January 2018 – Page 6 – Scene Magazine – From the heart of LGBTQ+ Life

LONDON: Equity LGBT History Month event presented by Rose Collis

Posted on 19/01/201819/01/2018 by Besi

The author, Rose Collis will present a new illustrated talk, Player Kings and Queens: Equity Founders and Friends in LGBT History, at a special LGBT History Month event for the entertainment union Equity.

Equity was formed in 1930 and its founding members included many major lesbian, gay and bisexual stage stars of the day, including Ivor Novello, John Gielgud and the union’s first female President Beatrix Lehmann.

The Sussex-based writer and performer, elected to Equity’s national LGBT+ Equalities Committee in June 2017, is best-known for her plays and books featuring real-life LGBT personalities, including Trouser-Wearing Characters, Not Wanted on Voyage and Wanting The Moon.

Rose explains: “I went to a training day for Equity’s new committee members and noticed the framed original founding document, and recognised some of the signatories. With my historian’s hat on, it struck me that they were part of a much wider lesbian and gay theatrical network, many of whom are also commemorated in St Paul’s Covent Garden, the ‘actors’ church’, including Noel Coward.

“And, joining the dots even further, I noticed that they were all linked to one remarkable woman who presided over the ‘Tavistock Set’, just round the corner from Equity’s office and the church: the eccentric writer and artist Clemence Dane, subject of my solo play, Wanting The Moon. I realised that this would all make for a suitably entertaining LGBT History Month event, and I’m delighted that my Equity colleagues have wholeheartedly embraced the idea.”

Event: Player Kings and Queens, written and presented by Rose Collis

Where: Equity’s head office, Guild House, Upper St Martin’s Lane, London WC2H 9EG

When: Wednesday, February 28

Time: 6.30pm

Cost: Free and non-Equity members are welcome. Booking is recommended: tickets are available at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/player-kings-and-queens-equity-founders-and-friends-in-lgbt-history-tickets-41875646185

Progress for pilots living with HIV – NAT welcome CAA decision

Posted on 18/01/201818/01/2018 by Besi

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) announce changes to their hitherto outdated rules on HIV.

They are issuing initial Class 1 Medical certificates (with a restriction to multi-pilot operations) to applicants living with HIV wishing to become commercial pilots.

The CAA have also appealed to EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) so that further progressive rule-making activity can occur and a permanent change to the regulations will mean there are no barriers for those living with HIV to work as commercial pilots.

Deborah Gold, chief executive of NAT (National AIDS Trust), said: “We welcome the temporary measures the CAA have put in place to allow pilots living with HIV to fly, and we look forward to a full update to regulations from EASA at European level, meaning no outdated and unfair barriers remain. Of course there ought to be nothing standing in the way of someone living with HIV who wants a career as a pilot. We congratulate the pilot who has brought this issue to the foreground and demanded change.”

Rose Tremain’s ‘Sacred Country’ selected as City Reads 2018

Posted on 18/01/2018 by Gary Hart

Rose Tremain’s Sacred Country has been chosen as this year’s City Read across Brighton & Hove and beyond.

The concept of City Reads is simple: one book, by one author, is selected for the whole city to read, explore, discuss and creatively engage with.

Standing in a cold Suffolk field with her family, in 1952, six-year-old Mary Ward has a revelation: I am not Mary. That is a mistake. I am not a girl. I’m a boy…

So begins Mary’s heroic struggle to change gender. Moving from the claustrophobic rural community of the 1950s to London in the swinging Sixties and beyond to the glitter of America in the Seventies, Sacred Country is the story of a journey to find a place of safety and fulfilment in a savage and confusing world.

***“Rose Tremain is one of the very finest British novelists”…… Salman Rushdie***

Rose Tremain was one of only five women writers to be included in Granta’s original list of 20 Best of Young British Novelists in 1983, and was made a CBE in 2007. Her award-winning novels and short stories have been published worldwide in 27 countries.

Sacred Country won both the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and Prix Femina Etranger. It has oft been compared to Virginia Woolf’s iconic novel Orlando through its reconsideration of the essence of gender. Apart from its undoubted literary merits, Sacred Country is a non-sensationalist reflection of the tribulations faced by trans individuals.

Written a quarter of a century ago it still feels fresh and important which is why it was the perfect choice for 2018. Beginning in a Suffolk village in the early 1950s and moving through three decades, we come to know not only our central character Mary/Martin born as a girl into the wrong body, but also the family and characters within that small community; those who find happiness and their place in the world and those who struggle to do so.

Rose said: “I’m delighted that Sacred Country has been chosen for Brighton City Reads. It seems to me that this city, with its long tradition of tolerance and its talent for celebration is a place where Mary/Martin could have found happiness. To make this book live again for Brighton readers will be an honour.”

Fox Fisher, film maker, trans campaigner and artist, said: “As a trans person myself, I never saw trans characters in books (or in ‘real life’, for that matter) growing up. Although Sacred Country is written by an author that isn’t trans, I was utterly gripped with the storyline and characters. The audiobook is read by a trans man which adds to the authenticity and is an example of the level of care and consideration when creating this book. As a film-maker, I could really visualise how well this would translate to a feature-length fiction. And when the time comes, I hope the person to make the film is me!”

The full City Reads programme will be announced on Thursday, February 15, 2018

B RIGHT ON LGBT Community Festival: Lunch Positive Community Lunch

Posted on 18/01/201818/01/2018 by Besi

Lunch Positive, the weekly HIV lunch club will provide and host a Community Lunch at noon on Saturday, February 17 as part of the B RIGHT ON LGBT Community Festival.

Absolutely everyone is invited to go along to share good food and good company together.

The lunch will be raising funds for the Rainbow Fund who make grants to LGBT/HIV organisations who deliver effective front line services to LGBT+ people in Brighton and Hove.

Lunch-goers, where able, will be invited to make a suggested donation of £3 for lunch.

The Community Lunch is being delivered by volunteers from Lunch Positive, helped by other local LGBT+ community groups. They’ll be serving a range of tasty home cooked food within the Phil Starr Pavilion, located in Victoria Gardens, Brighton from 12 noon – 3pm.

There’s no need to book ahead, just turn up on the day and bring along your friends!

For more information and menu for the day, click here:

To check out the Lunch Positive website, click here:

Event: B RIGHT ON LGBT Community Festival – Lunch Positive Community Lunch

Where: Phil Starr Pavilion, Victoria Gardens – BN1 1WN Brighton

When: Saturday, February 17

Time: Noon – 3pm

Cost: £3 suggested donation

Vote on the facts – Lib Dems call monthly Brexit demos in centre of Brighton

Posted on 18/01/201818/01/2018 by Besi

Brighton and Hove Liberal Democrats will hold a demonstration on Tuesday, January 23, 2018 from 6 – 7 pm in New Road, Brighton and on the fourth Tuesday of every month thereafter.

They will be calling for an EU referendum in December 2018 on the final Brexit deal and urge people to vote on the facts.

“I grew up in Northern Ireland,” said Carrie Hynds, the Liberal Democrat candidate for Hove in June 2017, “and saw first-hand the excellent peace and reconciliation work undertaken by the EU. With peace comes stability, prosperity and the ability to plan for the future.”

“Identity has layers. I’m Northern Irish, British and European, and will always identify with those three things. I don’t see them as being in opposition to each other.”

“Brighton & Hove voted overwhelmingly to ‘Remain’, as did 48% of those who cast their ballot in the 2016 referendum. Yet the government has set a course for extreme Brexit, seeking to leave not just the EU but also the single market, customs union and vital programmes such as Euratom. We now know that leaving the EU will not create more money for the NHS and there are no bespoke trade deals lined up ready for the UK to sign on day one. The government is pursuing its own Brexit deal, and it is only right in a democracy to go back and check with the British people that this is the outcome they wanted.”

Last chance to sign up for charity place in The Grand Brighton Half Marathon

Posted on 17/01/201818/01/2018 by Besi

Charity places in The Grand Brighton Half Marathon close on Sunday, January 28 so runners need to sign up now to avoid missing out.

The 28^th Brighton Half Marathon takes place on Sunday, February 25. General entries to the race sold out in October and charity places are now the only way to enter.

You can choose to run for over 30 partner charities, including local charities RISE, Chestnut Tree House and The Sussex Beacon, plus national charities including Alzheimer’s Society and WaterAid.

This year the race has a brand-new headline sponsor in The Grand, the city’s iconic seafront hotel, which is also on the course route.

The race is organised by Brighton-based charity The Sussex Beacon, who provides specialist support and care for people living with HIV through both inpatient and outpatient services and helps hundreds of people living with HIV in Sussex and the race is the charity’s largest annual event.

The Grand Brighton Half Marathon has become one of the most popular races in the UK since its first event in the 1990s. The 13.1-mile route takes runners from Brighton’s famous pier through the centre of the city, before heading along the seafront past The Grand hotel.

Race Director, Martin Harrigan, said: “At this time of year we are often asked by runners whether there are spaces left in the race and the answer is yes – via a charity place. Each and every one of our partner charities do incredible work and last year the event raised over £1 million for charitable causes, which is a breathtaking figure. We also encourage those who signed up for a general entry place to fundraise for a cause close to their heart – whether it’s £5 or £500, every little helps!”

London remembers ‘Section 28’ – 30 Years on

Posted on 17/01/201817/01/2018 by Besi

2018 marks the 30th anniversary of ‘Section 28’– which banned the promotion of homosexuality in public institutions, which lasted until 2003.

Tomorrow, Thursday January 18 to commemorate it, London’s LGBT+ communities are hosting ‘Jenny STILL f*cking lives with Eric and Martin’ – an appropriation of the banned textbook Jenny lives with Eric and Martin.

The night is a celebration of the activists who overturned ‘Section 28’ in person – including sharings from the National Union of Teachers (NUT) and the legendary lesbian activists who abseiled into the House of Lords.

The evening will also be the U.K. premier of ‘We Have Rather Been Invaded’ (2017) made up of archival materials and interviews with those affected by ‘Section 28’ including Linda Bellos, Femi Otitoju, Max Biddulph, Sunil Gupta and Nazmia Jamal.

We Have Rather Been Invaded (2017) is a new 40-minute, single-screen video made by Ed Webb-Ingall that looks at the legacy of Section 28, the role of activism and our understanding of this piece of legislation thirty years on.

Rather than paint a rosy picture that ‘Section 28’ and the general police-state of education is something of the past it highlights that the struggle continues. Indeed, many believe that with the lurch to the right since Thatcher – the situation for LGBTQIA+ empowerment is far worse today than was thirty years ago.

Since Section 28, even though a lot progress has been made in the way queerness is accepted, the teaching of queer sex still remains stigmatised and its history often ignored.

Hosted by emerging comedian and presenter Sapphire McIntosh the event will catalyse 2018 as a year to celebrate queer culture and bring to life London’s history of ‘Section 28’ activism.

Followed by performances by Pornceptual it will take you on an informative journey of queer sex, something that most queer people have been denied.

Event: London remembers ‘Section 28’ – 30 Years on

Where: Limewharf Arts Hub, Vyner St, London E2 9DJ

When: Thursday, January 18

Time: 6pm welcome – show starts at 6.30pm

Cost: £3 all profits go to the London LGBTQI+ Community Centre

Slave boy’s grave at Woodvale Cemetery to be restored

Posted on 16/01/2018 by Besi

New project launched to restore historical slave boy’s grave at Brighton’s Woodvale Cemetery.

On Friday, January 19 at 10am, key city figures will join a special ceremony to remove a head stone marking the grave of a slave boy who died in Brighton 145 years ago.

Leader of the Council Councillor Warren Morgan will join Brighton & Hove Black History, a local community group, to launch this project in honour of slave boy Thomas M.S. Highflyer.

Thomas M.S. Highflyer was a slave boy who was rescued from a slave ship on August 24, 1866, along with two other boys, by Captain Thomas Malcolm Sabine Pasley of the Royal Navy’s East African Anti-Slave Trade Squadron. Tom Highflyer was sent to Brighton to be educated and lived at 19 Great College Street, Brighton until his premature death on June 20, 1870 aged 12.

A key part of the project will see Tom Highflyer’s original head stone monument removed and then restored, to be returned to its place at Woodvale Cemetery.

Bert Williams MBE, President of Brighton & Hove Black History, said: “The Thomas Highflyer project is a very important project for our Black History group to help share the important contribution that Black people have made in Sussex. The story of his life and the unexpected discovery of his headstone is yet another piece of Brighton and Hove’s hidden Black heritage uncovered thanks to our team of volunteers. By restoring Tom’s grave, we hope to preserve his story and legacy for generations to come.”

The Thomas Highflyer project is funded by Heritage Lottery Fund and organised by Brighton & Hove Black History in partnership with Brighton & Hove City Council and Woodvale Cemetery.

For more information, click here:

Grant funding available to tackle Hate Crime and develop communities

Posted on 16/01/2018 by Besi

The Building A Stronger Britain Together (BSBT) programme is open for grant funding applications, with a deadline of Friday, February 16 at 5pm.

This funding is for projects which meet one or more of the following outcomes in countering extremism:

♦ Fewer people holding attitudes, beliefs, and feelings that oppose shared values
♦ An increased sense of belonging and civic participation at the local level
♦ More resilient communities

This funding stream is distinct from Prevent and applications should focus on tackling one or more the wider harms of extremism which are identified as hate crime; less cohesive society; harmful practices (such as forced marriage, FGM), alternative systems of law and rejection of democracy.

Community groups, charities, not for profit CICs, CIOs, community and voluntary sector organisations and companies limited by guarantee are able to apply. Groups need to have been running for at least 12 months.

♦ Funding is available for up to £50,000 (although projects requiring larger amounts can be discussed). ♦ Groups cannot apply for more than 25% of the annual income.
♦ Grants of up to £14,999 are only available to groups with an annual income of less than £200,000.

For applications of over £14,999 there are specific guidelines – Interested groups are advised to contact the community coordinator: melinda.king@brighton-hove.gcsx.gov.uk whose remit is to discuss and offer guidance and support.

Consortia or partnership applications are also possible.

In-Kind communications support for help with website, social media, film, printed materials etc, remains open on an ongoing basis. The application form is currently down and being updated but will be back up on the BSBT website later this week. Contact Melinda if you would like to discuss applying for in-kind support.

For full details, including eligibility criteria, further details on the outcome, and online application form, click here:

Queerying Christianity LGBT+ workshops with Village MCC

Posted on 16/01/201818/01/2018 by Besi

Queerying Christianity is a FREE six-week series of workshop, organised by Village MCC, asking some honestly difficult questions without trying to teach trite dogmatic answers.

A chance to genuinely explore faith questions in a safe environment with other LGBT+ people.

The course is designed to help you find your answers in ways that genuinely affirm who you are.

February 21: What is the ‘Good News’ – really?
February 28: Who, or what, is God?
March 7: What is the bible?
March 14: Does God approve of you being LGBT+?
March 21: What is prayer?
March 28: What is Easter?

The evening begins with a short presentation on the given subject and then everyone gathers over a cup of tea to share their thoughts and experiences. Everyone then comes together to see what they have discovered from each other, and to see what living faith can look like.

Rev. Michael Hydes, Senior Pastor at The Village MCC, said: “I’ve talked to so many people who loved most of the Alpha course but left with a bitter taste in their mouth. They asked awkward questions that were met with evasive answers. They were left feeling that the official position of the church was probably ‘don’t ask – don’t tell’, or ‘it’s a sin, but we don’t want to talk about it’, or ‘just keep coming and God will deal with it’.

“Queerying Christianity will provide an opportunity to come and talk with LGBT Christians who live openly and proud. Talk about real life experiences, where God is in the journey, and find your own answers. Come and be a part of a conversation that will help others find their answers too. No sales, no dogma, just real lives and good conversation.”

The Village MCC Brighton and Hove is a church that was created by LGBT+ Christians, their families, friends, and allies. It’s an MCC (Metropolitan Community Church) called to support the LGBT+ communities in whatever ways it can.

The Village MCC Brighton and Hove offers a safe space where anyone can feel at home, fully affirmed in their sexuality and gender identity.

Church members are active in the larger community, offering emergency aid and support to the homeless and vulnerably housed. Their minister, Rev. Michael, offers spiritual direction and pastoral care and they worship together every Sunday evening at 6pm at the Somerset Day Centre, 62 St. James St, Brighton Bn2 1PR. There is a free car park at the rear of the building and refreshments will be served.

Event: Queerying Christianity workshops by The Village MCC

Where: Somerset Day Centre, 62 St, James St, Brighton Bn2 1PR. Free car park at the rear of the building.

When: Every Wednesday from February 21 – March 28, 2018

Time: 7.30pm – 9pm

Cost: Free

For more information, click here:

Or telephone: 07476 667353

Call us now

Month: January 2018

LONDON: Equity LGBT History Month event presented by Rose Collis

The author, Rose Collis will present a new illustrated talk, Player Kings and Queens: Equity Founders and Friends in LGBT History, at a special LGBT History Month event for the entertainment union Equity.

Progress for pilots living with HIV – NAT welcome CAA decision

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) announce changes to their hitherto outdated rules on HIV.

Rose Tremain’s ‘Sacred Country’ selected as City Reads 2018

Rose Tremain’s Sacred Country has been chosen as this year’s City Read across Brighton & Hove and beyond.

***“Rose Tremain is one of the very finest British novelists”…… Salman Rushdie***

B RIGHT ON LGBT Community Festival: Lunch Positive Community Lunch

Lunch Positive, the weekly HIV lunch club will provide and host a Community Lunch at noon on Saturday, February 17 as part of the B RIGHT ON LGBT Community Festival.

Vote on the facts – Lib Dems call monthly Brexit demos in centre of Brighton

Brighton and Hove Liberal Democrats will hold a demonstration on Tuesday, January 23, 2018 from 6 – 7 pm in New Road, Brighton and on the fourth Tuesday of every month thereafter.

Last chance to sign up for charity place in The Grand Brighton Half Marathon

Charity places in The Grand Brighton Half Marathon close on Sunday, January 28 so runners need to sign up now to avoid missing out.

London remembers ‘Section 28’ – 30 Years on

2018 marks the 30th anniversary of ‘Section 28’– which banned the promotion of homosexuality in public institutions, which lasted until 2003.

Slave boy’s grave at Woodvale Cemetery to be restored

New project launched to restore historical slave boy’s grave at Brighton’s Woodvale Cemetery.

Grant funding available to tackle Hate Crime and develop communities

The Building A Stronger Britain Together (BSBT) programme is open for grant funding applications, with a deadline of Friday, February 16 at 5pm.

Queerying Christianity LGBT+ workshops with Village MCC

Queerying Christianity is a FREE six-week series of workshop, organised by Village MCC, asking some honestly difficult questions without trying to teach trite dogmatic answers.

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The author, Rose Collis will present a new illustrated talk, Player Kings and Queens: Equity Founders and Friends in LGBT History, at a special LGBT History Month event for the entertainment union Equity.

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The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) announce changes to their hitherto outdated rules on HIV.

Share this:

Rose Tremain’s Sacred Country has been chosen as this year’s City Read across Brighton & Hove and beyond.

“Rose Tremain is one of the very finest British novelists”…… Salman Rushdie

Share this:

Lunch Positive, the weekly HIV lunch club will provide and host a Community Lunch at noon on Saturday, February 17 as part of the B RIGHT ON LGBT Community Festival.

Share this:

Brighton and Hove Liberal Democrats will hold a demonstration on Tuesday, January 23, 2018 from 6 – 7 pm in New Road, Brighton and on the fourth Tuesday of every month thereafter.

Share this:

Charity places in The Grand Brighton Half Marathon close on Sunday, January 28 so runners need to sign up now to avoid missing out.

Share this:

2018 marks the 30th anniversary of ‘Section 28’– which banned the promotion of homosexuality in public institutions, which lasted until 2003.

Share this:

New project launched to restore historical slave boy’s grave at Brighton’s Woodvale Cemetery.

Share this:

The Building A Stronger Britain Together (BSBT) programme is open for grant funding applications, with a deadline of Friday, February 16 at 5pm.

Share this:

Queerying Christianity is a FREE six-week series of workshop, organised by Village MCC, asking some honestly difficult questions without trying to teach trite dogmatic answers.

Share this:

Latest News

***“Rose Tremain is one of the very finest British novelists”…… Salman Rushdie***