along on the first Thursday of the month. Open to all LGBT people, you just need a racquet and indoor shoes. email: badminton@blagss.org

Cricket – Street Cricket is a new sport in BLAGSS.  They will be establishing a series of training sessions during the spring and summer, leading to a LGBT cricket tournament in the summer.  The team is open to all LGBT people and  you won’t need cricket whites, but good trainers in which you can run are essential. email: cricket@blagss.org

Cycling – Rides are arranged throughout the year – usually at weekends. They range from short social rides (usually involving cake) to longer rides of about 35 – 40 miles.  The rides are open to all LGBT people – just pick the distance that’s best for you.  You will need a bicycle, helmet and lock. email: cycling@blagss.org

BLAGSS Football

Football – Thursday night is the regular indoor football at Brighton College.  There are two sessions: 6-7pm PROS (pretty physical and competitive) and 7-8pm VIRGINS (gentler but still with a competitive edge). Both sessions are mixed by gender and if unsure of your ability go along to a virgins session first. Indoor trainers are essential. Matches arranged at weekends against other clubs. email: football@blagss.org

Golf – BLAGSS Golf is a LGBT golf society, with a range of golfers from beginners to low handicappers. They are, friendly and supportive, regardless of your ability and just want more LGBT people to play golf! Annual lessons for beginners and improvers are arranged. You will need a playing shirt with a collar and golf shoes. Clubs are provided for beginner lessons. email: golf@blagss.org

Orienteering – BLAGSS works with Southdown Orienteers using maps and compasses to navigate routes on the South Downs. email: orienteering@blagss.org

♦ Petanque  – Meets weekly on Thursdays during the summer months to play this version of French Boules.  Absolute beginners can go along, all equipment can be provided. Comfortable clothes are needed. email: Petanque@blagss.org

Running –  Meets every Saturday morning in Preston Park. In the summer weeks there is an additional run in the evening at Stamner Park.  They offer varied running and circuit training session to suit all abilities followed by coffee and cake!  You will need suitable clothing, and shoes you can run in. email: running@blagss.org

Squash  –  Mixed intermediate level squash currently offered on Tuesday evenings using glass backed courts.  Everyone is welcome to join – whatever your current playing level.  Indoor shoes and a squash racquet are needed. email: squash@blagss.org

Table Tennis – is a very friendly but competitive group that was playing at King Alfred Centre, but is looking for a new home.  All levels of players will be welcome at the new home. email: tabletennis@blagss.org to find out where they will be playing in future.

Tennis – Play every Sunday (weather permitting), new players are very welcome.  Other sessions are also organised. You must be able to serve and maintain a rally. They play competitively in the local Parks League, Gay Games  and EuroGames tournaments. email: tennis@blagss.org

Tennis Virgins – Play every Wednesday. It is a perfect place for those who have not played tennis in a while or for those who do not feel they have the skills or confidence to join the main BLAGSS Tennis group yet.  email: tennisvirgins@blagss.org

Ten Pin Bowling – Play fortnightly on Tuesdays.  This is a social, rather than competitive group who enjoy a couple of good games then a social drink! All equipment can be hired from the Bowling Alley. email bowling@blagss.org

Walking – Organise a series of different walks with different challenges in the local area. Saturday walks tend to be shorter, Sunday walks 7 miles or so.  There are also walking weekends arranged during the summer months. Go along to the friendly Friday evening walks in the summer – a great way to relax and unwind after a long week, and make friends too. email: walking@blagss.org

Yoga – is a great counterbalance to other sports. Many international sportsmen and women now practice Yoga to maintain and enhance their competitive performance. You need  loose/comfortable clothing , a towel to lie on and something warm to wear afterwards. email: yoga@blagss.org

International LGBT sports events are now well established and form an important part of the annual LGBT calendar of events.


Coming international LGBT Sports events include:

EuroGames 2016

EuroGames 2016 Helsinki

The 16th EuroGames event will be held in Helsinki and the neighbouring cities of Vantaa and Espoo from Wednesday June 29 to Saturday July 2 and is being hosted by HOT Helsinki Sports Club.

There will be at least 14 different sports disciplines including: badminton, basketball, bowling, bridge, dancing, floorball, football, golf, squash, swimming, tennis, track and field, cross-country running and volleyball. Non-competitive sporting events such as yoga will also be featured. BLAGSS football team will be representing Brighton & Hove along with golfers, runners and tennis players.

More than 3,000 athletes are expected to register along with 2,000 visitors from all over the world including neighbours Russia and the Baltic states. Helsinki Pride takes place during EuroGames from June 27 – July 3.

For more information, click here: 


World Out Games 2017 

World Out Games 2017 miami

Thousands of athletes, spectators and thought leaders from around the globe will converge on Miami for World OutGames IV from May 26 to June 4, 2017 The 10-day event will bring to life more than 450 events across three areas: Sport, Culture and Human Rights. World OutGames Miami will challenge you physically, stimulate you intellectually and enliven you emotionally. Be part of it all, and leave transformed for the better – in your mind, your body and your heart.

For more information, click here: 


Gay Games 2018

ParisGayGames

The Federation of Gay Games (FGG) is the sanctioning body of the Gay Games which was founded in 1982 by Tom Waddell, after he dealt first-hand with the prejudice towards gay athletes and their inability to openly participate in sporting events. FGG is founded on the principles of “participation, inclusion, and personal best” and continues to support the LGBT community not only through the Gay Games but through scholarships for underprivileged members. FGG continues to expand throughout the world and accepts members of any sexual orientation and nationality to participate in the games or contribute. The 10th Edition of the Gay Games will be staged in Paris, France from August 4-12, 2018, where 15,000 athletes from over 70 countries are expected to take part in 35 sporting disciplines.

For more information, click here: 

 

Star Wars under the stars at Brighton’s Big Screen 2016!

Brighton’s Big Screen returns to Brighton Beach next to the Pier and Volks Railway from June 10 to July 10.

Brighton Big Screen

This years line-up is jam-packed with over 30 blockbuster, classic and family movies plus live coverage of the European Football Championships in France and matches from Wimbledon.

Films to be shown include: Star Wars, The Force Awakens, Spectre, Inside out, Jaws, Dirty Dancing, Grease and Labyrinth to name a few.

There will also be a huge beach bar, pop-up restaurants, premium covered seating and VIP area with bookable ibis SweetBeds.


Tickets are now on sale from £3 per person.

General admission to watch the football is free

♦ £3 – General admission for all films

♦ £7 – Premium grandstand seating for films and football

♦ £30 – Full VIP treatment including: food, drinks, premium seat, popcorn & ice cream

For more information, click here:

OBITUARY: Gonul Zeki 1960 – 2016

 

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It is with incredible sadness that I have to announce that my dear friend, and my lesbian big ‘sister’, Gonul Zeki passed away at The Martlets Hospice on Saturday, March 5, 2016 after a long and brave fight against cancer. She was just 55 years old. Her wife Debbie Brixey was by her side until the very end. In fact Debbie had hardly left Go’s bedside for the past 10 days – these two women were utterly devoted to each other.

A photographer and graphic designer by profession, Gonul (known to her friends as Go) is best known for her company Shrinking Violet Designs who were a regular feature at pride festivals around Britain for the past twenty years with her trademark t-shirts and mugs. Many of her unique designs featured the ‘C’ word, mainly because she had a completely potty mouth and, as she often used to tell me, it was also her favourite word (before she would then call me ‘one’…). If you’ve ever seen anyone wearing a t-shirt or mug with I Can’t Even Think Straight!, I Think My Girlfriend Might Be A Lesbian, Honorary Lesbian, Boys Who Do Boys or Ladies Muff Diving Team – then that will have been one of Go’s designs.

Gonul was born in Cyprus in 1960 to Turkish Cypriot parents. When she was nine and it became obvious that the political situation was deteriorating her family decided to leave everything and came to London, although they told her that they were going on holiday to visit relatives. Go arrived without being able to speak a word of English but she soon went to school and became friends with a Greek girl called Helen who has remained one of her closest friends. Their friendship is also a delicious irony considering the Cypriot Civil war was all about hatred between the Turks and the Greeks. Go didn’t do baseless hatred.

After finishing her education, Go got a job at the famous Woburn Studios where she trained in photography, graphic design and reprographics becoming a professional photographer as the 1980’s dawned.

Gonul soon became involved in London’s increasingly visible lesbian and gay scene. Her images became flyers for many women’s club nights as well as nights at Heaven and for Diva magazine. She used to love whizzing around London in her beloved sports cars (which were often red). She even learnt to drive in a MG Midget. “I was the lesbian people noticed” as she once said to me.

In the mid 1980s Go became involved in the LLGC (the London Lesbian & Gay Centre) in Farringdon and this was where she first met her future wife Debbie. Debbie says she used to regularly be press-ganged by Go into ‘volunteering’ for various jobs such as running the bar or being the bouncer at the women’s disco. There was often a fight, which Debbie then had to break up. ‘The Brixey look’ is something Debbie is still famous for and it can stop traffic if she wants it to. The two kept in touch for a few years afterwards with Go often whisking Debbie off for lunch in her red Triumph Spitfire but their two planets wouldn’t align again for another twenty-five years. More of that later.

During the 1990’s Go spent a lot of time in the USA mainly in Florida. It was around this time that she became friends with Gabriella who has remained her closest friend. I had the privilege of meeting Gabby a few weeks ago when she flew in from San Francisco to visit her best friend for the last time. The three of them spent several days together swearing at each other and crying in equal measures. Gabby also provided some much-needed love and support for Debbie and the two have continued to share friendly insults and love via telephone and messenger in the days since Go’s death.

Go had to return to London in the late 2000’s when her mother became terminally ill. Within months of her mother’s death, her father also became ill and he passed 18 months later. Throughout this time Go travelled the length and breadth of the UK during ‘Pride Season’ pitching her Shrinking Violet stall at most Pride festivals to “spread the C-word” as she liked to put it.

Gonul and Debbie

Fast-forward to 2012 and Gonul and Debbie find each other again on Facebook. They start chatting, then they start flirting, then they meet up and by early 2014 they had fallen in love and they both decided to leave London to start a new life together buying their beloved home together in Saltdean moving down with their 7 cats They married at Brighton Register Office in the December of that same year.

Go and I became friends through the ‘Save Brighton Pride As We Know It’ Facebook campaign that she started in 2011. I got involved because I had been a trustee of Brighton Pride in 2003/4 before I took on 3SIXTY magazine with others in 2004. At that time we both shared the belief that the people running Brighton Pride had lost their way and I whole-heartedly supported her fight, along with several other people, to reclaim it for the gay community of Brighton. The campaign worked – just look at the success Brighton Pride has become since Paul Kemp took it on. Much of this is thanks to Go and also her good mate Laura Bright.

Go was diagnosed with cancer in late 2014. She went through several painful operations, a lot of chemotherapy, and radiotherapy too – but ultimately it didn’t work. She fought so hard and never really gave up hope although deep down she knew she was going to die. Last October she helped me clear out my flat up in London in her trusty Transit van. As we swopped London shagging and cruising stories on our way through Hammersmith, she turned to me and said “Jamie – you know it’s terminal. Please look after Debbie for me when I die.” I started blubbing and she turned to me, told me to man up and then handed me a lit cigarette. That’s why I loved her. It’s the little things.

A couple of weeks before Go died, she wasn’t in a good way but she wanted to get out of the house and do something that wasn’t about her cancer. So Graeme and I decided a picnic at our beach hut on Hove Promenade was just the ticket. We duly collected the ladies from Saltdean (Go was in a wheelchair by now, so it wasn’t the easiest thing to orchestrate) and we spent a couple of hours in the winter sun, eating egg sandwiches and drinking coffee out of a Thermos. We all remarked that we felt like we were in a Victoria Wood sketch.

Gonul Zeki was a one-off. She was a force of nature. She was fiercely loyal to her friends but she had no time for fakes or for arse holes or for people who were vain. She had an incredibly strong moral compass and she had impeccable manners. She was also an old school lesbian: she didn’t hate men, she just loved women. She also loved cats. Lots of cats.

There aren’t many gays or lesbians these days who stick their head over the parapet. We’re often too busy staring at Grindr or at Facebook. Gonul did stick her head above the parapet, in fact she would actually build a ladder (using her own power tools of course) and then she would jump down so she could have a pop at various ‘idiots’. They don’t make them like that any more. We all owe her an awful lot of thanks.

I loved this woman and I know Debbie will love her for the rest of her life.

Jamie Hakim, March 2016

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New poster promotes Allsorts’ services for LGBTU young people in Brighton

Allsorts PosterBrighton-based Allsorts Youth Project publish new poster promoting its services that support and empower young people under 26 who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans or unsure (LGBTU) of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity.

 

Allsorts Youth Project supports LGBTU young people to take a lead in raising awareness of homophobia, biphobia and transphobia and challenge prejudice and discrimination in all areas of young people’s lives.

In the past year Allsorts has worked with about 250 young people through its four projects for different age groups. It also has a busy parents’ group, and works in eight secondary schools in Brighton and Hove.

Ben Dew, the charity’s Operations Director and Schools Work Coordinator, said: “We hope other charities and voluntary organisations, Brighton and Hove City Council, the health service and the education service will use the poster to get our message out across the city to help us reach more young people who will benefit from our services.”

For more information about Allsorts, click here:

 

 

BRUT to co-host men’s zone at Brighton Pride

If you go down to the park this Brighton Pride you will be in for a bear surprise.

Brut at Brighton Pride 2016

London’s biggest and best men only party for bears, blokes, cubs and hunks Brut is joining the boys at Brighton Bear Weekend to bring the furry fun back to Preston Park.

Brut’s Martyn Fitzgerald said of world renown club night’s plans: “We’re massively looking forward to bringing back the juggernaut men-only night that is Brut to host the Bear Tent at Brighton Pride. After the belter that was our Pride after-party last year we’re delighted to be invited to take part in the Pride Festival during the day this year and then host one of the official after parties at Concorde 2. Brut is London’s hottest night for bears, blokes, cubs and hunks focussed on upfront, uplifting house and we can’t wait to bring that party vibe down to Brighton”.

As for the DJ line-up it couldn’t be hotter as Brut bring their trademark house sounds to the seaside and the UK’s biggest Pride celebration.

DJ Dreadful will get the party off to a lively start at noon playing a mash-up of party classics before Brighton Bear Weekend take over the decks until 5pm. After BBW, Beef Mince’s Silverhook will ramp the tempo up for Ben Jamin (6-7pm), Ross Jones (7-8pm), Tom Stephan (8-9) and Louis Lennon till the close at 10pm.

Brut at Brighton Pride 2016. Nothing will be finer, nothing will be furrier and nothing will be more fabulous as the bears, cubs, blokes and handsome hunks get down with Brut at Brighton Pride this August.

To buy tickets online for Brighton Pride Festival, on Saturday, August 6, click here:

Lesbian, gay or bisexual individuals twice as likely to suffer mental health issues

Adults who identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB) are twice as likely as heterosexual adults to suffer from anxiety or depression.

London Metropolitan University

These are the findings of new research from UCL, London Metropolitan University and Public Health England.

The study, published today in BMC Psychiatry, highlights the need for healthcare policy to address the needs of the LGB community. It suggests that clinicians should ensure that they provide health and well-being services in which LGB patients can disclose their sexual orientation and receive supportive and integrated care.

Dr Gareth Hagger-Johnson (UCL Institute of Child Health), senior author, said: “We found that, in the UK, LGB adults have higher prevalence of poor mental health and low wellbeing when compared to heterosexuals – particularly younger and older LGB adults. Sexual orientation identity should be measured routinely in all health studies and in administrative data in the UK in order to influence national and local policy development and delivery. These results reiterate the need for local government, NHS providers and public health policy makers to consider how to address inequalities in mental health among these minority groups.”

The report, based on a systematic review of the prevalence of mental disorder, suicidality and self-harm in LGB people, showed that these populations experience greater incidences of depression, anxiety, suicidality and substance misuse than heterosexuals.

The data, pooled from 12 population surveys in the UK including the Understanding Society 2011/2012 study, were based on a combination of home visits and telephone interviews, self-completed questionnaires and web surveys.

Out of 94, 818 participants, 1.1% identified as lesbian/gay; 0.9% as bisexual; and 0.8% as ‘other’

The study did not look at the causes behind the association between mental health and sexual identity, but suggests that further research into these is required in order to address what can be done to try to reduce the incidence of mental health in LGB people. While the reasons for the association are not fully understood, the report suggests that experience of discrimination or being stigmatised can lead to mental disorder, as can early exposure to adversity.

Dr Joanna Semlyen (London Metropolitan University), first author, said: “Minority groups are more likely to experience internal and external manifestations of prejudice, victimization, and discrimination which can lead to health problems because these experiences are internalised. The stress brought about by this may lead people who identify as non-heterosexual to experience poorer mental-health and wellbeing, unhealthy behaviours, and worse physical health. They may be more prone to risky behaviour such as smoking, hazardous drinking, and substance abuse – all of which have been pointed to as being particularly prevalent among the LGB community in other recent studies and literature.”

These inequalities may emerge in early adulthood and persist throughout an adult’s life suggesting that this negative impact could be reduced via positive attitudes and family support. Many adults do not disclose their sexual orientation to their GPs and other health professionals, which can also delay access to treatments.

For more information, click here:

Can you give a loving home to these three little girls?

 

Leading adoption charity Adoption Matters are searching for an adoptive family for Lilly aged five, Brodie aged three and Evie aged two and are urging the LGBT community to help.

Lilly, Brodie and Evie
Lilly, Brodie and Evie

The charity is looking for a family who can help the girls stay together as they have such a strong and close bond with each other. Their  bespoke family finding service encourages families to come forward and adopt children who may have been waiting longer for a family. Any families interested in adopting the girls will be fully trained and supported by Adoption Matters and their partnership centre for adoption support service.

Finding a family for a sibling group of three children is never easy and is a big ask of any parent.  With recent research from LinkMaker* showing that 6 in 10 (63 per cent) of the same-sex couples waiting for a match were open to adopting more than one child, compared to 5 in 10 (47 per cent) of the opposite-sex couples.  The charity is targeting the LGBT community to consider adopting this sibling group.

The girls foster carers say: “All they need is love, care and structure”. 

Lilly aged five is a lovely, bubbly sociable little girl with a fun sense of humour who makes everyone around her smile and laugh. Lilly has developmental delay and health needs. She is a determined and strong-willed girl who has developed and thrived so much since being in care.

Brodie aged three loves to dance around to her favourite music and likes make-believe play.

Evie aged two loves her phones and is always calling people for a chat!  She is kind, gentle and very sociable, her carer say she’s a bit of a nosey parker!

Both Brodie and Evie are meeting all their developmental milestones and are doing very well.

Bespoke family finding service manager Amreen Riaz says: “The girls have so much to offer and would be incredibly rewarding. 

“They have such a close bond that we really want to find a family who can help them stay together.

“All enquiries will be considered carefully and you do not have to be an approved adopter to enquire. What matters most is you have the time and commitment to offer the girls a stable and loving family life, we will guide you through the whole process.  We will offer a full package of support and training to the girls and their future family.”

Adoption Matters adopters Luke & Sam, who adopted a sibling group of boys aged four and six shared their story this month for LGBT Adoption & Fostering Week.

To read it: click here

For more information on these girls, click here:

Or telephone: 0300 123 1066.

 

HIV testing frequency guidelines not being met

Gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM), including those thought to be at ‘high risk’, are not getting HIV tests often enough, according to new research.

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The study, which was carried out by researchers at the MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow, found that while national guidelines suggest all MSM test annually for HIV and those “at higher risk” every three months, neither recommendation is being met.

The study, newly published in the HIV Medicine Journal, is the first to explore the frequency of HIV testing amongst MSM in the UK. It found that fewer than one in five men reported having four or more tests in the last two years, while the authors estimated that only 54.9% MSM test annually.

Dr Lisa McDaid
Dr Lisa McDaid

Dr Lisa McDaid, the lead author of the study, said: “HIV testing is a core component of current HIV prevention, but despite substantial increases in the uptake of HIV testing in recent years, our results suggest MSM in the UK do not test frequently enough.

“Furthermore, given that current guidelines suggest individuals at risk of HIV test as frequently as every three months – as well as after a risk event – and that men newly diagnosed with HIV are known to have been less frequent testers, there is a clear need to promote frequent testing as routine and address barriers to frequent testing accordingly.”

Among the HIV testers, more than half reported that their most recent test was part of a regular sexual health check and over one third tested in response to a perceived risk event.

The study notes that HIV prevention requires men to “incorporate increasingly complex understandings of transmission risks and adaptive behaviours into their sexual lives” and that there is currently no consensus on who ‘at risk’ groups were.

Overall 21.2% reported taking more than four HIV tests and 33.7% reported two to three tests in the last two years.

The study also found that 56.7% tested for HIV as part of a regular sexual health check and 35.5% tested following a risk event.

The guidelines for HIV testing were set by the British HIV Association (BHIVA), British Association of Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH).

The study looked at data from cross-sectional surveys completed by 2,409 MSM in Edinburgh, Glasgow and London in 2011 and a Scotland-wide online survey conducted in 2012/13.

Dr McDaid said: “Frequent testing will be central to the success of biomedical HIV prevention. HIV self-testing kits are now available in the UK, but it remains to be seen if these can increase testing frequency. Regional, demographic and behavioural differences and variations in the risk profiles of testers also suggest it is unlikely that a ‘one size fits all’ approach to increasing the frequency of testing will be successful.”

The study, Frequency of HIV testing among gay and bisexual men in the UK: implications for HIV prevention is published in HIV Medicine.

The Glasgow/Edinburgh survey was funded by the Medical Research Council and Health Protection Scotland.

The London survey was funded by the Health Protection Agency.

The Scotland-wide Online Survey was partly funded by NHS Lanarkshire BBV and supported by advertising from Gaydar.co.uk and Grindr.

Brighton’s Latest TV to move to freeview channel 7

Latest TV, Brighton’s local community television station is moving up the TV listings.

Latest TV

TV bosses at the channel have confirmed that from April 5, Latest TV will move from freeview channel 8 to freeview channel 7.

The move will make Latest TV even more visible to its local audience of tens of thousands in the Greater Brighton area.

Latest TV will remain on Virgin 159 and live streaming online at www.thelatest.co.uk

Channel manager Erik Selby said: “As a local TV station that brings all the latest news, sport and entertainment to the people of Brighton, being in such a prominent slot is key to the success of the channel, not only for awareness but for all of our viewers’ convenience.

“We now appear on the first page of everyone’s freeview listings alongside some of the nation’s top broadcasters. It not only works for us and our viewers, but also all the local businesses we work with and want to work with in the Greater Brighton area.”

Latest TV launched in August 2014 from its studio close to the city’s Brighton Pier and broadcasts 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

It’s mix of local news, sport, and entertainment reaches more than 400,000 households in the Brighton, Hove, Adur and Worthing region.

Latest viewing figures show that more than 200,000 people a month are tuning in either on freeview, Virgin Media or online.

Big businesses are also on side with key partners including Brighton and Hove Buses, Brighton i360 and Brighton Lookers.

Selby, who was appointed earlier this month, said: “Latest is already integrated into the core of Brighton and beyond with Latest 7, Latest Homes magazine, Latest Music Bar and now Latest TV.

“What a better way to provide a great service to the people and businesses of Brighton than by bringing a free, 24/7 channel on such a great number on Freeview.

“And for those who don’t have access, we have a fantastic new website – www.thelatest.co.uk – which has live streaming of our channel as well as lots of other features and is already attracting tens of thousands of viewers.”

For more details on the move and how to retune, click here:

OPINION: Just Another Case of History Repeating Itself

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It’s October 1977 and five members from the group Campaign for Homosexual Equality (CHE) have rocked up outside The Corn Exchange in Brighton to picket John Inman’s new show.

Why? Because they believed his flamboyant character from hit TV show Are You Being Served? isn’t helping their cause. But what do John Inman and Russell Tovey, the homosexual actor from TV shows Looking and Being Human, have in common?

John Inman is most famous for his limp-wristed character, Mr Humphries, in the hit TV show Are You Being Served? and his infamous catchphrase I’m Free! was bringing laughs to TV viewers up and down the UK.

In October 1977, a handful of members from the group CHE disagreed with the millions of TV viewers and picketed his Brighton show. CHE was set up to promote equality for lesbians, gay men and bisexuals in England and Wales so you’d think a homosexual character on a prime time TV show would be great right?…Well no.

The few individuals from the group handed out leaflets to passers-by blaming Mr Inman for depicting homosexuals as sexually obsessed, too extravagant in manner and too easily eager to ‘drag up’. The group insisted that most homosexuals did not behave like Mr Humphries and that Inman was contributing to television’s distortion of their image.

John Inman in an interview about the subject, said: “they thought I was over exaggerating the gay character. But I don’t think I do. In fact there are people far more camp than Mr.Humphries walking around this country. Anyway, I know for a fact that an enormous number of viewers like Mr. Humphries and don’t really care whether he’s camp or not. So far from doing harm to the homosexual image, I feel I might be doing some good.”

It’s also interesting to note that the sexuality of Mr Humphries was never explicitly stated in the show and according to Inman and David Croft, a cowriter of Are you Being Served?, actually stated the character was “just a mother’s boy”. Inman carried on with the camp mannerisms to his live performances and said that if he didn’t, the audiences soon became disappointed.

Fast forward 38 years and the out gay actor, Russell Tovey, is pulled up for a recent interview he did with The Observer. His crimes? For his comments on effeminacy and suggesting that there is something wrong with being camp.

During an interview with The Observer newspaper he said: “I feel like I could have been really effeminate, if I hadn’t gone to the school I went to. Where I felt like I had to toughen up. If I’d have been able to relax, prance around, sing in the street, I might be a different person now. I thank my dad for that, for not allowing me to go down that path. Because it’s probably given me the unique quality that people think I have.”

You may be asking what is wrong with that comment? Well let me break it down for you, it suggests that there’s something wrong with being camp because he is glad he isn’t. “If I’d have been able to relax, prance around, sing in the street”, it also paints camp in a certain light that all camp people prance and sing. It casts effeminacy in a scornful light.

So what exactly is wrong with that comment? Well let’s have a look at it.

What Tovey is implying here is that there’s something wrong with effeminate men that the guys who ‘prance around’ as he so eloquently puts it, are perhaps lesser to the more masculine gay guys in this world. The comment instantly puts camp as a lesser, casting a scornful light on people’s natural state. Our gay society is already fractured and comments from influential famous, out, actors like this turn those fractures into full on cracks.

Tovey continues… “I surrender. You got me. I’m sat baffled and saddened that a misfired inarticulate quote of mine has branded me worst gay ever” he took to Twitter “I’m proud to be who I am and proud for others. We’re in this together, I want you to know whatever you think I meant, I didn’t.” which doesn’t sound like much of an apology.

Instead of wording his interview better by saying “I’m butch and get used to it”, he took to offending the effeminate crowd, something with the growing Grindr trend of “no fat, no femmes” is becoming more apparent but that’s for entirely different blog!

Instead of wording his interview better by, perhaps saying something like ‘I’m masc, deal with it’, he went off on a rant, riling the more effeminate crowd. Sadly, he’s not alone. It only takes one scroll through hook up apps like Grindr to be faced with ‘no fat, no femmes’ which is a really worrying phrase. How can we look for acceptance if we can’t accept ourselves?

I wonder what Russell Tovey makes of effeminate characters on TV? Perhaps he would have been in that crowd outside Inman’s Brighton show, berating the representation of gays. In the words of Shirley Bassey,“sounds like a little bit of history repeating”.

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