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Boxing for all – free classes in Eastbourne

The University of Brighton and Eastbourne Boxing Club join forces to promote boxing to members of the LGBT+ communities and to research best practice for the entire country.

Free boxing classes are being offered in Eastbourne over four weeks in May with the aim of encouraging members of the LGBT+ communities and their friends to join regular club nights.

The event is being funded by the university’s Community University Partnership Programme and is supported by organisations including England Boxing, the university’s Springboard Grants Programme which provides awards to university Students’ Union-recognised societies and university sports clubs and teams, and Love Fighting Hate Violence, an anti-violence campaign launched by Dr Christopher R. Matthews and Dr Alex Channon, both senior lecturers at the university.

Dr Matthews, who researches gender theory, men’s health, drug use, violence, combat sports and inequality in the workplace, has organised the sessions and will be involved in coaching participants.

He said: “My research in boxing has used gender theory to highlight the way in which boxing spaces can be resistant to some of the social shifts that have happened in recent years in terms of issues connected to gender and sexuality.

“As a development of this work, I have wanted to do some action research which engages in tackling these issues. This project represents the first stage in a long-term process where I will produce research, guidelines and policy recommendations.

“England Boxing have been supportive of the work and I hope that once the research is concluded I will be able to work with them and other governing bodies to help spread best practice.”

The classes, an introduction to non-contact amateur boxing, will be held at Eastbourne Boxing Club in Commercial Road, Eastbourne.

For more information and to reserve a place email Dr Matthews at C.Matthews2@brighton.ac.uk

“It feels really good to make young people aware of HIV”

Mark at Brighton Pride wearing Positive Voices t-shirt, with Positive Voices co-ordinator, Sue Riley.

Mark Hamilton, 44, was diagnosed with HIV sixteen years ago. After giving up alcohol three years ago, he now shares his story of living with HIV with young people locally, busting stigma and myths and promoting good sexual health.

Mark, from West Horsham, just outside of Brighton, said: “I gave up drinking three years ago, and as I became more sober I wanted to do something positive, related to my HIV. So at the end of 2015, I approached Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) about going into schools to give talks about HIV as part of their Positive Voices programme.” 

“Kids are sponges, they soak up the information you’re telling them and the questions they ask can be jaw dropping. They are very aware of what is going on around them, probably from the internet, and curious to find out more. That’s why it’s really powerful for us to share our stories and educate them on sexual health.”

The Positive Voices programme, run by THT, empowers local people living with HIV to share their story in schools and colleges to increase awareness and knowledge among young people.

He added: “It feels really good to make young people aware of HIV. Many people don’t know about HIV until it becomes part of their life. I never make my talks all about the doom and gloom – I make them about empowering people to make the right decisions.”

Mark, who was born in the UK and grew up in South African explains how his HIV diagnosis was a shock. “I was diagnosed about 15 or 16 years ago while living in Cape Town. At the time I was binge drinking and probably taking risks because of this, but when I went for the test I had no idea I had HIV.

“Back then the treatment was unaffordable in South Africa – it was the same price as my rent. Just after my diagnosis I contracted TB. I really thought I was dying. I couldn’t take my HIV meds at the same time as my TB meds, so I had to stop taking medication for my HIV which was really risky.

He continued: “In 2005 I moved back to England but my drinking continued. It got worse and worse. I couldn’t walk down the street without feeling self-conscious. On the 10th January 2014 I was arrested for drink driving. It was the wake up call I needed, and I stopped drinking there and then.

When I talk at schools, I include the alcohol element, because young people need to know that alcohol can lead to you taking sexual risks that you might not otherwise take. For me, getting HIV was a result of my drinking.”

Stigma and myths still prevail around HIV, but with Mark’s talks, he is breaking down the stigma and separating fact from fiction.

“It is shocking that young people don’t know the difference between HIV and AIDS. I ask myself ‘how is that possible in today’s society?’

“There are still people run a mile when you tell them you are positive, and there are still people out there that say if you have HIV you shouldn’t work here. The ignorance is shocking.

“People also don’t understand what having an ‘undetectable’ viral load is or how important it is. Even gay men don’t know what it is.”

Mark has an undetectable viral load, which means the amount of HIV in his blood is reduced so much that he cannot pass on the virus.

“This is a game changer. It changes everything. There are opportunities that HIV+ men haven’t taken out of fear of infecting someone.”

Reflecting on his life today, Mark says: “People ask would I do things differently and I always say no. My HIV has put life in a better perspective, I’ve met wonderful people and I’ve had the chance to make a difference to young people.”

To find out more about Positive Voices, contact Sue Riley in Brighton on 01273 764200 or email: sue.riley@tht.org.uk

New campaign highlights importance of reporting unwanted sexual behaviour

Following a 36 per cent increase in arrests for sexual offences between 2014/15 and 2015/16, Mayor of London urges those who experience this behaviour on public transport to ‘speak up’ and report all incidents.

A new hard-hitting campaign to encourage people to report unwanted sexual behaviour on public transport has been launched today by Transport for London (TfL), British Transport Police (BTP), Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and City of London Police (CoLP).

The campaign forms part of a programme of policing activity to eradicate unwanted sexual behaviour on London’s transport network.

Building on the success of the ground breaking 2015 Report it to Stop it film, which has been viewed more than 13 million times on YouTube alone, the new campaign underlines that every report matters, is taken extremely seriously and provides valuable information to help catch offenders. The film also warns potential offenders that they could be caught at any time.

The film has helped encourage women to come forward and report unwanted sexual behaviour that makes them feel uncomfortable – with a 36 per cent increase in arrests since its launch.

Since TfL and the police launched the Project Guardian partnership in 2013, with the aim of eliminating unwanted sexual behaviour from the transport network, the number of annual reports has doubled from 1,023 in 2012/13 to 2,087 in 2015/16.

Those who experience unwanted sexual behaviour on public transport do not always feel they will be believed or that the offender will be caught. The new campaign film has evolved to tackle head-on those misconceptions, highlighting how every report matters, is taken seriously and used by police to bring the offender to justice.

The film shows a successful businessman, presenting to colleagues in an office, his face is pixellated. Voices of women recalling their experiences of various types of unwanted sexual behaviour on public transport are heard. As each woman recounts her experience the man’s face becomes increasingly visible until he can be seen clearly. At the end of the film the man is apprehended by police, with his colleagues left in shock.

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “Keeping Londoners safe is my top priority and I want all women and girls to feel confident travelling on our transport network. This vital campaign highlights how any form of unwanted sexual behaviour is unacceptable, and victims must be given the right support when they report offences. By working together with partners, we can raise awareness of these crimes, give women and girls the encouragement they need to come forward, and bring perpetrators to justice. I urge Londoners to speak up and report unwanted sexual behaviour to the police immediately, if it happens to them.”

Siwan Hayward, TfL’s Head of Transport Policing, added: “We are determined to eradicate unwanted sexual behaviour on the transport network. It is never ok. We care about our passengers and the journeys that they make. Our new ‘Report it to Stop it’ film builds on our previous campaign’s success and encourages victims to come forward and report anything that makes them feel uncomfortable. No matter how insignificant they feel it may be, every report is taken extremely seriously by police and investigated so the offender can be caught and brought to justice.”

 

 

Rachel Griffin
Rachel Griffin

Rachel Griffin, CEO of Suzy Lamplugh Trust, said: “I’m extremely pleased TfL and their policing partners continue to tackle this important issue. Unwanted sexual behaviour is unacceptable. I hope this campaign gives people the confidence to come forward and report incidents, with the knowledge that they will be taken seriously.”

As part of the campaign, dedicated action days are being carried out by TfL, BTP, MPS and CoLP at key station hubs across the Capital. At these events officers will be providing specific advice to the public on how they can report instances of unwanted sexual behaviour.

To report unwanted sexual behaviour on public transport, text 61016 or call police on 101 and give details of what, where and when.

 

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